The Trumpet Call of God

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In the last days, the Lord Jesus will come down from heaven.

He will come with a loud command.

With the voice of the archangel.

And with the trumpet call of God.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, those of us who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds.

We will meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

And we will live with the Lord God forever and ever. 

What a glorious day!

God Is the Strength of My Heart

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. — Psalm 73:25-26

God is my refuge.

I have nothing without Him.

And earth has nothing I desire but God.

My body may fail.

My flesh may fade away.

But God is the strength of my heart.

He is my portion forever.

He sustains me throughout my life.

The Lord Is Good and His Love Endures Forever

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. — Psalm 100:5  

God is good to us, way beyond anything we deserve.

He brings trials and blessings our way.

And He holds our hands to help us through whatever comes our way.

His love endures forever.

His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. — 1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the God of God; His love lasts forever.

And He has given us everything we have.

He is our Creator.

And our Provider.

Our Healer.

Today we give thanks as a country for our great God.

The Word of the Lord Endures

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. — 1 Peter 1:24-25 

This portion of the  passage in quotes is from the book of Isaiah.

We are like flowers whose beauty fades.

We fall and stumble.

But God's Word lasts forever.

Isaiah wrote it and it's repeated again in the New Testament just to help remind us.

So we never forget God's promise that His Word endures.

Even when all else fades and withers.

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. — Isaiah 26:4 

Today we celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary.

It's hard to believe!

We are so blessed.

This is the beautiful display Abby put together for our 35th anniversary celebration 4 years ago.

39 years ago we were married in the sanctuary at First Pres. Church San Diego.

Our friend Bob was our organist.

And our friends Burt and Paul were our officiants.

God has overwhelmed us with His goodness and mercy over the years.

The Lord Will Come Down from Heaven

The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 

On the day of Christ's return, God himself will come down from heaven.

We will hear the trumpet call of God.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive will be caught up with them.

Together we will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

We will hear the voice of the archangel.

And we will be with the Lord forever.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

God Is the Strength of My Heart

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. — Psalm 73:75-76 

Earth has nothing better than God.

God is the strength of my heart.

Even when my body gives up or breaks down.

He keeps me going, even when I can't do it on my own.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strengt of my heart.

He is my portion forever.

And I am grateful. 

Our Lord Will Reign For Ever

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” — Revelation 11:15

Loud voices from heaven declare that God's kingdom is coming.

The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah.

Jesus will reign for ever and ever.

One day we will bow before Him and worship Him.

We will praise Him forever.

Jesus Will Reign

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. — Isaiah 9:7 

There will be no end to the greatness of Jesus and His government.

His peace will never end.

He will reign on David's throne.

His kingdom will have no end.

Jesus will establish His kingdom with justice and righteousness.

It will last forever.

The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.

The Upright Will Be Blessed

Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. — Psalm 112:2-3

Those people who fear the Lord will see their children grow to be mighty.

The generation of the upright will be blessed by God.

Wealth and riches are in their houses.

Not just monetary wealth but the wealth of family and friends, good health, and meaningful work.

Their righteousness endures forever.

Welcome, December!

Come, Lord Jesus.

God Provided Redemption

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name. — Psalm 111:9 

God provided redemption for His people.

The Lord ordained his covenant forever.

And He always keeps His promises.

He loves and cares for us.

God is holy.

And His name is awesome.

The Lord Is Gracious

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. — Psalm 111:4-5 

Today we had a fun visit with our 96-year-old friend Marie.

We had a chance to see the beautiful sketches she drew during covid, while she was house-bound.

And we reminisced and laughed together.

We talked about many things going on in the word.

And agreed that too much of the daily news is not a good thing.

She has enjoyed watching old movies like The Music Man - one of my personal favorites. 

God has provided for her and for us.

We are blessed by her friendship.

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. — Isaiah 26:4 

Today Kirk and I celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary.

Since I've been sick, we got to spend our morning at Kaiser having my blood drawn.

We also went for a walk around the block, and I walked for about 20 minutes.

Since I'm recovering from pneumonia, my doctor was very impressed.

These beautiful flowers are from our friends Mary and Gary.

She picked the roses because they have a gorgeous scent.

We are blessed.

Whoever Does the Will of God Lives

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. — 1 John 2:17 

The world and its desires will pass away.

But those who do God's will are His children.

They have been saved by the blood of Jesus.

And He died so that we can live forever.

These Plumeria appeared to be just dead sticks and wilted leaves when we got it from my friend.

Kirk tended and watered them and they now have a second life.

Gorgeous.

The Lord Will Vindicate Me

The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. — Psalm 138:8

The Lord God will vindicate me.

God's love endures forever.

He will not abandon me, His child.

I am the work of His hands.

And He shows his love for me each day.

Throughout His creation, His love flows.

 

The Lord Reigns Forever

You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. — Lamentations 5:19 

The Lord our God reigns forever.

His throne lasts forever.

His love endures forever.

God's throne lasts from generation to generation.

Even in the midst of war.

And conflict around the world.

But God reigns over all.

His hand guards and guides us through pain and heartache.

Whoever Does the Will of God Lives Forever

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. — 1 John 2:17 

During this special season of year, it's hard to remember that the world will pass away.

All of our earthly desires are just temporary.

The lights and sparkle will fade away.

But Christ reigns over all.

God lives forever.

Whoever does God's will also lives forever.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas!

God Remembers to Be Merciful

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors. — Luke 1:54-55 

God is merciful.

He promised our ancestors that He would remember to show us mercy.

And He does.

He sent His Son Jesus to redeem us from our sin.

On this Christmas Eve, we thank Him for remembering us, even when we forget Him.

Last week I visited my physical therapist so she could check for lymphedema and suggest massage techniques and self-care.

She gave me some additional tips, but said everything looks great.

Just a small pitting by my elbow which should go away when I get my new compression sleeve.

Praise God for His mercy and grace!

Give Thanks to the Lord

 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. — Psalm 136: 1, 26

We had a gorgeous weekend.

The sky was blue and the sun was out.

Our time outside was refreshing.

The flowers and plants Kirk tends are growing abundantly.

Our Mexican lime tree is dropping 20-30 limes each week.

And our neighbors shared their lemons and tangerines with us.

We are blessed.

And we give thanks to God.

He is good. 

His love endures forever.