Month: July 2025

My person I am praying for in Korea, Rocky, has a song with this title. I’m borrowing the title today. Pray for Rocky with me. He is an “influencer.”

I am praying for “influencers” in Asia, in particular, since that is where my ministry heart lies currently. I still pray for my friends and contacts in Germany and Turkey as well, along with many prayers for my own people here in America.

Prayer is on my mind. It’s powerful. I am thrilled to see God working in the lives of those I am praying for.

Last night there was another tsunami warning that included the island of Chisik, where Cheri is working this summer. It was the second tsunami warning for her this summer!

I must say that although I am trusting the Lord for my children daily I still catch my breath and my heart beats a bit faster when I think of dangers that accost them. I know God is in control. He’s in control of their lives and deaths.

Haven’t I learned this lesson?

But loss is hard. Life is hard.

The tsunami was a “nothing burger” for Cherie, again, and I must say that I’m grateful to God.

Prayers for those that were affected by the huge earthquake near Russia.

Today my Bible reading took me through the last chapters of 1 Thessalonians and all of 2 Thessalonians.

I was underlining most of chapter five, 1 Thess..

Can you read it today? It isn’t long, and it is a chapter of COMFORT.

Paul assures us that we can watch for Christ’s snatching moment: the Lord is going to catch us away, seize us, snatch us, rapture us, harpazo (greek), and Paul says it’s going to happen like a thief coming in the night.

BUT Paul reminds us that those of us who are watching WILL NOT be surprised and it WILL NOT be like a thief in the night for us believers. Read it again.

We are watching and we can anticipate Christ’s coming for us.

Doesn’t it look like it is soon?

We are not appointed to God’s wrath. That is “Jacob’s Trouble.” We are the bride of Christ, the church, all who believe He is Lord and Messiah.

God isn’t through with His bride, the Jewish people. He will reveal Himself to them through a troubled time, with 144,000 evangelists. (See Revelation, it hasn’t happened yet, folks) Two witnesses will come to preach. Life will be unbearable for those left here. The world will groan!

Too many “christians” think the Bible is all about them. It isn’t. It’s primarily about God’s chosen people. The Jewish people. God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham. Read about it in Genesis.

When God restored the nation of Israel all of us Bible believers took note! Things were starting to happen!

We are watching!

I love 1 and 2 Thessalonians!! Such words of comfort and peace to us who love Jesus.

Watch with me!

MARANATHA!!!

Have you read Hannah Hurnard’s iconic books, “Hinds Feet on High Places,” and “Mountains of Spices” ever?

There is a character called Umbrage in those stories. I find her characterization of the figures in these books fascinating. “Much-Afraid” is the main character and she is from the family of “Fearings.” Umbrage is a relative of Much-Afraid’s, and she interests me.

Umbrage is defined simply as “offense or annoyance.” (Google)

I see it a bit deeper, fleshed out by Hurnard’s character.

This “woman” was locked in an attitude of offense. That’s umbrage. A bitter event happened of which cannot be let go. She represents all of us in a human response to something bitter in life. It’s a natural response.

A few years ago the world was mostly in the clutches of Covid-19. We all took sides, read heaps of information, stood firm or followed. Both sides took umbrage against each other, since the bitterness of the threat pushed us into different warring camps.

Friendships were lost, families were fractured. People died without proper grief and observance. It happened to me, and I can bet (pretty sure) it happened to others. You.

You were forced to take a side if you didn’t take a stand, even if merely by default. No one was excused. You either wore a mask or you didn’t.

No matter what the TRUTH of the whole puppet-master scheme turned out to be, WE humans were skewered into moulds whether we wanted to be or not.

I am not here to discuss that, but what came of it even years afterward. The umbrage.

I examine my own heart and I am guilty of harboring umbrage in my own soul. I confess and ask God’s forgiveness!

I know this is deep down because I took umbrage at someone yesterday for dredging up the past differences of heart and soul, angrily scolding me for holding an opposing view.

I have no right to take umbrage. That is sin in my heart.

I can still hold my own (educated) view, but I cannot succumb to a bitterness that may be linked to that stance.

Take it to the LORD. He understands. How many times could HE have taken umbrage at the Pharisees and Sadducees?

We have no right to take umbrage. We are told to love our enemy. Umbrage will disquiet the heart and mind, snatch peace from your day, and bring rot to your bones. Its relationship to bitterness is tight.

The Chief Shepherd changed Umbrage’s name when she turned to Him. He renamed her Forgiveness.

She was married to Resentment and her daughter was Retaliation. I won’t spoil the story any more because YOU HAVE TO READ IT.

Are you bearing umbrage instead of forgiveness for past “wrongs?” However you perceive these wrongs in your life, can you give them to the Shepherd who cares for your soul more than for your body?

I’m reminding myself, pleading with God to help me forgive, even as this sad history revisits us from time to time.

Satan is a liar, and the father of lies. He loves to dredge up past grievances and spoil our happiness. He would love to destroy our joy. Can you let the past go? Can you forgive? Can you overcome his tactics of umbrage and bitterness?

I hope we can, together.

MARANATHA!

The haze of Canadian fires is settled on our home. It makes for headaches and some breathing discomfort, at least for me. It is not a bad odor, more like a campfire. The smoke is probably not the best for health.

The Lord provided my air conditioning in just the right time.

I worry about my mom, though, as she is “green” (like me) and turns on the air reluctantly. As I keep an eye on her I am once again reminded of the importance of family and the responsibility to look out for one another.

Having one person (at least) is necessary for human health. Having a team is even better. We support each other in every way. The hermits in Yukon Territory die happily alone, but most of us need each other.

This summer has been such an experiment for me.

Living by myself has shown me a couple of things. First and foremost is the realization that family life is so fleeting. Our kids grow and leave the nest before you know it. Suddenly you miss the hectic pace of kid’s activity.

For me, the things I’ve taken for granted are coming into focus. I have written about selfish living as a single person. I think I’ve realized how much I’ve relied on my team. I’ve been a bit too expectant of their support. It’s a good lesson to learn. Having five kids and an extremely capable man for a husband for so many years —I was so helped by all of them.

It’s been a slow lesson to re-learn life skills on my own. No support.

Good lesson learned this summer. I have great appreciation for the team.

Never take that precious family life for granted.

It’s fleeting.

I choose to see answers to prayer as miracles. When I ask God for something I must be patient to see the results of that request. God always answers, but sometimes the answer is, of course, “no.”

When I see God moving and helping me (as I’ve prayed for) in my life I am thrilled, and I see spiritual intervention as miraculous. Every time.

As I have written before, my challenges usually involve major house repairs. I love my old house, built by my uncle decades ago. He has long passed on to glory. I love living in the beautiful countryside, where I grew up.

I was thrilled to buy this house, a foreclosure, ten years ago, with my husband.

I see God’s hand in it completely, as the tragedies and traumas of the past five years unfolded, and I am so happy to be close to my mom as we have seen this time through.

Not to beat this theme to death—but it is my concern for the past three years(!!!) —-I must daily trust the Lord for the repairs that must take place.

I dedicated this house to the Lord with my husband back in 2015. This is HIS house. Each repair and maintenance issue is HIS issue.

And I’ve watched Him help me.

A widow with little ability to know what to do about home repair has survived and seen God work things out.

There have been setbacks. Many. But God is still good and answering my prayers. He has His own purposes in those setbacks!

There are days when I think that the Lord is returning to catch us up soon, why fix anything?

But that is not good stewardship. We must do the right thing and responsible thing UNTIL He appears!

So today I am grateful for a new furnace, new gutters (that have significantly helped the water in the basement issue!—though water still seeps in with the heavy rain we’ve had). The old A/C has been replaced. It hadn’t worked for three years. The new one is humming along in this July heat and smoke from the Canadian forest fires.

I am so grateful to God for this blessing.

The furnace is a must in Minnesota. My old one was iffy and not up to code. I’m so grateful about the new one for upcoming winter months.

Cheri is supposed to return in a couple of weeks.

Being tied down this summer (pets and other responsibilities) has had its benefits. I’ve focused on getting projects done, planning, and PRAYER.

And God is working miracles.

My family fractures are healing. God is taking care of me. One day at a time.

God is GOOD, all the time.

MARANATHA!!!

Our Northern Lights Chorale Director (he’s now retired) invited me to join a “summer choir” which meets for this week, with a concert on Saturday.

I invite you all to attend at Faith Lutheran Church, Hanson Boulevard, Coon Rapids, on Saturday. The 19th. The concert is at 3:00.

I am sure you would enjoy it.

It isn’t a long program, but the songs are beautiful and the proceeds go to memory care and other aging ministries.

For me it was the first time singing in a top-notch choir since Brian left.

Minnesota is the land of 10,000 choirs.

They vary in pitch and skill.

I have been blessed to sing under Bruce Phelps and Jere Lanz. I also was at an event directed by Rene Claussen once.

When you sing Minnesota/F Melius Christiansen/Scandinavian voices — sort of stuff your standards are simply above the norm. The harmony and inflection is tight, the songs are ethereal and heavenly. Angelic. Think Concordia Choir, St. Olaf Choir, etc…

We are simply blessed to have such quality of music in our beautiful state.

Last night my heart was touched. The sound of harmonizing with gorgeous voices all around you is simply amazing.

Bruce was happy with what he heard. Our hearts leaped within us.

If you have the time on Saturday, come. This choir is mostly former or even present members of the Northern Lights Chorale. It was like a family reunion for me.

I spent 10 years with that choir, most Thursday evenings during the school year. It was Brian’s and my “date night.”

I couldn’t even sing for a year after he died. I listened to certain music over and over as part of my grief journey.

I couldn’t listen to choir music or even classical music for a time. It was too painful. God used the time to broaden my tastes and ears.

It is all good.

But it is nice to be back.

Singing.

I’m back.

They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Read John, chapter four.

Jesus is the answer to all our problems.

Oh that HE would come again SOON!

There is a little clip on Instagram of an elderly lady talking about heaven. I’m inspired by her words.

She said that heaven is a place where God will always be revealing something new —endlessly—that is so wonderful—that we will constantly be worshiping and praising Him! His wonderful Presence and all that HE is will constantly amaze and thrill us.

Compare that to airless, dark suffering in hell. Pain, loneliness, endless torment by horrid creatures.

The choice is obvious to me.

Choose Jesus!

Choose this day whom you will serve.

God’s rules, not ours.

This is a spiritual transaction, being born again. WE are dead spiritually until we are born again!

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

God’s rules.

Make that decision today! Don’t wait! He is coming again soon!

MARANATHA!

I am praying that you choose Jesus.