I Will Hear From Heaven

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

May the 4th be with you!

Today is the fourth of May.

Here's my nieces and nephew in their Star Wars costumes.

Katie is R2D2 for Halloween in this photo. 

As the youngest, she had no choice in costumes when she was little.

Her mom told us for that reason she had to be R2D2 for two years.

The movie has them visiting many foreign lands.

God has promised to heal our land when we call on Him in prayer.

And when we turn from our wicked ways.

When we repent, He will hear us and will forgive us.

He is a gracious, merciful Lord God.

Let Us Kneed Before the Lord Our Maker

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice. — Psalm 95:6-7 

Yesterday we visited with Megan and Nic and their family.

At their beautiful home.

Megan is due on Christmas!

Their first baby - a girl.

We had a fun barbecue with friends we hadn't seen in a long time.

And it was great to have Kirk's brother and sister-in-law in town.

Katie arrives today.

We are the people of God's pasture.

The flock under His care.

God Will Hear From Heaven

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Today is the National Day of Prayer.

Around the nation, people will gather to thank God and praise Him.

And to pray for our leaders and our country.

God has promised that He will hear our prayers.

When we confess our sin, He will forgive us.

And He will heal our land.

Thank You, Lord!

The Lord Our God Is One

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. — Deuteronomy 6:4

Kirk is teaching a class on the Ten Commandments.

And I'm in a Bible study reading through Exodus.

This verse reminds me of God's commands.

He gives us the law to point out our sinfulness.

And He sent His Son Jesus to save us from our sins.

To dig us out of the hole we've dug ourselves into.

As our pastor said on Sunday, no self-help book is able to get us out — it's just too deep.

And we are mired in our own filth.

But God has prepared a way to help us out and to give us a path to live with Him forever.

We are thankful that He cares for us so deeply.

I am grateful.

Praise the Lord!

 

Humble Themselves and Pray

And My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14

Today is the National Day of Prayer. 

Across our nation, people will gather to pray for our country.

Our church will hold a prayer service to join in that time of prayer.

God tells us that if we pray, He will forgive our sin.

And if we turn from our wicked ways, He will heal our land.

What a merciful God we serve!

Voice of the Son of God

Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. — John 5:25

Today we celebrated the life of Kathie Jones.

She was a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, sister and daughter.

It was a beautiful tribute to her life and her love of Jesus.

We saw lots of people who we had not seen in a year or more.

It felt like a reunion as well as a memorial service.

What a huge blessing.

Praise the Lord!

Those Who Hear Will Live

Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. — John 5:25

Tomorrow Kirk and I both go in to get our covid vaccines.

Finally!

Kirk goes to Albertsons and I go to UCSD.

Hopefully we will not have the symptoms Abby had — fever, chills, and nausea.

Easter reminds us that the Son of God has overcome death.

When we put our faith in Jesus, we hear His voice.

The time has come when the dead will hear His voice and will live.

Jesus Prayed

The news about Jesus spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. — Luke 5:16-16

Jesus often set aside time to pray to His Father.

He went apart to a lonely place where He could be alone with God.

Crowds came to hear Him and to be healed.

Jesus healed them of their sadness and their sickness.

He cared for them and prayed for them.

Today our 46th president was inaugurated.

Fireworks flew over the Washington mall to celebrate.

May God watch over and protect him and heal our country.

The Lord Is One

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. — Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Today I had another exercise class at the YMCA.

I got to use the Octane bike for cardio for the first 20 minutes.

Then I tried the leg lift machine and the glutes machine for the next 20 minutes.

I love learning about all of the equipment and how to use it for the best workout.

Very fun!

God is one. He calls me to love Him with all of my heart, soul, and strength.

God Hears Me When I Call

I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. — Psalm 141:1

Thursday morning I had my Herceptin IV at Kaiser Hospital.

Before I left home, I got an email that our former pastor, Paul Pulliam was there with a torn aorta.

He had been admitted the night before.

I had to stop to pick up a card for my colleague at work whose last day was Friday. She was moving on to another bank after 5 years with our company. We will miss her terribly.

While getting a card for Jen, I picked up one for Paul, too.

When I got to Kaiser, they gave me his room number and sent me up to ICU to deliver the card.

Paul was sleeping peacefully, so I left the card on the table.

Not sure of what the prognosis would be, I wrote a note from Kirk, Abby and me, praying that God would surround Paul and his family with peace and love.

When I got home, I had an email letting me know that they expected Paul to last only a day or two.

He and our friend Burt Smith were the pastors who married us 35 years ago.

In May of 2014, Paul married Kirk's dad and Judy at Tom Hamm's.

Paul just turned 90 this past April. He attended our friend, Bud Jones' memorial service in May, and we enjoyed reconnecting with him.

Our prayer is that God will surround him with mercy and grace and welcome him into eternal rest with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest."

God Has Done Great Things for Me

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. — Psalm 66:16-17

Thursday my boss gave me my semi-annual review. 

I really enjoy working with her; she has a lot of marketing expertise and is a strong advocate and supporter of me and my team.

She had hip surgery last month and is working at home as she recovers.

God is healing her more and more each day.

We are looking forward to her return.

God is healing me each day, too.

His healing arms surround me and strengthen me. I don't have the strength to climb Cowles' Mt. yet, but I do walk around the hills of our neighborhood 1-2 miles a couple of times a week.