Our Quiet House

The bathroom and guest room are clean again. 20190813_123703_Film4The refrigerator is mostly restocked and there are no more piles of sneakers by the doorway. But the return to our normal order of things  is too quiet for me. They say that we smile when the grand-kids come and then again when they go. But for me – I slept better with the disorder of family in the home. I am just sharing this thought with other Pops and Nanas out there to encourage you to treasure those special moments that race by so quickly.

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Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.            Psalm 17:6 KJV

 

Sometimes as moms and dads we are too busy and too tired for the small struggles of our children. But God has made us grandparents; to walk a little slower and ask for things to be repeated now and then because we listen carefully and give time generously to grandchildren. So now in my too quiet and too orderly home I am left with the assurance that God bends especially low to listen to the prayers of grandparents and to send His angels to watch for them and His Spirit to guide them on their way.

 

Preparing a Home for Jesus

Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him; and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 ESV

When we Christians think of heaven we generally focus on how Jesus has a place prepared for us there. But heaven is not just some geographical place we go to live; it is God coming to live with us. So how can we prepare a place for Him? The good news is that we can’t; but Jesus can!

Now it isn’t exactly like what happened when we had some remodeling done in our kitchen but it does share some certain points. First; we needed to realize that the repairs needed were more than we could handle. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “If any man hears my voice and opens the door.”

KIMG1580Our job was to open the door when our contractors showed up. Imagine if instead of letting the kitchen installers in, we just started hammering away ourselves. That is what we do when we leave Jesus outside our door. He has everything necessary to remodel our hearts but first we have to let Him in.

 

On the other hand; unlike our project; Jesus doesn’t just plan on showing up, doing his work and going home. Jesus said that He wanted to come in, sit down and stay. His plan begins by demolishing our old life along with our sins on the cross. Then He follows up with all the changes and new materials needed being installed through His resurrection. When He has finished His job we will discover that Heaven is simply where He sits down at our kitchen table and enjoys a meal with us forever in that place inside of us which only He can prepare!

 

 

Two Men and Two Boats

Two Men in Two Boats

To the sea one day two men went down

Paul as a prisoner and Jonah skipping town

“I’m out of here!” was all Jonah could say

Then he slept through the storm when he should have prayed

 

But prisoner Paul cried to God in his boat

Till an angel came down with a message of hope

Then with determination he encouraged his friends

Saying Jesus would keep them all safe in the end

 

It took a big fish to get Jonah to go

Tell others of mercy and God’s love for the world

But our friend Saint Paul shows us the right way

That if God sends the storm we must trust and obey!