JanBeek

I wrote this back on Dec. 26
I couldn’t post it because
I had no internet connection
That’s just the way it was!

But now, four days later
A lot has come and gone
And we have electricity again
It’s nearly New Years dawn!

Here’s the Dec. 26 post:

“I woke up early this morning
To a winter wonderland
Turned on the electric heater
No heat! Didn’t understand…

Flipped on the light switch
But – lo –the house remained dark
Snow-laden trees had toppled and
Knocked down power poles at the park

My car was buried in the driveway
I saw it when light began to dawn
So much for going anywhere
Today’s plans were buried – gone!”

“My cell phone has a flashlight
I clicked it on to see
Walked downstairs and noticed
The coffee was made for me

Hooray, the timer had worked
Before the outage occurred
So with coffee and my flashlight
I settled down to read His Word

The message for this darkest day
Was obviously God-inspired
Rick Hamlin said in Guideposts
God-Light is always wired

We can’t rely on electricity
For the light to guide our way
With Christ there are no outages.”
Hear what Isaiah has to say:

“But they who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Relying on the strength in Christ
I troubleshoot this scene
How to make pancake breakfast
Plug into God-power; be keen!

Ah yes, we have propane
But to light it, I need flame
Here came our son with his lighter
The BBQ one (what’s its name?)

And then his wife appeared
With a gas lantern in her hand
A light to guide my pancake grill –
Creativity is so grand!

Rick Hamlin told the story
Of the Magi at the manger
They came with precious gifts
And then they sensed the danger

“Opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of
frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream
not to return to Herod,
they left for their own country
by another road.”

Matthew 2:11-12

The time the Magi came
Is called the Epiphany
And when we discover newness
It’s an epiphany for you and me.

It was new to learn to cook
Without the usual routine
But, as the Magi realized,
Creativity meets the scene

“After any epiphany,” Hamlin wrote,
“You can’t go back to doing things
The same old way.” So be ready
For the newness epiphany brings.

Scripture speaks newness to us
When we are stuck and need it most.
It helps us with our current troubles.
Turn to it and hear the Holy Ghost.

Speak through the Holy Spirit to
Our Lord – and ask for assistance.
Be ready to understand the message
When you ask for it with persistence.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit
within me.”

Psalm 51:10

The electricity returned to us
In time to celebrate Bob’s special day
He turned 83 on the 29th
The “right spirit” came in a special way

Breakfast in the morning
With our son and daughter-in-law
Joined by friends most lovely
God blessed us – I was in awe!

In awe of the beauty outside us
In awe of the beauty within
In awe of our many blessings
The day was just to begin…

We were joined by Ty & Monika
For a day in the Shenandoah Valley
Wine tasting and then a lovely dinner
And a tasty dessert as the grand finale!

Many family and friends
Called to wish Bob a happy day
It was a wonderful birthday –
Just perfect in every way!

So embrace the power of God, friends
Let His power guide your way
And you’ll never worry about an outage
His might and power are here to stay!

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve.
We are in the Napa, California area now.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
If you could join us here somehow?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek