No longer a Worldly Point of View

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  — 2 Corinthians 5:16

When I get frustrated with others, I try to remember to review Scripture and ask God for wisdom and direction so I don't lose my temper.

I used to regard Christ with a worldly point of view.

I still regard my coworkers that way at times.

Lord, give me patience.

Help me to be kind and supportive to others who are feeling stressed out.

Let me regard them from your point of view.

Not from the world's.

Today is the last day of June.

A good time to start anew.

Thank you for being patient with me as I grow closer to You.

Christ's Love Compels Us

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. — 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

On Saturday I finally had enough hair for a haircut.

At least a mini one — just a trim around the ears.

It has come in much more curly than it used to be.

If it grows about a half inch a month, I may actually have something like bangs in another 3 months.

Tomorrow I'll go in to the office without a hat.

That will be first time since mid-March 2019.

On my walk this morning with two friends, I showed off my hair in public for the first time.

Jen started crying, she was so excited for me.

God has seen me through this past year and has overwhelmed me with his blessings.

My friends and family members have been and continue to be my greatest supporters. 

Christ's love compels us.

Do What God's Word Says

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. — James 1:22

God asks us to not only listen to Scripture, but also to obey it.

He loves us and wants what is best for us.

We are His children, and he cares for us.

If we just listen to His Word and don't obey it, we are just pretending to follow God.

We are treating Him as if we don't really buy or believe what He tells us.

Obeying is not always easy; in fact, it can be very hard.

God can help me obey His Word when I stay in touch with him and ask Him to guide me.

Be Quick to Listen

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.  — James 1:19-20

Today I went hiking with some friends.

We had a beautiful day and everything was going well.

Toward the end of the hike, after almost 3 miles, Greta rolled her ankle.

She hobbled on for a while.

Then Kelly offered to give her a piggie back ride.

We headed to the road, resting often to give Kellie and Greta time to rest.

Two guys stopped by to give us their bottle of ice water to help Greta's ankle.

At the road, a ranger met us and drove Greta back to her car.

Other than that mishap it was a fun time.

We had a chance to meet new friends and catch up with old while keeping a safe distance.

God's Grace

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. — Hebrews 12:15

God's grace covers our sin.

Even so, we need to be vigilant that no bitter root grows  up to cause trouble.

Here's Kirk in the summer of 2008 getting his room ready for fall.

He was teaching U.S. History at Emerald Middle School so he decorated his room with U.S. flags.

Abby and her cousins came with him that day to help him get his bulletin boards set up.

You can see Cameron, Carly, Katie, Maggie, and Michael in this photo.

That was 12 years ago.

This year he cleaned out his classroom for the last time.

Over the past month, he has heard from parents and current and former students and principals about the influence he has had on their lives.

He has received emails, videos and cards letting him know how much they appreciate him.

God has blessed his career as a teacher and will also bless his retirement years.

Live in Peace with Everyone

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. — Hebrews 12:14

God calls us to live in peace with everyone.

That includes people with whom we disagree.

It is not always easy.

God also calls us to be holy.

He tells us that without holiness we will not see the lord.

But we are sinners; on our own we cannot be holy.

Jesus stands in our place before God. He is our advocate.

He gives us the ability to live in peace with strangers and enemies alike.

Fix Our Eyes on the Eternal

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. — 2 Corinthians 4:18

Sunday was Father's Day.

It gave us a chance to celebrate Kirk and all he does for our family.

We are thrilled that he is retiring.

But even while working, he took beautiful care of our yard and our roses.

He also kept our house looking amazing by vacuuming and dusting regularly.

Kirk is also an excellent cook.

When he was working, he did not have  chance to cook as often as he would like.

But since the coronavirus hit, he has been able to cook our dinners and lunches much more often.

He is also having a chance to get out and golf with friends.

We are blessed to have such a wonderful father and husband.

Our Momentary Troubles vs. Eternal Glory

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. — 2 Corinthians 4:17

I am meeting with a lymphedema physical therapist every 2-3 weeks.

She is giving me some exercises I an do to help reduce the swelling I'm having.

And she is having me get back into exercising very gradually.

I'm up to jumping just 100 times twice a day.

She is also ordering some compression sleeves and gloves for my left arm and hand.

God reminds us that our light and momentary troubles pale when we think of what He has in store for us in heaven.

He is achieving for us an eternal glory.

That far outweighs any minor troubles we have here on earth.

We Do Not Lose Heart

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. — 2 Corinthians 4:16

Last night was the summer solstice.

So today is the official first day of summer.

The sun is shining and the birds are singing.

And today is Father's Day.

We are looking forward to spending time together to celebrate.

Though we are wasting away on the outside, we are being renewed inside each day.

Retiring from 30 Years of Teaching

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. — Hebrews 11:8

Today Kirk's friends and colleagues drove by to celebrate his 30 years of teaching and his retirement.

What a fun evening.

Kyle called from Virginia to keep him occupied until his friends started coming by.

I asked him to change out of his Crest Wiffle Ball shirt with holes in it - that made him a bit suspicious.

Even so, he had no idea about what was in store.

Friends and family drove down our street with signs and banners, celebrating our guy.

A few more neighbors and friends stopped by afterward to congratulate him.

We sat by the fire in our courtyard and shared stories and laughs of some of the adventures he had.

Thanks to his friends Walley Yeakle an Julie Ursini-Davis for arranging this wonderful event.

He got to see people and colleagues that he hadn't seen in years.

When the coronavirus has finally been eradicated we will have a party in our backyard to celebrate.

In the meantime, this was a great way to begin his retirement years.

God Exists

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. —Hebrews 11:6

Abby decorated our kitchen to celebrate Kirk's retirement.

He has been such a strong and faithful leader of our family.

He lives his faith in everything he does.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Kirk has a very strong faith.

He believes that God exists and occasionally teaches our adult Sunday school class to help others believe, too.

We are blessed.

The Universe Was Formed at God's Command

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. — Hebrews 11:3

Hiking Mt. Fortuna

Even though we can see God's marvelous universe, it was made out of nothing by God's mighty hand.

It is only by faith that we can begin to understand.

God created us and formed us in His image.

He even numbered the hairs on our heads.

It's really hard to comprehend.

Everything we see was formed at God's command.

We had nothing to do with it's creation.

How marvelous is that!

Confidence in What We Hope For

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1


Friday evening we saw our good friends Mary and Gary.

We had probably not seen them for about 8 or 9 months.

We sat outside on their patio and they treated us to an amazing dinner.

They also put up a "Happy Retirement" sign for Kirk in honor of his final week of school.

They kept me in prayer throughout my chemo and radiation.

And Mary sent me a card every week during my treatment, just to let me know they were praying.

Now my doctor says the cancer is in remission.

I am completely cured.

Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

We are confident in the healing power of Jesus.

Even if I had not been completely cured, our confidence would not be shaken.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Spur Each Other On

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. — Hebrews 10:23-24

It is not always easy to think of others first.

But when we hold on to the hope we have in Jesus, He is faithful.

He helps us spur each other on toward love.

The Holy Spirit helps us consider how we can do good deeds for each other.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.

Confidence in Christ

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. — Hebrews 10:35-36

We are confident of the love of Jesus.

He helps us persevere, even when things seem tough.

This week, Kirk retires after teaching for 30 years in the Cajon Union School District.

He cleaned out his classroom this weekend.

He also got some wonderful letters and phone calls from former students.

They were so thankful to have him for their history teacher.

And they reminisced with him about some of the lessons they still remember.

It will be bittersweet to leave.

At the same time, he is looking forward to beginning this new part of his life.


 

Draw Near to God

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. — Hebrews 10:22

Our hearts have been sprinkled with water from baptism by the Holy Spirit..

Our bodies have been washed with pure water from baptism to cleanse us from our guilty conscience.

So we are able to draw near to God with a sincere heart.

He has given us the full assurance that faith brings.

Here is Kirk out a Torrey Pines before social distancing began. 

This week he is taking golf lessons, preparing to hit the green again this summer.

Promised Inheritance

Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. — Hebrews 9:15

When Kirk's dad died last year, we received an inheritance.

The sale of his house was finalized in October.

However, the money from the sale is still tied up in probate, and the court has moved the hearing date from May to July (originally it was scheduled for last year).

So we continue to be patient that that will be resolved at some point and the proceeds from that sale can be distributed to the three brothers.

Jesus gives us a promised eternal inheritance much greater than anything we can imagine here on earth.

His death provides a ransom to set us free from the sins we commit.

He is now seated on the right hand of God the Father and acts as our mediator between God and us.

We wait patiently for the time when we will see Him face to face and live with Him.

Sing Praise to God

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. — Psalm 104:33:34

First Presbyterian Church Choir 2011

I loving singing praise to the Lord.

I will sing praise as long as I live.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to record several songs and hymns for our worship services.

Our quartet recorded some, I did a duet, and I got to sing a couple of solos.

Last Sunday, one of those solos was included in our online service.

The words were from Chronicles and quoted God's word to us:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray,

Then will I hear from heaven and will forgive and heal their land.

Very timely for our world today.

Even with the violence and hatred in our city and our country, I rejoice in the Lord.

God Give Us Our Food

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. — Psalm 104:27-28

We look to God to provide our food.

All creattures look to Him to provide what they need.

He knows just what we need each moment of the day.

God has opened His hand to us, and has given us over and above what we need.

He has made sure we are satisfied with the good thing he provides.

This weekend I made bread, pizza dough,vegetable stock, and lasagna to take to our friend whose husband just came home from the hospital. 

God has blessed us.

We are grateful for His good and perfect care.

The Earth Is Full of God's Creatures

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. — Psalm 104:24

God created the earth and filled it with His creatures.

Here's a monkey Abby met when she was in Ghana 7 years ago.

The trees in our yard are filled with birds of all colors and sizes.

And bunnies fill our yard and our park nearby, especially at dusk. 

Lizards run around on our cement patio and our stucco walls.

And snails emerge after the rains and within the ice plant on our bank.

In wisdom God made them all.

The Vast Sea

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. — Psalm 104:25

God created the sea.

We are looking forward to returning to the beach this summer.

Not for the crowds, but for the ocean water.

The chance to swim and boogie board and cool off on a hot summer day.

And to walk along the seashore, collecting rocks and shells.

Watching the fish teem in the shallow areas.

Enjoying God's creation.

People Go Out to Their Work

Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening. — Psalm 104:23

God gives us work.

He sends us out to work each day.

We work until evening, when we join our family for dinner.

Kirk has done lots of cooking lately.

My job has been very hectic, and I've been working long hours.

At the end of June, I will return to work in the office.

For now I am working at home with Kirk.

I will probably start to go in one day a week until the end of the month.

God calls us to rest on the seventh day, just as He did.

So we worship as a family on Sunday.

We watch our service together on Facebook.

I often walk around the neighborhood with a friend or two, keeping a safe distance and wearing our masks.

In the evening, Abby and I walk around the neighborhood again.

God has blessed us.

The Birds Have Their Homes

There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. — Psalm 104:17

God has provided trees for the birds.

They perch in the treetops and sing.

There they make their nests.

Today they are singing continually after the rain we had last night.

Crows swoop down to scare the smaller birds.

Hawks sore by looking for food.

But the birds return to care for their young and to make their nests.

God calls us to return to Him, too.

He is forgiving and merciful and takes delight in each of His creatures.

The Trees of the Lord Are Well Watered

The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. — Psalm 104:16-17

Lime Tree

God gives us the trees and plants.

Here's the lime tree in our back yard.

Our neighbors have cedars along the side of their yard.

God planted the trees and covered the earth with them.

He brings the rain.

It was raining last night and this morning.

Yesterday I met with the edema therapist.

She confirmed that I have some edema and some fibrosis - scar tissue from the radiation.

The exercises she gave me should help both.

And I need to wear my compression sleeve when I walk or drive or exercise.

I will see her again in a video chat in a couple of weeks to see if they have helped.

She will help me determine what else I can do to minimize the swelling.

God provides therapists for guidance and trees for shade.

We are blessed.
 

The Birds of the Sky

The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. — Psalm 104:12-13

Bird Perched on Sprinkler Head

God created the birds of the sky in all of their glorious colors.

He made their tiny wings.

And he gave them the songs that they sing.

I love hearing them chirp throughout the day.

Last week we saw a hawk swoop down out of the sky onto the bank in our back yard.

Then we noticed that he had caught one of the bunnies who nibbles the red apple on our bank.

Fortunately, the bunnies are very prolific.

And hawks need their dinner, just as we do.

God created all of the various species and  give the birds their feathers.

He created you and me, too.

And He put a song in our hearts.

Happy Birthday, Victoria!

[God] makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. — Psalm 104:14-15

Today is my niece Victoria's birthday!

She visited us from Vienna last summer and we had a chance to meet her boyfriend, Max.

We had such a great time together, they are hoping to return in the summer of 2021 again.

Our guest room is at the ready!

Here she is on the top right next to Abby.

Max is just below her next to Kirk and Cameron.

We are thankful for family.

God makes the grass grow for the cattle and plants for us to cultivate.

He brings forth food from the earth.

The Lord gives us wine to gladden our hearts and oil to make our faces shine.

He also gives us bread to sustain our hearts.

God is great, and He gives us everything we need.

Happy Birthday, Victoria!

God Set the Earth on Its Foundations

[God] set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. — Psalm 104:5-6

Pacific Beach in the Background

God created the earth and all that is in it.

He set the earth on its foundations.

It can never be moved.

He covered it with the watery depths.

As if He were covering it with a robe.

The waters stood above the mountains.

And God our Father is the creator of it all.

His plan is perfect.

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O my soul.  Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. — Psalm 104:1

God is clothed with splendor.

He is robed in majesty.

He has given us dominion over the earth.

And Saturday night in the midst of peaceful protests, a handful of looters rode the trolley to Spring Street and decided to burn a couple of banks and destroy some businesses in La Mesa.

Very sad.

I'm sure it grieves God to see us turn into such selfish people, not concerned about the welfare of others.

Even so, God reigns.

He is in control, and He loves us even still.

God Wraps Himself in Light

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. — Psalm 104:2

God is glorious.

He wraps Himself in Light as if He's wrapping himself in a brilliant robe.

The Lord stretches out the heavens.

They create a tent above our heads.

God lays the beams of His home on their waters.

He is majestic and glorious.

Today marks the beginning of June.

May is over, but God knows our future as well as our present and past.

The Lord is in control.