Gates

Are gates to keep things in or to let things out? Gates can be beautiful as in this picture of the famous doors of a church in Florence, Italy. It is said that they look like the Doors of Paradise. The other picture is of l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. We were on the subway and came out at night and saw this sight. Totally gorgeous.

When I visited my grandparent's farm, we could go to the barn and there would be a well worn door with a hook that definitely kept the animals and their smell in.

We could go back to the woods on that property and we would find another gate. I'm not sure why this gate was there. No animals roamed there then, but perhaps at one time they did. Once inside this gate was a well with the best water I have ever tasted. On a fall day, it was crisp and cold and wonderful.

I think the gates in the church above are mostly for beauty, but they must have kept in some of the heat. They kept in the reverent attitude so that outside noises didn't disturb the worshipers.

Here are some scriptures about gates:

"Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter." Psalm 118:19,20 NKJ.

"I was glad when they said to me, 'let us go into the house of the Lord.' Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem." Psalm 122:1,2 NKJ.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction..." Matt.7:13 NKJ.

Many of us have a picture of the pearly gates of heaven from various places. The Bible says, "...the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Rev. 21:10 and "Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates..."vs 12 NKJ That description finishes with "The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl." Vs 21 NKJ. That is an image to think about with awe and joy.

So I guess I have decided that gates are mostly to both keep things in, to keep things out, to have a sense of place, and for beauty.

My Warrior God

This picture was one of the cloud pictures I took after our trip to New England last fall. We were tired and God just put on a sky show for us that thrilled and blessed us. I thought then as I do now, that this picture looks like a fighter plane, maybe two of them. For some reason, this thrilled me.

I don't propose any great theology here, this is just the way things seem to me. I recently put this picture on my computer as my screen saver. I love it. It reminds me of my warrior God.

Very recently, I was sick again and had to shut down the blog and rest. The medicine I took made me want to get up and do projects. I knew if I did that, I'd be in big trouble. No, I needed to rest. So I rested. I just slept so much. Did you ever want to do that? I have. Well, I don't wish it anymore. It needed to be done, but I want to be well and have energy and get about the business of life.

I know that during that time and before, I had neglected to keep up with the renewing the mind thing. Thoughts came in and I neglected to fight them. I was so busy and in spite of some Bible and prayer, I just wasn't up to my usual communication with God. I got down and things looked bleak. I cried out to God to help me get back to the place He wanted me, where I know who I am as a child of God and know that my mind is thinking His thoughts.

I had such a peace and He just helped me by getting something done easily that I thought was going to be very difficult. That just gave me a surge of love and hope. You can't live without hope.

I recently read Ephesians 3 about how God showed to Paul the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles. I had never realized how awesome that revelation was before. God was speaking to me again. What a good sign.

I felt He led me to reread a very old book called A Daily Guide to Miracles and Successful Living Through Seed-Faith by Oral Roberts. This book takes you through a year. It has joyful ideas and Biblical applications on every page. A few times I have almost thrown the book away. I'm glad I didn't. It always helps me put things in perspective.

I know that my warrior God is fighting for me. He knows my needs. He hears me when I call and helps me out of whatever pit I'm in. I don't want to come out of this the way I went in. I need to renew my mind every day. I believe He wants to give me great peace and He wants me to just trust and believe Him and roll it all over on His shoulders. He is my Mighty Warrior and the battle belongs to the Lord.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Here are all of the things I love that are Irish. Number one on my list is Ireland. I wish I could go. It would be my dream vacation. I like the old Irish castles, the Irish lyre (it used to be the symbol of my old sorority - back in the day.) I love Irish lace, rocks worn smooth by water, the song Danny Boy, Maureen O'Hara, ancient Irish tunes, all shades of green, shamrocks, the Irish brogue, and those cool tall hats on all of the cards.

So today if you are part Irish (I'm about an eighth,) or none at all, have a wonderful day.

The Sleepless Night

There are some nights when, no matter what you do, you just can't sleep. You have taken the warm tea or milk, you have read a good novel but still aren't sleepy. What then? Well, you can pray and I do try to take advantage of this time to do just that. I also go over recent doings around my house and life and mull what has to be done, not so much worrying as just getting a tab on things. But then you are done with that. You look at the clock and it is only 1:00a.m. Now is where it gets interesting. Now is the think tank time.

Where I start doesn't matter. I may spend an hour or so just thinking about a teacher I had in first grade and something about that teacher reminds me of a drama teacher I had in high school. I will dwell on these scenes for some time and another memory of a school friend I knew then will come to me and I will wonder where they are. These free flowing thoughts can go on all night. When I am truly alert, I can compose whole letters in my mind that I could write if I had to. I often get ideas about things to do in the future and have to get up and write them down.

What I was thinking of as unusual was how many thought sessions I have behind me at my age. There are just so many little pockets of images and feelings and scenes to go through. I have lived a long time already. A life is built on all of the little things that we do that pile up to one big life. Maybe our lives are so busy, we don't have time to go through these little sessions and assess where we are and where we want to go,

In the morning after one of these times I'm somewhat sleepy but not too worse for wear. As long as they don't happen too often (and they don't), I am thankful that I can clear the air, look at what was and start over with what will be.

Tribute to Disney

One of the first things I was exposed to when we got our new console T.V., was The Mickey Mouse Club. I thought it would be just cartoon, but was surprised to find that there were children about my age, all with loads of singing and dancing talent, all ready to entertain me. I soon fell in love with some of the favorites: Annette, Sharon, Doreen, Darleen, Johnny and Mike. What a great way for a kid to spend an hour after school.

During this time, Walt Disney made major motion pictures and I wanted to see them all. I cried through Old Yeller along with everyone else, and loved Big Red, another great dog story. By far, my favorites had Hayley Mills as the star. It started with Pollyanna and then The Parent Trap. I just couldn't get enough of that one. I have a copy and watch it over and over. Hayley also did one called In Search Of The Castaways which I loved. That was more of an adventure.

Right after I graduated from High School, my family took a trip to New York City. We saw the World's Fair for 1965. There was a very cute exhibit called It's A Small World. You rode around in a little boat and saw animated dolls of all different countries. Here is a scene from Africa. There was a catchy tune, "It's a Small World After All," which is one of those things that gets stuck in your head. When we came out of the ride, no one was in line, so they let us have a free ride.

In l970, I was privileged to go to California with a friend. We visited Disneyland and I got to meet Doc in the other picture. We took the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride and then ate at the Blue Lagoon restaurant next door. I had the most fabulous sandwich, the Monte Cristo. Yum. We went on another tour of Small World out there, too.

I have had two trips to Disneyworld in Florida, one when my children were young and a recent one where we got to visit Epcot.

I am thankful for the quality of entertainment that Walt Disney has shown over the years. He has enriched my life in many ways. Everything is so wholesome. I love that. Now there is a new Mickey Mouse Club on T.V., this time it is cartoons, and my grandson loves it. It's still good quality and I even enjoy it. So, thanks Walt Disney, thanks for all the joy. My childhood wouldn't have been quite same without you.

Short Blog Break

I' need to have a blog break here for awhile. I hope to be back in a week or so. I have a cute blog ready to go when I can get to it. I will miss you between now and then. Nancy

Scriptures for March

Every school child learns the saying about March starting like either a lion or a lamb. I wanted to find some scriptures about these two animals. I love the idea that Jesus was the precious Lamb of God, but that He also was the great Lion of Judah. Such vivid pictures to contemplate. Scriptures: NKJ. You might have fun looking these up and finding what is before and after each one.

Lamb scriptures:

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

"...you were not redeemed with corruptible things... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1Peter1:18,19

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." Rev. 12:11

"'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage super of the Lamb! '" Rev.19:9

Lion scriptures:

"...things which are majestic in pace,... a lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any..." Pr. 30:29,30

"They shall walk after the Lord. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling from the west." Hosea 11:10

"A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken!" Amos 3:8

"Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed..." Rev. 5:5

The Lord God is so everything. He's the beginning and the end, the first and the last, Holy child and King. And in March, I just like to see that Lion roar and look to the most gracious and worthy Lamb of all.