July 04, 2013
The phrase I wrote about yesterday—"God waited patiently"—keeps running through my mind. The world was full of evil; God warned them; He put in place a plan by which they could be saved; Noah by faith was obedient; and then I Peter 3:20 - "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." The judgment had already been decided. The years of waiting was God's "day of grace." In the end only eight people took God's way of salvation. The rest of the people refused to repent and change their ways and they rejected God's plan for salvation. The "day of grace" was over; the rains began; and the people who rejected God's plan were destroyed. God gave them every opportunity. He waited patiently for them, and then the rains began.
For the last several years, whenever anyone has asked why we think the judge still has not made a ruling on the lawsuit, I have had one response—we believe it is God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I didn't have a Bible reference to point to, I just strongly felt that it wasn't because a judge decided on his own not to rule yet. I felt the delay had to be God-arranged. Somewhere along this process we started to believe it was God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I believe this scripture in I Peter 3 confirms that belief, and this time of waiting is indeed God's "day of Grace" while "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat."
As God reminded me in the shower (after the judge made a ruling on some insignificant motions several months ago) we are NOT waiting on a judge. We are waiting on the Lord.
July 05, 2013
I went back to read the account of Noah in Genesis. It talks about how God's heart was filled with pain because of the peoples' evil actions. That is what our sin does to the heart of God. God came up with a plan on how He was going to deal with the evil, and then He waited patiently. The people had a choice. They could have repented, changed their hearts and lives and climbed aboard the boat for safety, but they didn't do that. They ignored the warnings. They convinced themselves that Noah was a fool and nothing was going to happen. But there came a day when the opportunity for grace was over and the door of the ark was shut and the destruction began. Only Noah—who was a good man; who was innocent; who walked with the Lord; who obeyed God's commands; and who pleased the Lord—was saved. He and his family.
Will my sister and brother-in-law accept God's day of Grace? Will they repent and change their hearts and lives? Will they get on the boat provided for salvation? Will they disregard God's warnings? Will they continue to live the way they want believing nothing will happen? I don't know. What I do know is God is patiently waiting until something is completed. O Lord, may they heed your call and get on the boat.
From early 2007 to this day, we have often used the analogy of a boat to describe the lawsuit situation we are in. I never once thought about our boat analogy in comparison to the ark Noah built, but it all fits. The analogy we have always used is this: we are in the boat with the Lord; my sister and brother-in-law are in the water in danger of drowning; God is extending His hand for them to cling to so He can bring them safely aboard the boat; and my sister and brother-in-law refuse to grasp His hand. Instead of reaching for His hand, they are intent upon grabbing our hands to pull us out of the boat, so they push His hand out of their way. God has offered them salvation, but He will not force them. They have to surrender their desires and reach for HIS hand.
As I went back to Genesis to look for the story of Noah, the heading for Chapter 9 jumped out at me—The New Beginning. The flood is over, the destruction is complete and there is a NEW BEGINNING.
The phrase I wrote about yesterday—"God waited patiently"—keeps running through my mind. The world was full of evil; God warned them; He put in place a plan by which they could be saved; Noah by faith was obedient; and then I Peter 3:20 - "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." The judgment had already been decided. The years of waiting was God's "day of grace." In the end only eight people took God's way of salvation. The rest of the people refused to repent and change their ways and they rejected God's plan for salvation. The "day of grace" was over; the rains began; and the people who rejected God's plan were destroyed. God gave them every opportunity. He waited patiently for them, and then the rains began.
For the last several years, whenever anyone has asked why we think the judge still has not made a ruling on the lawsuit, I have had one response—we believe it is God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I didn't have a Bible reference to point to, I just strongly felt that it wasn't because a judge decided on his own not to rule yet. I felt the delay had to be God-arranged. Somewhere along this process we started to believe it was God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I believe this scripture in I Peter 3 confirms that belief, and this time of waiting is indeed God's "day of Grace" while "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat."
As God reminded me in the shower (after the judge made a ruling on some insignificant motions several months ago) we are NOT waiting on a judge. We are waiting on the Lord.
July 05, 2013
I went back to read the account of Noah in Genesis. It talks about how God's heart was filled with pain because of the peoples' evil actions. That is what our sin does to the heart of God. God came up with a plan on how He was going to deal with the evil, and then He waited patiently. The people had a choice. They could have repented, changed their hearts and lives and climbed aboard the boat for safety, but they didn't do that. They ignored the warnings. They convinced themselves that Noah was a fool and nothing was going to happen. But there came a day when the opportunity for grace was over and the door of the ark was shut and the destruction began. Only Noah—who was a good man; who was innocent; who walked with the Lord; who obeyed God's commands; and who pleased the Lord—was saved. He and his family.
Will my sister and brother-in-law accept God's day of Grace? Will they repent and change their hearts and lives? Will they get on the boat provided for salvation? Will they disregard God's warnings? Will they continue to live the way they want believing nothing will happen? I don't know. What I do know is God is patiently waiting until something is completed. O Lord, may they heed your call and get on the boat.
From early 2007 to this day, we have often used the analogy of a boat to describe the lawsuit situation we are in. I never once thought about our boat analogy in comparison to the ark Noah built, but it all fits. The analogy we have always used is this: we are in the boat with the Lord; my sister and brother-in-law are in the water in danger of drowning; God is extending His hand for them to cling to so He can bring them safely aboard the boat; and my sister and brother-in-law refuse to grasp His hand. Instead of reaching for His hand, they are intent upon grabbing our hands to pull us out of the boat, so they push His hand out of their way. God has offered them salvation, but He will not force them. They have to surrender their desires and reach for HIS hand.
As I went back to Genesis to look for the story of Noah, the heading for Chapter 9 jumped out at me—The New Beginning. The flood is over, the destruction is complete and there is a NEW BEGINNING.
My heart jumped. What? New Beginning?? That is what it was called?? Let me explain.
It was one year ago (July 2012), that my husband and I went back to hike the Appalachian Trail for the first time since the "the storm" began. We were hiking the A.T. in July 2007 when we found out my sister and brother-in-law were most likely going to sue us. Now here it was five years later, and we unexpectedly had the opportunity to return to the trail we love. On the drive out we spent the entire time reminiscing and recounting the incredible blessings God had provided for us. It was humbling and overwhelming as we began to realize anew how the Hand of God had been on our lives throughout this process. God has been so faithful, and the tears flowed in gratitude and gratefulness for His mercies so abundantly given.
We were staying in our favorite area of Carlisle, PA. We had been there for just a day or so when during the middle of the night I very clearly understood that we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." It was a random thought out of nowhere, but I KNEW. The next morning during breakfast, I told my husband I felt we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." We didn't know what that meant or what it was, but we began to include praying about a "New Beginning" in our prayers.
It was shortly after we returned from hiking the A.T. that I KNEW we were supposed to remove all "the storm" things from the house. It seemed crazy, but we purged our home of everything that had anything to do with the lawsuit. It was during this same time that I updated our written testimony of Jane to include the phrase "a New Beginning is coming." We didn't know what the "New Beginning" was, but we were praying for it; we were listening for God's directions; and we were being obedient to His leading.
Life went on. Another year passed. And now I am reading in I Peter 3 about Noah and how "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." God shows us this is indeed my sister and brother-in-law's day of Grace; the analogy of a boat available to them for their salvation is an accurate description; God is waiting patiently for them; and a NEW BEGINNING is coming.
I am just amazed. You can't make this stuff up. God is real. He is in control, and we trust Him. Our prayer remains the same. May my sister and brother-in-law understand they are nothing without God, and may they desire nothing but Him. I'm so glad that we serve a loving God who is willing to wait patiently in order to save those who will turn to Him.
I have come to understand an important truth. When God has a thought or phrase get "stuck" in my mind there is something more He wants me to learn. Thus was the case with "(He) waited patiently for them while Noah finished the boat." Thank you, Lord, for continuing to show me YOUR truth.
Addendum: 1/15/17 ~ Here is a link to what we've learned about the "New Beginning" since I originally wrote this entry. The New Beginning: The Path Unfolds
I clearly remember when the analogy of a boat began to form in my thoughts. It was almost ten years ago. I could take you to the exact spot. My husband and I were doing what we did every day; we were walking hand and hand and praying aloud as we walked together. It was dark outside. As we were just about to leave a wooded area and enter the clearing, the analogy of us being safe in the boat with Christ; my sister and brother-in-law struggling to stay afloat in the water; Christ leaning over the edge of the boat to extend His hand of salvation to them; and my sister and brother-in-law rejecting His hand while grabbing at and attempting to pull us out of the boat—visually came to my mind. I shared my thoughts with my husband. We stopped and stood there at the edge of the woods talking about this new thought, then we joined hands and once again prayed for my sister and brother-in-law to accept God's offer of salvation.
Seven years after the God-given analogy of a boat came into my consciousness, we became the grateful owner's of a beautiful antique wooden flat bottom row boat that is almost 90 years old. It was the summer of 2014. It happened in the most unusual way.
We were looking for a new "old" cupboard for our kitchen. I found one on Ebay that was located near where our daughter lived in northern Ohio. We drove out to take a look at it. The home was located towards the back of a subdivision. We found the home, loved the cupboard, and told them we would take it and left to get the cash to pay for it. On our way back out of the subdivision, we drove past a home we passed on the way in. In the yard, leaning against a tree was a wooden boat with a sign that said—FREE. Free? Really? We stopped, backed up, and got out to see it. It wasn't in the yard when we drove past the house just ten minutes before.
The boat was beautiful and in almost perfect condition, and it was free. It turned out a family was getting ready to move their elderly parent into assisted living (something we had just done as well) and they were giving this boat away. They had just walked back into the house from setting the boat out when we drove past. It had been stored in the garage for years, but now because of the changing circumstances the family was ready to get rid of it.
We live by a seven acre pond and we loved the boat. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it, but we were happy to have it. Maybe the best part was getting to meet the elderly gentleman whose boat it was. He was in his late 80's or early 90's and he remembered going with his father to buy this brand new wooden boat when he was only four or five years old. He loved that boat and recalled the many times he and his father would go fishing on Lake Erie. We took a picture of him standing beside the boat. He beamed with happiness knowing the boat was going to someone who loved it.
We brought it home. It amazingly is still float worthy. We stored it in our shop for several years still not sure what to do with it. And then last year, as we were finishing the Praise Shelter, we decided to take the boat out of storage to see what we could do with it. Maybe it would fit hanging under the shelter eaves, or maybe we could make it into a table—something. So, we got the boat down and took it to the shelter. It took up too much room to hang from the eaves. As we were talking and brainstorming other ideas we started talking about the analogy of the boat we had been given seven years earlier and how God has so graciously been our protector.
We finally decided it was crazy to keep the boat stored in a shop building where no one could see it. So, even though it is going to weather over time, we decided to display the boat as a symbol of God's faithfulness in front of a pine tree we planted by the shelter. The pine tree has special meaning to us. One of my life verses is Hosea 14:8 - "I, the LORD, am the one who answers your prayers and watches over you. I am like a green pine tree; your blessings come from me." (New Century Version) What a blessing to have this old boat beside the pine tree. Matthew 4:19 says we are to be "fishers of men." So, I am having a sign made that says, "Gone Fishing" with the reference of Matthew 4:19. The sign, along with an authentic old fishing net, will be hung on a post behind the the old boat.
The boat fits perfectly with the simple timber peg construction Praise Shelter, the cobblestone path of God's promises engraved in stone, the fireplace/altar of praise, the pine tree representing God's blessings, and the boat representing His safety. I'm hoping we will have many opportunities to share our story—which is HIS story—with all those who come to our home.
A beautiful old wooden boat—FREE! Set out along the road during the small window of time we were going to be driving by. What are the random chances of that? An old wooden boat symbolizing His protection and our purpose. "Follow me...and I will make you fishers of men." A NEW BEGINNING is coming.
It was one year ago (July 2012), that my husband and I went back to hike the Appalachian Trail for the first time since the "the storm" began. We were hiking the A.T. in July 2007 when we found out my sister and brother-in-law were most likely going to sue us. Now here it was five years later, and we unexpectedly had the opportunity to return to the trail we love. On the drive out we spent the entire time reminiscing and recounting the incredible blessings God had provided for us. It was humbling and overwhelming as we began to realize anew how the Hand of God had been on our lives throughout this process. God has been so faithful, and the tears flowed in gratitude and gratefulness for His mercies so abundantly given.
We were staying in our favorite area of Carlisle, PA. We had been there for just a day or so when during the middle of the night I very clearly understood that we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." It was a random thought out of nowhere, but I KNEW. The next morning during breakfast, I told my husband I felt we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." We didn't know what that meant or what it was, but we began to include praying about a "New Beginning" in our prayers.
It was shortly after we returned from hiking the A.T. that I KNEW we were supposed to remove all "the storm" things from the house. It seemed crazy, but we purged our home of everything that had anything to do with the lawsuit. It was during this same time that I updated our written testimony of Jane to include the phrase "a New Beginning is coming." We didn't know what the "New Beginning" was, but we were praying for it; we were listening for God's directions; and we were being obedient to His leading.
Life went on. Another year passed. And now I am reading in I Peter 3 about Noah and how "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." God shows us this is indeed my sister and brother-in-law's day of Grace; the analogy of a boat available to them for their salvation is an accurate description; God is waiting patiently for them; and a NEW BEGINNING is coming.
I am just amazed. You can't make this stuff up. God is real. He is in control, and we trust Him. Our prayer remains the same. May my sister and brother-in-law understand they are nothing without God, and may they desire nothing but Him. I'm so glad that we serve a loving God who is willing to wait patiently in order to save those who will turn to Him.
I have come to understand an important truth. When God has a thought or phrase get "stuck" in my mind there is something more He wants me to learn. Thus was the case with "(He) waited patiently for them while Noah finished the boat." Thank you, Lord, for continuing to show me YOUR truth.
Addendum: 1/15/17 ~ Here is a link to what we've learned about the "New Beginning" since I originally wrote this entry. The New Beginning: The Path Unfolds
I clearly remember when the analogy of a boat began to form in my thoughts. It was almost ten years ago. I could take you to the exact spot. My husband and I were doing what we did every day; we were walking hand and hand and praying aloud as we walked together. It was dark outside. As we were just about to leave a wooded area and enter the clearing, the analogy of us being safe in the boat with Christ; my sister and brother-in-law struggling to stay afloat in the water; Christ leaning over the edge of the boat to extend His hand of salvation to them; and my sister and brother-in-law rejecting His hand while grabbing at and attempting to pull us out of the boat—visually came to my mind. I shared my thoughts with my husband. We stopped and stood there at the edge of the woods talking about this new thought, then we joined hands and once again prayed for my sister and brother-in-law to accept God's offer of salvation.
Seven years after the God-given analogy of a boat came into my consciousness, we became the grateful owner's of a beautiful antique wooden flat bottom row boat that is almost 90 years old. It was the summer of 2014. It happened in the most unusual way.
We were looking for a new "old" cupboard for our kitchen. I found one on Ebay that was located near where our daughter lived in northern Ohio. We drove out to take a look at it. The home was located towards the back of a subdivision. We found the home, loved the cupboard, and told them we would take it and left to get the cash to pay for it. On our way back out of the subdivision, we drove past a home we passed on the way in. In the yard, leaning against a tree was a wooden boat with a sign that said—FREE. Free? Really? We stopped, backed up, and got out to see it. It wasn't in the yard when we drove past the house just ten minutes before.
The boat was beautiful and in almost perfect condition, and it was free. It turned out a family was getting ready to move their elderly parent into assisted living (something we had just done as well) and they were giving this boat away. They had just walked back into the house from setting the boat out when we drove past. It had been stored in the garage for years, but now because of the changing circumstances the family was ready to get rid of it.
We live by a seven acre pond and we loved the boat. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it, but we were happy to have it. Maybe the best part was getting to meet the elderly gentleman whose boat it was. He was in his late 80's or early 90's and he remembered going with his father to buy this brand new wooden boat when he was only four or five years old. He loved that boat and recalled the many times he and his father would go fishing on Lake Erie. We took a picture of him standing beside the boat. He beamed with happiness knowing the boat was going to someone who loved it.
We brought it home. It amazingly is still float worthy. We stored it in our shop for several years still not sure what to do with it. And then last year, as we were finishing the Praise Shelter, we decided to take the boat out of storage to see what we could do with it. Maybe it would fit hanging under the shelter eaves, or maybe we could make it into a table—something. So, we got the boat down and took it to the shelter. It took up too much room to hang from the eaves. As we were talking and brainstorming other ideas we started talking about the analogy of the boat we had been given seven years earlier and how God has so graciously been our protector.
We finally decided it was crazy to keep the boat stored in a shop building where no one could see it. So, even though it is going to weather over time, we decided to display the boat as a symbol of God's faithfulness in front of a pine tree we planted by the shelter. The pine tree has special meaning to us. One of my life verses is Hosea 14:8 - "I, the LORD, am the one who answers your prayers and watches over you. I am like a green pine tree; your blessings come from me." (New Century Version) What a blessing to have this old boat beside the pine tree. Matthew 4:19 says we are to be "fishers of men." So, I am having a sign made that says, "Gone Fishing" with the reference of Matthew 4:19. The sign, along with an authentic old fishing net, will be hung on a post behind the the old boat.
The boat fits perfectly with the simple timber peg construction Praise Shelter, the cobblestone path of God's promises engraved in stone, the fireplace/altar of praise, the pine tree representing God's blessings, and the boat representing His safety. I'm hoping we will have many opportunities to share our story—which is HIS story—with all those who come to our home.
A beautiful old wooden boat—FREE! Set out along the road during the small window of time we were going to be driving by. What are the random chances of that? An old wooden boat symbolizing His protection and our purpose. "Follow me...and I will make you fishers of men." A NEW BEGINNING is coming.
Next Entry: I Peter 4:1–19
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