The Lord Will Keep You From All Harm

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. — Psalm 121:7-8

God watches over our going out and our coming in.

The Lord keeps me from all harm.

He watches over my life.

And my travels both now and forevermore.

Years ago Abby and I went to the fair together.

We got our picture taken in front of this tower.

So this year we did the same.

Such a beautiful day.

The Lord Will Keep You

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. — Psalm 121:7-8

Coronado Beach Sunset

God will watch over my life and yours.

The Lord will watch over my coming and my going.

He will care for me and keep me from all harm.

He will watch over my life.

Both now and forevermore.

He is faithful and keeps His promises to me.

The Lord Will Watch Over You

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. — Psalm 121:8

La Jolla YMCA Pool at Sunset

It's Friday the thirteenth!

A day for bad luck and superstitions.

But the Lord will watch over us.

As we come and go.

So we don't need to doubt or worry.

We can put superstitions behind us.

When we gaze up into the sunset,

We can be confident in His love for us.

 

Familiar With All of My Ways

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. — Psalm 139:3 

Tomorrow marks the first day of Fall.

And it's our nephew's birthday.

Here he is kayaking.

The God of Creation knows our every move.

He discerns my going out and my lying down.

He is familiar with all of my ways.

Both good and bad.

May His will be done in my life.

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.

Going Up To Jerusalem

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. — Matthew 20:17-18

Over the weekend I made oatmeal banana bread.

Our pastor gave a wonderful "parson to person" talk where he explained that sheltering in place gives new meaning to the time of Lent.

Jesus was delivered up in my place.

He took my place on the cross that I deserved.

And he died for my sins.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

And one day we will be with him in paradise.

Preparing a Place for Us

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. — John 14:3-4

When my friend Peggy's daughter was two, she had memorized the 23rd Psalm. Not just a few verses, but the entire passage. I was amazed.

My daughter at two had memorized a few verses, but her gift was really prayer.

I was amazed at the way she could cut to the heart of the matter and talk to God so openly at such a young age.

One day, as we were talking about God and heaven, she asked me, "Mom, how do we get to heaven?"

I thought God was asking me to share the salvation story with her, so I launched into the fact that we have all done and said wrong things called sin, and how God sent Jesus to forgive us of those wrong things by dying on the cross for us so we can live with him in heaven some day. . ." 

And she interrupted me with, "Yes, I know that! (sigh of frustration) But how do we get there?"

To which I replied, "Well, I'm not sure."

She thought about it for a minute and then explained to me, "I think God reaches down His hand and shows us the way."

I had to agree. That must be it!

In this passage from John, Jesus explains that He will come back and take us to be with Him so we can be where He is.

How comforting to know that He has already prepared a home for us in heaven.