What Is Beauty?

What does it take to be beautiful? According to our culture, it takes just losing a few more pounds or another surgery, if you are talking about superficial beauty that is. And, that is how most people judge others. Aren't there many kinds of beauty?

A prime example is someone like Susan Doyle whose beauty is in her voice, her attitude and confidence. Did you all see the video clip of how she was first received when she came on stage? That was a case of classic vindication by the Almighty. As she approached the stage, she was the butt of jokes and verbal abuse. People rolled their eyes and looked askance at Susan for having the audacity to even come up on the stage. But, when she sang, oh, when she sang, people who seconds before were so very critical and self-righteous in their opinion, were brought to their feet. There were tears and clapping. It was wonderful! It was right. They were wrong about her and her beauty. It was beneath the surface.

To the eyes of the poorest of India's poor, one of the most beautiful faces they ever saw was that of Mother Theresa. Her wrinkled, kindly face and gentle touch were beautiful to them. Her beauty was in her spirit and shown through her loving service.

How fleeting is the beauty of this present age. This kind of pulchritude can be bought and paid for. It can be coaxed and sculpted. It can be achieved by being tweezed, waxed, massaged and toned, but such beauty fades away.

There is another beauty to come that will never fade away. When we see the Beautiful One face to face, "...we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Then, and only then will we be truly beautiful - forever. Doma

The Eternal Perspective

It seems after every rant of mine, I have to get my thoughts together and pray. Turning to the Source of strength and stability, my Savior, Jesus Christ, I know that if the world spins dizzily into a muddle of economic chaos, it won't affect eternity. Reclaiming the eternal perspective is the sanest way to approach all that is happening around us.

Wars, economic fluctuations, poverty and disease have always been part of the human condition. Certainly none of this is a surprise. Resting on the certainty of a Sovereign God's control brings peace and blessed assurance to those who believe. Focusing on God's character and promises, His covenant with believers and His Word, brings us to a good place - dependent on the only One who can actually do anything effective and long lasting about any of these problems. And, if He chooses not to act by removing or correcting any of the trials and tribulations we experience, then so be it! He does have the last word and He has provided the eternal remedy for our failures; the sacrifice of Christ Jesus that puts us in right standing with the Almighty. Heaven is our ultimate goal. If we had heaven on earth, we would have nothing to hope for or desire.

So we can know our ultimate future. We can even enjoy the Presence of the LORD right now, and we can rest in His care. Therefore brothers and sisters, fret not. Trust in the LORD and don't depend on an analysis by a news commentator or your own meager understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, recognize His promises and provision. He will make your path straight. Doma

Thoreau Had A Point

I cannot help but think about Henry David Thoreau's essay called "Civil Disobedience" as I hear the latest news. Especially pertinent is the quote of Thomas Jefferson which Thoreau included and has become famous. "That government which governs best, governs least." Thoreau saw government as a sometimes necessary evil. He exercised his conscience and refused to pay a tax in protest of the government's involvement in a war. For that he was put into jail. While there, he was amazed that "this is the best use it (government) can make of me." He also mused that although his physical body was locked up, his mind was free to think as he wanted.

How does all of this apply to the present day and the situations in which we find ourselves? Well, government involvement in nearly every aspect of our lives is rampant. Not only that, it is becoming domestic policy to see federal monies used to "bail out" company after company and now, perhaps a state too. Government control always seems to follow the money it gives. Oh, and about that money, where is it coming from? It's the ultimate in paying it forward, only instead of getting it back, our grandchildren will be paying it back long after we are gone. Hopefully the history books will explain why this all happened and be truthful.

Some government is very necessary for safety, national defense and stabilization of national currency and commerce. But, the direction government interference and control is heading may make captives of us all. We may end up wondering if the menial make-work government supplied job is the best we can hope for, or when the bubbles of the Social Security System and Medicare will burst. With fewer people working and paying their Social Security tax, with the withholding taxes being reduced for those who are working, no wonder the foundation of Social Security is shaky and commentators say its demise is inevitable. By the way, does anyone remember that Social Security was a trust? It was borrowed from with abandon and little regard for its initial purpose.

I have to agree with Jefferson and Thoreau. Less government not more is best. Panic is promoted by the media so we now have a runaway situation and are being taken advantage of by the present administration. We need to vote our way back into sanity before things go too far. This is my opinion and I am very grateful to have the right to air it without reprisal - a right still protected by our Constitution. Doma

Born Hoping

Psalm 22:9 "But You are He that took me out of the womb; You made me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts."


We are born hoping. Did you know that? We start out as very hopeful beings. Then, life happens to us and with it sometimes loss of hope.

Have you encountered some hope killers lately? People who make promises, who let you down, or they lean on you too much or treat you with disrespect. Some folks live to take the air out of others' balloons or squash their dreams. They say they are just being practical and it's for your own good. The truth is they envy your hope.

Need a hope transplant today? I know a Great Physician who specializes in hope. He said "I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Ask, seek, knock, He loves to lavish hope on His people. Read scriptures on hope in the Bible. They are a sure prescription for deep sadness and disappointment, and it is free for the asking! Doma

Crazy English Language

Man, am I ever glad I can speak and write the English language fluently because it really takes determination to learn it and use it properly. I have studied French, German and Latin. I am not, and never was a fluent communicator in any of those wonderful languages. I am considered fluent in English just because it is my native tongue. I did, however, major in English and teach it also, so I ought to have fluency.

What makes the language so complicated is the fact the origins and sources of American English are so varied. Latin, French, Spanish, Greek, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Native American, African American, and many other languages influence the English language. Spelling rules are weird because of word origins. Grammar rules are different in English from most other languages. In addition, English is always changing and adding words. Meanings of words are constantly changing too. Keeping up with it all can be daunting.

Here are some examples of confusion:
mice - mouse, but not spice - spouse, give - gave, but not live - lave. And, those wonderful words that never fail to confuse like sight, site, cite, your, you're, there, their, they're.

Mix in a little regional accent and you call your grandmother Grammar in Boston. Down South she might be called Grammaw. The word for a policeman and a bottom feeding fish sound exactly alike in New York City (cop/carp). You drive a cah (r) in New Jersey, but it is a carrr in the Midwest where people use rrrr a lot at the end of words that actually end in R. Of course there is the infamous wash which is warsh up north. The R is added and subtracted at will in many regions for no reason other than popular usage.

You can memorize all the rules, get a degree in English, teach English and be a published author and still only be scratching the surface of the complexity of this amazing amalgam of languages we call American English.

So, yes, I am so glad I know English and can read and write it. Thank God if you are an English speaker from birth. It would be so frustrating to have to learn it all over again. My hat is off to those who are learning and diligently seeking to become fluent in American English. Doma

Sink or Grab the Lifeline

GET A LIFE!
Old saying, often used as an insult-right? The implication is you're a loser in life. But you can't get a life until you know the Lifegiver. He throws you a Lifeline. So are you drowning in trouble and self-pity? Will you take His lifeline-or leave it. Your choice!

Enjoying God

I have really been enjoying God lately. Sitting quietly in His Presence in my kitchen or out on the deck listening to the birds and watching the sunrise; I am enjoying God so much. So is it because I have time to do the listening, time to sit on the deck? Was He there all along and I was just too busy? Yes, that's it. He was and is here all along. I was the too busy one.

To think I have missed this great pleasure for years. To realize all I needed was a few minutes to quiet my heart and mind and be still makes me sad.

When I contemplate the blessed assurance of my eternal future, and yet consider the certainty of problems to come, I know God is both with me and for me. He is on my side. The scriptures are very clear about all of this.

And why and how can I have such peace and assurance and enjoyment in the middle of tensions and trouble on this earth? It has to do with God's character. So much about our relationship is up to Him. He initiated my search for Himself. He led me through multiple dark and treacherous valleys and never left me alone. He has been unfailingly faithful, He reveals truth, gives love, peace and wisdom. Understanding God through the scripture gives insight into life. I can live without having all the answers of why things happen. Through studying the Bible, I am learning how to rest in God and enjoy Him.

I really cannot quite express what happens, but when I come to Him in prayer-I genuinely do enjoy Him. I know you can too. Take a deep breath, sit down and "Be still, and know that I am God." Knowing we are not God is plain to see and understand! Acknowledging who God is and His control over everything that comes our way gives great peace. So, get your Bible, put your feet up, and get to know the soon and coming King.
Prayer: Father, please reveal Yourself through your Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of Your Holy Spirit as we pray and read scripture today. Let us come and adore You, enjoy You, O LORD. Doma

The Watchman On The Wall

From Psalm 130 "...My soul wait for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the dawn."

It must have been very frightening being a watchman on the city wall at night. People depend on you to stay alert and you get tired as the long night wears on. If enemies are going to strike, they are probably out there in the dark right now waiting to sneak over the walls. Every sound is magnified and must be analyzed. You certainly are eagerly watching for the first faint signs of the new day. With the dawn, your watch is over, relief and rest are yours. Your job completed, you go home and all is well with the city.

We need to be alert and watch also. Sin can sneak up on us. By apathy, bad habits, cultivation of excuses for not doing the good we know we should do, and sheer spiritual laziness we can be ambushed by sin. We need the LORD. We don't have to wait long, just ask for his help now. Don't wait until everything seems dark and you are on edge, anxious and fearful. Don't consider prayer a last resort. Come to Jesus, for only He brings light and real rest. His Spirit fortifies and guards your life. Trust His watch care. Doma

Seek Me and You Will Find Me

If you are seeking God, guess who instigated your search!