People to admire

One of my favorite people of the bible has to be Daniel. He had an extraordinary life. When we first read of him he was being taken away captive by the Babylonians. As a young man he was put in the kings service trained as an adviser to the king for the rest of his life.
He stood firm for the Lord right from the start. By refusing to eat from the kings table he was able to prove that God's diet was the right diet for people. He and his three friends came away 10 times wiser than all the other boys. For which the king honored him. His next test came when the king had a dream that he needed interpreted.
No one could give him the answers he wanted he threatened to kill all his advisers. Daniel came forward requesting time to pray to his God for the answers he sought. What a stand he took. Right from the start he gave God the glory for the dream and it's interpretation. For a time they honored God for giving them Daniel and his interpretation of the dream.
But it didn't last long.
Bowing to idols is never the way to honor God. Our devotion must always be totally on HIM and ONLY FOR HIS ETERNAL GLORY. How soon they forgot that. After Daniels friends Shadrack Me shack and Abinedego were put into the fiery furnace and survived. They honored God with more respect.
Until the night Babylon fell. A night of drunken revelry, mocking the Most High Daniel was called again to interpret the cryptic writing on the wall by a bodiless hand. The finger of God writing that message of the fall of Babylon predicted one hundred and fifty years before any of them including Daniel himself were born.
Daniel not only read them the interpretation then he was made witness to a prophecy being fulfilled in his very presence. That night I'm sure he prayed all night uncertain what his fate would be come the dawns light. His faith never wavered. His habit all his life had been to pray three times a day on his knees. Window open toward his home land.
Even the day his pray life came under fire. Under penalty of death he remained steadfast in his devotion to his God. When those evil men could find nothing else to accuse him for, they attacked his love for his God.
A night in a den full of hungry lions was what awaited him. Was he afraid for his life?
Yes.
Did his faith falter?
No.
Daniel stood before the Persian King that night steadfast in his faith boldly declaring that if God choose NOT to deliver him from the death they were about to give him, his faith would remain as firm and bold until the life was taken from him.
He was so courageous in that moment. So tall and unshaken by the cruel hand of man that his Love for God provided for him that night.
A night in the presence of one LIKE the son of God. Had shut up the mouths of those hungry lions that night. He had nothing to fear for God was with him.
That is amazing. A man simple and humble. Love for God out weighted his fear of man.
What an honor. But God was not finished with him yet. He was about to receive his biggest most astounding revelation of his life.
God had given Daniel the vision of the last days.
He was so terrified by the vision that Daniel fasted and prayed for the meaning of the visions. A week went by before the angle of the Lord, Gabriel was able to come to him and tell him with firm devotion just how much HE, Daniel was loved by God.
Not to fear the dreams he saw for they were not to be fulfilled until the far distant future of man would these things come to pass.
Daniel would be sleeping with his fathers and not have to witness those terrible things he saw in his vision.
Why do I admire Daniel?
For his devotion to God. His love of God to stand before his accusers with such unwavering love and unshakable resolve in his devotion to stand FOR GOD not matter what the hand of man had waiting to strike him down.
Through it all he had the greatest blessing any mortal human being ever got from ones creator.
A once in a lifetime blessing out of the mouth of God himself.
Daniel was Greatly Loved by HIS GOD. Even the angles honored him for that respect.

Times now call for us to stand like Daniel. In the face of adversity, to stand like Daniel. Tall, firm and with the deepest of commitment not to falter.
A tough lesson for us to learn in this day and age. But indeed one worthy for anyone who loves the Lord our God.

First rains

The rains do wonders for bringing in the flowers and growing the trees. There  is something  special in the first rains. The long winter's sleep needs that fresh new rains to awaken them. it seems almost magical to see those young leaves burst forth from their shells. Reaching and grabbing for the suns rays and the warmth that is in them.
The rain clouds darken while they let go of their full load of rain. so much contained in those clouds. They have traveled a great distence across those skys. The wind carrying them to collect with other clouds to join  some place in need of the life giving load they carry.
We complain about the bad weather they bring.  We are bothered when those storms turn violent. The damage so often over shadows the simple welcome  falling  of  the  much  needed  moisture.  The life  giving  water  that  is  so  vital  to  our lives. Water sustains us. Feeds us in more ways than we realize.
But for the wonder of it all we so often forget just how prescious water is.
The first rains of the new season are the most amazing. For the first new seedlings, to the flowers, grass and the like vegetation that envelops our wonderful world. We so often take it all for granted. never taking the time to see the beauty in it's awaking a sleeping world. All life on this world is connected. We all came from the hands of the one same creator.
We may give him different names. Worship in different ways. Believe in him in different ways.
But in the end there is still ONLY ONE LIVING GOD. CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.
His love abounds in the blueprints he put inside all that he created. 
Enjoy each day. Take pleasure in the newness of the spring awakening the sleeping world around us. 

Blogged with Flock

What I like in spring

Spring is so amazing. All around us we see new growth bursting forth in the warm weather. Today I see the trees bursting forth with the new leaves. So small and fresh. The first colors of green so bright and full of hope. As I drive by I see trees in the distance have a green around them. No leaves yet to give it life. Just the early growth that makes them look as thou they are waking in the early days of spring.

The birds have returned. Robins are everywhere. Hunting in the fields and yards for nesting material for the new nests that will be their homes for the summer. They are wonderful at scavenging the ground. Nothing on the ground goes unnoticed. Ever leery of cats. The natural predator, ready to take to flight the first signs of danger. The safety of the trees are home and haven to the birds.

The grass is springing up early. So fresh and full of color. The new blanket of green is so inviting. The earth worms, for all one could say of them, are indeed the ones to get life flowing in the earth below. They burrow tunnels under the roots of trees and vegetation stirring up the soft earth to ready the soil to provide all that will sustain the life forms above.

So carefully was this world created. All things in they're place. All set to awaken on time to start the life cycle over again. Our world is so full of such wonders, such beauty. The life that fills this planet is such an amazing place to behold.

Life. So fragile and precious.

Spring. Life begins anew. Take time from your daily routine to see what is alive and all the beauty that is being born in the simplest things.

cry for the unborn

Saturday I heard a most disturbing news report. In all the craziness of late with our Senators and legislators searching for cuts in the federal and states budgets they have a made a very serious colossal error. With all they're budget cutting madness to the medical care for the majority of those unfortunate people to not qualify for regular insurance. They now have decided to terminate the medical care to the unborn.
It seems they no longer recognise the unborn as living beings. I know they have argued that issues for years. Debating over whether or not when life begins to satisfy the matter for abortions. But now to take this step to Deni medical care to the unborn to the millions of couples in the world who actually do want their babies.
This spells disaster on unprecedented scale. Why worry about abortions any more. Denying medical care to the unborn in dangers not only the life of the child but the mother as well. They raised awareness for decades on how vitally important prenatal care is for the health of both mother and child. So many have been lost without medical care. Now that it is so widely available across the country. To suddenly have those funds cut is unthinkable.
And for what?
All to save some 800 million dollars in states funds. That should really be read to say 800 million lives lost. Not to abortion. Not that many babies have been killed by abortion since it was legalized in '73.

Clearly no one is thinking of anything any more. The numbers are staggering. Not even Hitler killed that many people in the twenty years he was in office during the war, did he kill that many. We know 6 million Jews murdered we called it genocide. What do we call this? The end of our own future.
We have been dealt a much more devastating blow. We cry of how unjust the Health Care reform is towards us. Which truly is a divesting blow to all the freedoms our country has fought and given it's dearest blood to preserve. But this is much worse.
With such numbers like these, 800 million dollars is really 800 millions lives lost. Mother's carry the child for nine months until it is born. With no medical care for the unborn child and no care for the mother then that is two lives lost. Sometimes in the case of multiple births that could be three, even four, or more lives placed in unnecessary danger.
All to save 800 million dollars in state funds.
That is what is criminal. Placing dollars before the unborn endangers the future of our own race. 800 million lives lost really means we have put OURSELVES ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST!!!!!!

That is something we really need to think about.

I read an article today about how good it is to have pets. I love my pets. They are such a joy to have. They're comfort and companionship is truly priceless.

From the first moment we decide to look at them when they are babies we are touched by their hapless cries and struggles to get out of the box they are in. We become taken in by them when we look into those young eyes wanting us to take them home. Once we do we begin the long process of bonding with them.

They depend on us to care for all their needs. From feeding them to getting the shots they need to stay healthy to caring for them when they get sick. In return we teach them what we want them to be for us. Our companions.

It's been asked if there will be pets in heaven.

When God created the world he gave the care of the animals to Adam. Not only did he name them all but he was given charge over them. Then the animals were not afraid of man. They trusted people to care for them, we walked with them knowing there was no need to harm man and that man would not harm them.

When sin came to the world the first animals were killed to cloth the man and his wife. God made the animals to fear us forever after. Now we must earn that trust. At a time now when we seek to take the lives of so many animals throughout the world. Is it any wonder why the need is there for the animals to fear our kind.

We have the promise that there will be a time when the world will be made new. That sin will finally see it's end. And the damage it has wrought will be cleansed forever when the cleansing fire purifies this ravaged world. When the promise is fulfilled that we will see our long lost loved ones again.

The new world could not be complete without the animals. The defense need will no longer be needed. So we can walk and run with the animals again. The pictures that have been available of this scene could not compare to how wonderful life could be then.

animal talk

Watching the original Rex Harrison version today for the first time today. When I was a kid that movie was a big deal. Many people liked it. It received many awards and things. What I liked about it was the main plot. Actually talking to the animals.
We all know that's impossible. Still some progress has been made in that area. The movie Congo showed how people taught gorilla's to talk with sign language. Chimps have learned to sign with their hands and with matching pictures.
I love animals. My cats and I don't use any such thing to communicate. With us it just seems to be more of body language type. I some times know what they want by the mows and some of the other sounds they make. Their most common way to tell me when they want something is when they jump on me. Or rub up against my legs.
Simple but it is effective.