Seek the Lord

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6 

God calls us to seek Him out.

To get into His Word.

To listen for direction from His Holy Spirit.

And to call on Him while He is near to us.

last night we joined friends for dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Antica Trattoria.

Seek the Lord

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6 

God calls us to seek Him out while He may be found.

Call upon Him while He is near.

He is a great God,

High above the heavens.

His faithfulness reaches to the highest heavens.

Today Kirk planted this plumeria in a corner near our geraniums.

We are hoping it will continue to grow and thrive.

Rejoice in the Lord

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. — Philippians 4:4-5

We rejoice in God's presence.

And ask Him to give us gentleness.

And to give us patience.

So that we can be a light in the darkness of our cruel world,

And an example to others.

Let Your Gentleness Be Evident

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. — Philippians 4:4-5 

Rejoice in the Lord!

Help me to be gentle to all.

God the Lord is near.

I rejoice in Him.

His love endures forever.

Here's our family on Easter.

Cameron took this photo so he's not in it.

Rudy joined us after dinner for desert.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

You Have Been Brought Near

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. — Ephesians 2:13

I have been searching for a new writer for our company for the past three months.

Today my candidate accepted our offer.

He will start in two weeks.

I am praising God for His goodness and His answer to prayer. 

I am also praying for my friend who is still looking for a place to rent for her family.

And for our neighbor Wanda who lost her husband last month.

Today was his memorial ceremony at Miramar cemetery. 

He was 90 years old and had suffered from dementia.

He and Wanda had been married for 67 years.

They were wonderful neighbors and special friends.

We  got to see her grandson who used to shoot hoops in their back yard.

He is now living in Denver and doing well.

God is good and we are blessed.

Peace to Those Far and Near

 Peace, peace, to those far and near, says the Lord. “And I will heal them." — Isaiah 57:19

God sends us His healing touch.

He heals our diseases and our broken souls.

He restores our bodies and our hearts.

God sent His Son Jesus to make us whole.

And He promises us no more crying, tears, or death when we live with Him in heaven.

Just as the Crape Myrtle is growing and blooming behind me,

God helps me to grow and bloom in Him.

He has not rejected me even though I'm a sinner.

Instead, He welcomes me with open arms.

Call on the Lord

 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6

God asks us to seek Him.

To look for Him in His Word and in His creation.

He commands us to pray to Him.

To call on Him day and night.

And to pray without ceasing.

Let Your Gentleness Be Evident

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. — Philippians 4:5

Yesterday Abby and I went swimming again.

We were in the competition pool, so the water was a bit cooler.

(The photo is of the pool we swam in when we were in Palm Desert in August.)

The cool water was good, considering the air temperature was 90+, even in La Jolla.

And we had to wait about ten minutes before we could get in, since we arrived early.

The water was very refreshing and comfortable after we swam a lap.

God is near.

His love surrounds us.

And He reminds us to be gentle to all, even those we disagree with.

That is not always easy.

But it is possible, with His help.

Thank you, Lord.

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.

Call on the Lord

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6

God is near to us.

He hears us when we call.

He wants us to seek Him out and learn from Him.

Today is my brother's birthday.

And this weekend City Tree Christian School will hold their annual fundraiser.

Here's the basket we put together for them to auction off.

Hopefully they will raise lots of money for their school projects.

God has blessed them as they serve families and educate children in mind, body and spirit, helping them grow up in the Lord.

God Comes Near to Us

Come near to God and he will come near to you. — James 4:8

Our neighbors have now moved into their new home, and their kids have been working to put on a new roof, paint the rooms, and move out the furniture.

Today they held a garage sale to sell the remaining furniture.

They also put up the "Coming Soon" sign on the house sale. 

And the realtor stopped by to hand out the flyer showing their beautiful pool.

Lots of people stopped by for the garage sale.

Their kids have been hard at work to get the home ready to show.

They stopped by briefly and we had a chance to reminisce and let them know how much we love their parents and what wonderful neighbors they have been.

We miss them already.

But we know they are in a wonderful new home, and they will make friends with the others there.

They will also be able to welcome in their new neighbors as more people move in to the complex.

Come Near to God

Come near to God and he will come near to you. — James 4:8

God longs to come near to me.

Often I keep Him at arm's length with my words and my actions.

Even so, he reaches out to me and encourages me to come near to Him.

As we approach Thanksgiving, here is a photo of Kelly, Mary and Kirk five years ago on Thanksgiving day.

We are thankful for family members and our extended family and friends who celebrate with us.

Thank You for 37 Years!

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6

My daughter and I were laughing together this morning.

She was remembering last year when she was 21 and had to call the Auto Club when her car battery died.

After she finished describing the situation and they sent out the tow truck with a new battery, the operator said, "Thank you for your 37 years of service."

Of course, those were my 37 years of service, not my 21-year-old daughter's.

We had a good laugh over her surprise.

Here we are three years ago at La Jolla shores on a cool day.

The beach was almost empty of people.

God asks us to seek Him.

He wants us to call on Him while He is near.

And He is near us continually.

We can laugh and enjoy each other because of the love God has lavished on us.

Wonderful!

Spiritually Ready

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. — James 4:7-8

Saturday morning during our women's retreat, Sara spoke about flips-flops as readiness and responsiveness to God.

We slip them on before we run out to put the trash cans on the street or to make a quick trip to the grocery story. 

Sara unpacked the Beatitudes and gave us some new food for thought about these familiar verses.

She reminded us that the dictionary defines meek as "enduring injury with patience and without resentment."

We often try to do things through our own strength. But when we draw closer to God, His strength flows through us.

Come near to God.