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“A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
Ecclesiastiastics 4:12

My maternal grandmother was “high-strung,” we called it. She was tiny in stature, very attuned to what was going on, and keenly aware of the Bible’s guidelines for living. She was often “wringing her hands” as she observed daily activities of her family. I can’t say that I hoped to be like her some day, but I am grateful for her influence of always having her Bible open on the kitchen table, and her commitment to reading passages throughout her day.

The Wisdom woven throughout the Book of Ecclesiastics is worthy of pondering . . . nugget by nugget. Practical, Godly Wisdom is as true in our daily lives now as it was in ancient times. People walk through Life now, encountering its complex realities with the same questions, longings and needs for Purpose as has always been part of our humanity.

Our greatest quandary is often our personal desire for a clear sense of Purpose. Our world
screams to us with a flood of options available . . . both good and bad. We “walk a tightrope of choices” each day, with lots of voices advising us of what we should choose.

The writer of Ecclesiastics gives us a practical word picture to help us “untangle” this quandary. A good rope is not a single strand of fiber. There is not enough strength in one strand. It could snap, and whatever it was holding would quickly succumb to gravity and its own weight and immediately fall to the ground. A rope of two strands is better, but still quite at risk of soon snapping if the only other strand breaks. I recently read an article of a discovery unearthed dating back to “neandrathol” times of a rope that clearly had three distinct cords of wooden fibers wound together and still identifiable.

A cord of three strands has a far better chance of holding the weight of its task and completing it. Sharing the weight between three cords woven together has far more strength and longevity as the three share the pressure equally.

Our human nature . . . and pride . . . leans toward “doing it myself.” That is more of a child-like
approach. “No! I do myself!” is something most mothers encounter with their little ones. We
may give them the chance to “do it myself” . . . but often need to step in to rescue the situation.

God knows that part of our nature. He knows how quickly a single strand can snap. He knows that two strands together adds a better chance of succeeding in the task at hand.

And He Himself works with the number “3.” The God-head . . . 3-in-One . . . is the Model He set for us, and offers us as we walk through this earthly life. Three-in-One. Trinity. And He has made it possible for us to hold on to Him . . . daily, and throughout our time on earth. He has also put additional Believers in our lives to walk this Path together.

When life seems to be falling apart . . . all tangled up . . . you’re at the “end of your rope” . . .
Look Up! Grab on! Hold tightly to the hand of a fellow-Believer, and , most of all, to the scarred Hand that Holds You in His Palm . . . and continue on the Journey together.

What do you think of when you look at clouds?  I would imagine that every one of us would have a different answer to that question.  After all, there are no two clouds alike, anywhere in the world.  There is nothing tangible to reach out and grasp. . . nothing permanent in their movements . . . and yet, everywhere on earth they exist.  We can see them, so we know that they truly exist, and can experience the tangible rains they hold.   Yet there is nothing that can contain, manage, nor control them.  

Clouds exist everywhere in the world.  And the human perspectives of clouds can change countless times  each day, never to be repeated exactly anywhere else.

The Bible has many stories that involve clouds, and they are often mentioned in connection with God Himself.  I wonder if there is any human throughout Time that did not wonder . . . wish . . . imagine . . . and perhaps fear  being in His Presence.

The Apostle John saw and wrote about his experience of “seeing” Him.  And he wrote about what he saw.  “He comes with clouds,” was very clear to him near the very beginning of John’s writings of his experience.

I have pondered John’s words, and I think of it two different ways.  I’m sure there are countless ways to think of what John described.  That’s part of God’s Word being “living and active” . . . no one can ever “nail it” because of that living, active reality that God’s Word contains.  

But I’ll share the three top thoughts that have been floating around in my mind and heart as I have meditated on this in the past several months.  

“Behold !. . . He comes with clouds. . “

#l.   Literally, I love to look up into the sky on a day that has clouds, and try to take note of their shapes, “fluffiness”, whispyness (is that a word?), how they’re moving, what shapes my mind can “see” as they hang or float in the bue sky, what direction they are moving.   Do they look like rain clouds?  Are they dark? Threatening some harsh storm?

When I’m in a plane and we fly through a cloud,  then break through to blue sky, there’s a lot more emotion tied to the view. . . nervousness, curiosity, physical bumps that jar me to pray . . . lovely surprises as the clouds part and reveal a whole different world than the place where I live.  Clouds draw me to “look” . . . enjoy, imagine, wonder, what it will be like when we see Him coming in the clouds.

As I have shared my life with God, a decision I made when I was 3 years old, I have carried a clear sense of His real-ness, His awareness of me…all the good and bad in my heart and mind, yet with a certainty that He was near me through it all.  Many seasons in my life I would sense that I was under a “cloud”, as turbulent times, sadness, 

pain, loss, betrayal, and grief flowed through my “sky” as well as the seasons of joy, wonder, love, sweetness and a front-row seat of watching Him work, when the clouds had parted and His Warmth and Light helped to brighten my heart and life.

God’s Clouds give us a glimpse of Who He is . . . bringing Light, Life-giving Water, Shelter from the scorching heat of life.  Clouds bring  beauty that draws our eyes UP . . . to Him . . . not able to hold Him in our hands, but we can see Him moving, drink in the pure Water of Life that flows from Him,  and simply stand in His Presence as He pours down showers of blessing from His endless Source of Life. 

The next time you see clouds, take a moment to consider Revelation 1:7.  He comes with clouds . . . never in exactly the same form . . . but wrapped in that beautiful reminder of Him as our eyes are drawn upward.

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(32)Do not be afraid or anxious, little flock, 
For it is your Father’s good pleasure
To give you the Kingdom.”
33)Sell your possessions and give to the poor, (show compassion).
Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible  Treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
(34) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 12:32-34 

Jesus had such a gentle way of saying things that would completely up-end a person’s life.  Luke describes this “teaching time” with Jesus.  The Good Shepherd was talking with his closest friends . . . many of whom were fishermen.

“Do not be afraid or anxious, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”   

Wow!  He begins with such soothing, reassuring words.  Encouraging words!  Words full of hope and great promise.  Their minds were probably beginning to imagine life in a Kingdom in Heaven and all that God was going to give them!  Imagine!!!  Jesus knew about the fears and anxieties that often filled their minds and hearts as they followed Him each day.  There were lots of practical responsibilities they had left behind in order to follow Him.  It had not been easy, comfortable, profitable, and often hard!

Now, finally!  He is saying that Father God was going to give them the Kingdom!!!   Jesus had spoken often of His Father’s Kingdom . . . the Heavenly Home from which He had come.  Has their time finally come?

Did their hearts quicken in suspense?  Were they already beginning to imagine themselves and their loved ones together there . . . with Jesus?  Forever living in God’s glorious, beautiful, eternal Kingdom!

Then, Jesus’ next Words probably felt like a bombshell going off. 

• “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”   OK…we won’t need our possessions, because we’re going to have a Kingdom…
• “Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”    So, God’s provisions for us will never run out or be ruined. . . Whatever He will give us is going to last, forever!
• “For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.’   OK…this Treasure is something that is going to continue on . . . with no end.  That’s unlike anything that exists in my world.  It’s in my heart. . . inside of me . . .forever! 

This may not have been what Jesus’ group of friends were hoping for or expecting.  Jesus was not promising tangible benefits from this world.  Those things will not last.  Jesus was inviting his friends to experience a far greater Treasure, beyond anything that this world can give.  

His Kingdom and all of its Treasures await.  Not in this world, but in God’s Kingdom, where we will spend Eternity with Him  . . . in His Kingdom that will never end.    

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“I call to remembrance 
my Song in the night.
I commune with my own heart;
And my spirit made
diligent search.”
Psalm 77:6

A beautiful starry night . . . a gentle whisper of air coming through my window as I lay in the soft darkness of my bedroom.  My favorite, gentle instrumental music played quietly near my bed.  Peaceful slumber was near as I felt the cares of the day fade into the shadows.

And then I heard him.   His very abrasive little voice pierced the moment.  It was the large toad that apparently preferred to locate himself near the shelter of the small bush outside of my window to anywhere else this night.  As I surrendered my dreamy little Moment of welcome rest, I quietly mumbled to the unseen voice on the other side of my screen window.  His croaky, disruptive voice was clearly planted right in the shelter of the low evergreen branches below my window.  I could picture his beady eyes looking towards my window.  We’d had several “encounters” in the past few weeks…startling, but a chuckle-worthy moment each time.  

As I tried to return to my disrupted sense of slumber and the gentle music wafting on the soft breeze, my new little “buddy” continued to add his scratchy, distinctive croak to the atmosphere.  He had apparently settled there now, and I just tried to appreciate his little inserted “notes” into my lovely bedtime melodies.  

And I wondered . . . God’s Presence, throughout which the Music of Heaven is woven always,  . . . does God smile as we add our earthly croaks to His perfect Melodies as we walk . . .stumble . . . hop . . .through the days and nights of our lives with Him?  Do we join the Chorus of Heaven in praise to Him?  When He hears our scratchy, humanly-flawed efforts as we sing to Him, does He smile?  He gives us “A Song in the Night” of our lives . . . His Song.  We can never match it, but He still invites us to join the Melody He is writing in and through us.  

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“Some women were watching from a distance. . . 
They had followed Him and supported Him . . .
Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with Him were there too.”
Mark 15:40-41

They were usually in the background, but they were there.  Women, who had little status in their culture. . . little  to no independence . . .  and were often mere side-notes in history. But Jesus did not hold to that cultural opinion.  He gave them value.  He included them in His inner circle… in His Life.   

Women . . . by nature, having instincts to provide care, to nurture, to love, were included in Jesus’ inner circle.  In the male-dominated culture into which Jesus stepped while physically present on Earth, He modeled His value of women.  In a world that often kept them in the background, Jesus acknowledged and included them.  He accepted what they offered, and treated them with dignity.

Did they struggle with a sense of personal value?  Personal dignity?  Their culture certainly did not give them messages of their worth.  

But Jesus saw them.  Included them.  Accepted what they offered. . . a poor widow’s gift, a woman “with a past,”  women who had nothing to offer, except their gratitude, hope and loyalty.

It’s an old story . . . struggles with personal worth . . . doubts of our value . . . carrying shame. . .   Jesus pushed back on those old cultural barriers.  He accepted what they had to give.  When their world de-valued  them, He acknowledged their dignity.  He welcomed them into His Presence . . . into His world.  Their tendencies to remain at a distance from Him, He countered.  He called them by name.  Despite their stories and past, and the probable lack of a sense of personal dignity, He welcomed them into His world.  

When Jesus faced His most horrific Moment. . . the cross . . . the women whose lives He had changed, were there. . . note-worthy in Scripture.  Not busy “doing something” . . . simply there with Him. . . despite the risk they faced simply by association with Him.   Scripture does not make note of whatever they had done in their past. . . it was the fact that they were there that was noteworthy.

Don’t stay “at a distance . . . watching. . . “  when it comes to Jesus.  He knows you are “there” . . . even at a distance.  He knows you are following Him . . . and lending your support in ways that you assume are not worth very much.  

But His Words, “Follow Me” continue to echo throughout Time.  He welcomes you to be with Him.  

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“As the truck pulled away, I followed the other visitors toward a low, dark building.
But as I glanced up into the night sky, I stopped abruptly.  The spectacular umbrella of diamond-studded stars overhead was astounding.  . . . Unbroken by trees, or roofs, or power lines or streetlights competing with the heavens, a brilliant spectrum of galaxies, shooting stars, and the moon commanded my full attention.  This was more than declaring.  This was a full-out loudspeaker blast; an incredible splendor unlike anything I had ever seen before.  God had outdone Himself this time.    “OK, God.  I hear you.  I see you.  You are here in a crazy, magnificently big way .  Thank You!“     “Yella, yella!” (“Come on!  Hurry up!”)
 ~ Excerpt from Not Forgotten

Having grown up as a PK  . . . Pastor’s Kid . . . especially in the context of the US, I had  formulated an image of the context of the Bible being set in the tiny nation of Israel  . . . mixed in with my American “church culture.”   I had never imagined a context for God being in a desert . . . much less in an Arab/Islamic culture.  I had a pretty good grasp of God and how He interacted with me, and with the church people of my life’s realities.  

But, being in an all-Muslim nation, situated in the largest desert in the world, I had little idea of how God moved and worked in that context.  I did not yet know much about the Islamic world into which I was now stepping.  I had so much to learn, this PK / PW from the USA about experiencing God in a dramatically different setting.  (PK=Pastor’s Kid; PW=Pastor’s Wife…AKA, silently ‘POW’ in my thoughts.)

It was clear to me that, despite the absence of a known Christian presence on the ground, that did not stop God from being there.  As my time in the desert unfolded, it became more and more apparent that God was there in the desert camps.  It was not dependent on any physical presence, as important as that is.

He has commissioned us to “Go into all the world” with His Good News.  That is unquestionable.   God’s Spirit covers the earth, and we never know who’s heart is being drawn to Him.  “Go . . .”  “GO!” … The world waits for Him. . . He is not waiting for the world.

But God’s Hands are not tied by human failure or absence.  His Spirit knows no human boundaries.  His Love knows no bounds.  

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Revelations 4:1

If God literally came to your door, knocked, and you opened the door and heard Him say these words to you, what would be your honest, initial reaction? Would you ask why? Would you ask for details so that you can make a decision? Be prepared? “Show you things …” is pretty vague. In my Bible’s version, it says, “…I will show you what must happen after this…” Honestly, I’m not a person who anticipates that a looming mystery experience is going to be good. I’d like some details. I’d like to be sure I will be safe.

John’s experience was part of an interaction with God in which he glimpsed Heaven . . . the future . . . and God’s Throne. But his experience was the result of his choice to cooperate with God. It required trust on John’s part. It required stepping into the unknown.

God invites each of us . . . His followers . . . to “Come up Here…” and experience things we would have never otherwise known. The lessons we learn are not simply from a book. We learn by doing. . . whether we have “done it right, or done it wrong.” The Key is that we choose to join Him in whatever lies ahead. It requires trust.

We can choose to say, “No.” But what will we have missed? What will someone else have missed because we did not accept the Invitation to “Come up Here. . .”?

Personally, the most memorable and meaningful experiences in my life were not easy . . . not safe . . . not in isolation by myself . . . not as an observer. They were experiences that often required me to go against what would be comfortable, safe, or personally appealing. I left a lot of “skid marks” along my journey. But in the midst of the struggle, or hardship, or pain, I had the certainty of God’s Presence throughout the experience.

God shows us glimpses of what He is doing . . . in our own lives and in the lives of others. . . as we step up . . . “Come Up” . . . in obedience to Him.

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“I, the Lord your God,
Hold your right hand
And say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid',
I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13

Holding someone’s hand can signify a lot of things.  But the bottom line is that it presents an image of a personal connection.   A parent’s instinctual action when there is any sense of danger for a child.  In daily life it gives  a sense of unity in a circle of people . . . a sense of friendship . . . and a sense of intimacy with someone you love.  All those moments of holding the hand of another take on a more personal connection through that simple act.  

I remember my daddy and I walking on a busy city street in Chicago, with his big hand holding strongly to mine after a stranger had grabbed my little 3-year-old hand in a moving crowd of people.  I can only imagine what may have been the life-changing outcome of the dangerous scenario of one hand-holding situation if my father had not intervened and taken my little hand in his.

I also remember my first teenage “boy-friend” experience. . . a light touch of his hand on mine in a car.  No word, no eye-contact, but the touch made a lasting impact on my heart and mind … awakening an entirely new dimension of life than I had known.   

Our God, Whose Hands created the heavens and the earth, and formed each of us out of “nothing” tells you and me that He is holding my right hand in His.  Whether He is holding my right hand in His Right Hand, or whether He is holding my right hand in His Left Hand is not specified.  My right hand in His Right Hand would logically require a face-to-face position. . . a Right Hand to left hand would be side-by-side.  What I love about this is that no matter which hand-to-Hand position it is, there is a beautiful image created of God’s nearness and personal connection to you and me.  Whether Side-by-side or Face-to face, the relational connection is there.  

Of all the ways God uses His Hands, and all of the ways He can use ours, it is this image of God that touches my heart most deeply.  

May my hand be an extension of His in my world. . . 

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“God is our refuge and strength,
An ever present Help in times of trouble.
That is why we are not afraid
Even when . . . “
Psalm 46:1-2…

  Our Refuge . . . a safe place, a shelter, a top priority in the heart of anyone in danger,

the singular focus of a heart full of fear.

Our Help . . . . . .the uppermost thoughts of a person who has found a refuge, and 

                           desperately wants to see the “trouble” fixed.

I don’t know anyone who has not had a Moment in life that caused a fear and panic in their mind and heart.  It’s a  part of the realities  in a fallen world. . . a world that globally lives with God’s Presence not in the forefront of their consciousness.  In the midst of our troubles, we tend to try to fix them as soon as possible.  We come up with ideas. . . we try to change situations . . . we try to ignore a problem . . . we lash out at the perceived “cause” of the trouble . . . and on and on.

David, the writer of this Psalm, certainly experienced that longing for safety and help.  He faced many, often extreme dangers throughout his life.  Physical, emotional, mental, and relational realities over which he had little to no control were frequently part of his experience.  But, from the time he was a young boy, responsible for his daddy’s flocks of sheep, he learned where to turn for help.  He learned To Whom he could turn, no matter what fears he encountered.  His early real-life “even when’s” were often wild predators of his sheep. His flock’s needs for food, water, and safety were constant.   His defenseless (and not very bright) wooly charges, as well as his own emotional, physical, and psychological well-being as he shouldered his responsibilities must have been quite overwhelming for young David.

When we humans initially encounter danger,  whether real or percieved, we tend to head for safety. . . escape.  Fear is often the first emotion. . . we don’t choose or think about it.  It’s simply there. . . a human instinct meant to help us survive.  But we all know that even good things can trip us up when we forget God’s abiding Presence in our hearts and minds.

One of our best reminders of that Truth are the “even when’s” along our paths.  

May the “even when” become the solid stepping-stones along your Journey . . . Home.

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