The deck in all its splendor

 I think we are moving right into summer. Temps last week were very nice, but once I stepped onto the deck this morning, I knew it was going to be a warmer day. They come and we get closer and closer to the fan. I still like it out here on the deck more than being in the air-conditioned house.

I finished "Simple Man" about 6:30 this morning. I woke up about 5 something and knew I had to work on it. It wouldn't let me sleep. Some songs are like that. They run over and over in my mind until I have to sit down with them and 'wrestle' with the words. Sometimes I win and sometimes I don't.

It bothers me when I can't finish a song. I feel like I've let someone down. It's like I know the song is for a person or persons going through what the song describes and I have failed to get the message to them to ease their mind and take some of the load off.

But when I finish one and 'the bumps' pop up, I know I'm on the right track. The words come together and 'melt' into a form and make sense and 'sing' to me like I'm in the audience listening to a concert.

I love the way God 'orchestrates' our lives. It's like a human symphony of movement and sound and energy, making things happen as we go along. God is the perfect guide showing us through His 'garden of creation' and to where the best spots are; to best enjoy the experience. The lame theme parks can't come close to the experience I just had watching a small bird landing on a branch about 6 feet away. She was pruning herself and flexing her wings and I could see the vivid colors God used to paint her. The mere thought of making something so tiny and yet so perfect and alive. The wonders of the Lord never cease.

I'm looking at 4 more days after today before we pack up and move on. This has been such an invigorating experience. I wish everyone could do this. I think of the many children throughout the land, even the world, that are 'locked away' in some sort of 'jail' to where they can't get out and see the birds and squirrels and deer feeding and walking calmly about as though nothing in the world is wrong or a danger.

Our excursion yesterday took us along the Illinois River, up and down winding roads with grand vistas and the extraordinary homes perched on top of the mountains looking out over the valley below with the river tracing it's way downstream. We stopped along the way where the bluffs rose 30 or 40 feet in the air, all but covering the road, and watched the water running off of the rocks in little streams.

We took pictures of the falling sun as it disappeared on the west side of the lake behind the tree line, leaving a golden carpet of reflection on the water until it was no more. The lapping waves sang to us until we left to go back to the house and rest, a long day indeed.

Today is another workday for Dianna. She is finally getting some resolutions to some of the tangled mess of the bookkeeping the previous person left her. We know now why she left so abruptly. People are so predictable. Their attempts to do things 'the easy way' always comes back to bite them in the end. There is no way but the right way to do a task. If you can't do it, don't. Just own up to your shortcomings before disaster strikes and hurts those around you. I know, easier said than done, huh?

We are listening to the afternoon 'concert' here on the deck. Birds in every direction are chiming in to express their opinions and adding to the multitude of sounds. I should try to record it but the mic won't pick up much of the 'songs' and it would lose all of it's essence in translation. What a pity. This would make great 'sleeping music'.

I changed strings earlier. The sound is significantly better. I didn't realize how worn out they actually were. So much the better for me. I can't handle out of tune music. It's like chalk on a chalkboard grating on my nerves. It actually makes me shudder... unless its a little kid. I don't know what it is about children singing. They can be 3 or 4 tones off and I still think it's good. Go figure. I love to see them making the effort.

 

Update6/18/23

Hello again. It's Saturday morning at the lake and the vehicles with boat trailers are in and out like Walmart shoppers. I didn't know they made so many kinds of boats and pontoons. As a matter fact I did know they made so many all-terrain vehicles either. Little two man, four man, six man vehicles with knobby tires and no doors and let's not forget golf carts; how do you know which one to choose?

I'm surprised that the weather has been so mild since we been here. We've gotten rain about every other day and the cool breezes are excellent appear on this elevated deck. As I said before, it will be hard to leave this magnificent setting but there again we have miles to go before we sleep.

I'm looking forward to find out when we can move into the house. The inspector is unsure about the roof and we have some issues with the plumbing hanging loose underneath that needs to be addressed. We also found out that the painters painted over the wall sockets in some places which doesn't surprise me. Things like that are very telling when it comes to the quality of workmanship goes into a project. You can tell these people wanted to flip this property ASAP and probably hired cut rate workers or inexperienced workmen to do the job. The outside trim work and underneath the carport got a quick one coat of spray paint but it probably won't last a year. I think we're going to extend the little deck anyway so some painting is in order.

We really like the convenience of only being a few minutes away from church. After traveling an hour or more each way for over three years, it will be good to save on gas money for a change. It may sound selfish but my highest priority is to get the studio set up again. God's given me three songs this week and I'm behind on my will web building work so having my tools set up and ready to use will be a big plus factor.

I've been recording the song ideas on garage band, a little app on my phone. There's a bit of a learning curve but I'm getting to the point that I can get set up fairly quickly and began the musical process. Getting past the technical and onto the creative as quickly as possible is essential.

I'll close out this update for now and look forward to bringing you more of a spiritual message next time. I thought it would be in order to keep everyone apprised of what's going on with the Lord family. I know many of you been praying for us and that is so welcome to especially in this day and time. We are so blessed. We are seeing a lot of our friends going through some tumultuous times. We see how brave th­­­­­­­ey are and how resilient. It's amazing to see how God is working in their lives.

Gentle Rant

 Hello again. I'm sitting out on the deck listening to the gentle rain dance on the metal roof. The sounds are actually quite soothing and somewhat musical. Just a little while ago the Lord began giving me another song. The title is "Simple Man".

I haven't often thought of myself as a simple man. To some that may seem to be a derogatory term, but I don't think so now. In most cases I think that keeping things simple is the best plan. Our lives become so complicated and so fast, as everything runs downhill at such high speeds, I don't see the positive in it; rather the negative because of the complications.

This past week for me has been a true godsend. We haven't even turned the television on one time and that's fine because there's really nothing on there that I need to see. I know it's important to keep up with the news and keep up with the weather, but for the most part, what's the point? We have spent almost all of our time on the deck, this glorious deck.

I do however, believe the news is important and we never know when catastrophic events can come to bear. The ways of the world are difficult to put it mildly. But when your steps are ordered by the Lord things become settled in your mind and things slow down considerably and are much, much easier to take in, to retain, to address and understand.

How should we best deal with the difficulties that we face each day? Are we following the roadmap that God laid out so long ago? And is it right down the line and in the middle of his will? I look at all the translations of His Word and I have to wonder, are all of these people right? Are all of these translations what God actually wants us to know and see and hear? I wonder. I know that when I read the Bible it comes alive to me, and it addresses the problems and the situations and the circumstances I'm involved in at that moment. All in all, I think God has His way no matter what anyone tries to do to His Holy Word.

Now I may have read the same Scripture over and over but, in reading it this time, in this set of circumstances, I find the words to be quite pointed and direct. As I said, "alive". 

Just like my song says, "simple man", I need things put to me in a simple, direct way and God knows that. And I see that He treats me as a child, and I like that. I like being pampered. I like being special. God knows me and He knows what works for me and He does things that help me learn; like showing me things in a way that I can understand. 

My wife treats me in special ways. I "see" her love in her interactions. And I trust that she sees my love in my actions. Just like God.

Now where is all of this going and makes this world about all this drama that plays out in our capitals and in our churches on a weekly basis? Is this really what God wants from His children? Certainly not. 

I compare government and churches a lot and often paint them with the same brush but when I look back into Acts and see how the early church was so adamant and so alive and so giving and so loving, it just seems like I'm looking at the same thing. Which is church and which is state? And then I compare things to today's 'plays' and 'dramas' and emergencies. How much of what we see and hear is really truth? I'm suspicious and I'm cautious and I'm ready for the "real" side of what goes on. But it's just not there; hence 'Fake News' in both places.

I'm not trying to be negative I'm trying to be real. I'm trying to ask the questions that mean so much to me, and hopefully to you as well, so we can look at our situations and find real solutions that bring us back to God and back together and bring us back to a feeling of sanity and a sense of peace that we all so desperately need.

We are seeing several of our friends in court. One is in divorce court and the other is a domestic abuse case and so on and so forth. Everyone wants their own way. The selfishness is so self-evident. I see so little selflessness that it makes me wonder, is anyone reading and understanding God's word today? Are we so wrapped up in self that we can't see anything else around us? We can't see others feelings, we can't see others needs, and we certainly can't see ourselves helping anyone; 'we don't have the time'.

I know that with God there is great peace, there is great safety. There is understanding and learning and adventure and inspiration and on and on. A limitless God that knows no bounds, has no weaknesses and only has strengths and power to solve any and all situations anywhere.

Deckside chat

Good morning. I spent the better part of two hours today setting up my automatic dictation software. I think I'm really going to like this. If you haven't ever tried it, it would probably be a good idea to go slowly at first and watch the tutorials and then dive in. It certainly makes the work easier.

This morning was kind of special to me, I was up a little early. I normally sleep in but this morning I was awake at 6 o'clock.

I came out onto the deck and heard numerous birds; different species that were singing in a symphony of birds. I marveled at how the Lord makes music. There is music in the rustling of the leaves, the sounds of motors passing by, the birds singing in 10-part harmony. So many sounds with so many frequencies and all in perfect tune.

That seems to be the way God does things. He puts everything in order, perfect order, and then proceeds to create from there. The melodies are extravagant and far above our weak human abilities, but nonetheless very beautiful.

Just now I'm wondering how we get so far out of tune? How do we get things so jumbled up and turned around and dislocated? It seems to be a common human trait for the most part.

But God never sounds out of tune. He never seems dislocated or clumsy. He's always graceful and melodic in what He does.

"The Bible says that our steps are " ordered by the Lord". That means we can walk in perfect harmony, perfect step with Him and never miss a step. That has to be awesome. I long for the time when I'm in perfect step with Him. I know I get 'lost' sometimes in my own thoughts and desires, but I somehow seem to 'come back around' and listen for His words and look for Him in his word.

Our troubles are 'light afflictions' as it says in the Word, but to some they weigh a ton or more and are forever holding us back from real blessings and peace.

So how do we 'get back' to peace and tranquility? It may not be as hard as some visualize in their minds. A practiced 'letting go' is essential to finding your peace. 

When you can't do anything about the situation, relax and hand it off to God. That's where we too often fail to start. If we begin by asking God to guide us and show us 'His" way, we ultimately get to a good final result and more often than not it's faster God's way.

 We have settled in nicely and feel as though this is "home"; but it's. not.

Our journey will continue. Who knows what will happen next? God of course. I will be sad to have to go 'home' after this excellent week of glorious surroundings, but it has to happen to get to the 'next step'.

Hold fast to the pleasant things and disregard the bad things my friends. Life is far too short to try and sort through all the 'clutter' the world hurls our way. Your life will be so much the better for doing so and those around you will notice and follow suit. Perhaps

  

The Frog 

I looked around me. A tall tree caught my attention. It was dead. It must have been at least 50 years old, standing 30 to 40 feet in the air with large limbs above the 25-foot mark; devoid of any foliage. I had observed Turkey Vultures resting on the upper limbs for a couple of mornings, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it otherwise. But as I stood on the deck looking out today, I noticed that there were trees all around it, thriving and green with leaves covering the branches; with no noticeable dead limbs at all. 

What kills a tree? If there are an abundance of trees around it and the same type, what exactly makes that particular one vulnerable? 

In my woodwork I discovered ‘spaulted woods’. They have been attacked by various kinds of worms and other bugs that drain the sap of its nutrients and slowly kill it. But why ‘that’ tree? 

I couldn’t help but compare this to people and their walk with God or the lack thereof. If we let ourselves get ‘dry’ and lifeless, the ‘worms’ of life crawl in and begin to slowly take the life right out of us and eventually ’kill us’ spiritually, if not physically. Having a vibrant relationship with the one true God keeps us alive. This type of positive setting feeds us spiritual food that is both nourishing and strengthening at the same time. 

When we neglect the spiritual side of our selves the erosion ‘crawls in’ and begins the ‘killing process’. We may not even realize it but before long the effect is devastating. 

I recall the story of the frog. The experiment begins with a frog submerged in a container filled to the brim with cool water. The amphibian sits at ease and enjoys the cool liquid, seemingly without a care in the world. However, once the heat is applied and the water heats up something changes for the frog. However, he doesn’t suddenly jump out of the container; he just sits there allowing the water to get hotter and hotter until the first few bubbles in the water tell us that the temperature is coming up to the boiling point. Does the animal leap out of the water? No, it just sits there. 

Now, I know most of us already know the end to the story. The water boils over and the frog dies, unaware that it could have saved its life by simply jumping out of the ‘hot water’.  

I’m sure the frog must have been uncomfortable to say the least, but still, it stayed in the container and died. 

Aren’t we supposed to be smarter than frogs? I believe so. Then why do so many of us ‘stay in the water’ when all we have to do is ‘move’? It’s astounding how many times I have ‘stayed in the water’ and been ‘burned’. I’m sure none of you know what I’m talking about, (he said, tongue in cheek). Okay. 

We have to feed our ‘roots’. And we have to use the right food. We can’t sit idly by and ‘watch tv’ for the rest of our lives. That ‘slow boiling water’ speaks for itself. What kind of food is that? Is it nutritious or unhealthy for our Spirit man, or just ‘sugar coated’ garbage?  

The war won’t just ‘pass us by’. It will, sooner or later, come to our door and kick it in. The enemy has a plan to eradicate us and take everything we have for themselves. Not unlike what Russia is doing to Ukraine as we speak. The enemy of our souls is as real as the Russian army and far more lethal. Thankfully, there is an answer for this problem; laid out long, long ago in the beginning of time by the Master planer, the Creator. 

We can always be victorious If we follow the “Playbook’. We will always win. I didn’t say we would win every battle, I said we would ultimately win the war for our souls. Of course, the playbook is the Word of God. Cleave to it; embrace it as though all depends on it because it does. Don’t be a stupid frog; fight for your life and win! 

  

The gift of Burden 

It's almost noon and yet it’s still cool and rainy out here underneath the covered deck. I am amazed at the peace surrounding us. We were told it would be noisy due to the traffic here at the lake; people partying. But it has been so quiet. 

I thought about our pastor last night after watching his Sunday morning message. He was preaching a sermon as Di and I watched online. I was taken back by the picture of him at the podium. He looked drained and measured with his words. Longer than usual pauses between sentences and again, words measured as though he was carefully deciding on the right ones to choose. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this. It was as though the weight of the world was weighing him down and he was struggling to get through to the audience; an urgency if you will I hadn’t noticed before. 

This man is a man among men. His example stands like a torch, yet he is humble and funny and always helping someone in need. I would do well to measure up to his image; as much like Christ as I have known in a man before. We all love him with a passionate love and gladly, willingly follow him as our shepherd.  

But this time I wanted to rush up to him and embrace him and tell him, “It will be alright”; not unlike what I have heard him say so many times to others. 

The burdens we take on can certainly be telling. The shoulders droop, the face becomes slightly gaunt, and the eyes look deeply into everything, evaluating and questioning. The measure of responsibility that we are willing to take on will and can bring us down without ‘reinforcement’ coming to our aid.  

I know my Pastor prays and gets answers to those prayers. I know that he is being sustained by a great power that can only come from the Creator. But he is certainly paying the price for his devotion. Not many are that willing to ‘suffer the cost’ in this day and time. Most only want recognition or power or money or all of the above. It’s a good thing he has such a formidable ‘partner’. Her efforts to organize, assemble, preach, sing, and that’s only a few of the things she accomplishes, are full on ‘get down’ all the time. I don’t think I can keep up with her walking. She is across the room by the time I can get up from my chair. 

The two of them are, put mildly, awesome. 

If we had people like this guiding the country, we wouldn’t have the problems we do. Down to earth thinking with guidance and discernment are invaluable traits. Lack of leadership is costing us our freedom in minute increments; little by little eating away at our liberty.  

I listen to the prophets and scholars foretelling the future. One says this, another says that. Who can ‘reason’ the real? When did we get away from ‘hearing from God’ about how to handle things? I’m sure a lot of them are right but to what degree? How do we know who to trust in this Topsy Turvey world where everything is turned upside down, inside out and twisted to fit ‘opinions’ that are directly contrary to God’s laws? 

At this point, I can only add to the ‘rant’. What can I do to change things? Maybe more than we think. By God, we overcome. By God we ‘see’ what to do and by God we succeed. It’s all a matter of putting God first and following the leader into the future with assurance and confidence and ‘the peace that passes all understanding’. 

I began this note with an observation. Maybe I should keep my opinions to myself a little more, but I love the people around me and I don’t want them to suffer needlessly. We sometimes take on more than we should, perhaps, when God is saying ‘leave all your cares with me because I care for you’, all of you. 

This war isn ‘t over. We have ‘miles to go before we sleep’. The way to victory is by way of the cross; the milestone, the ‘marker’ that shows us which way is right. I’m still a novice, I know, but I’m gaining on it.