Today's Great Joy

Today, I have the joy of having my daughter, Ann, as my amanuensis (scribe and "inspiration").

This week, our daughter, Rachel, husband Mike, and kids, are vacationing at Myrtle Beach, S.C. They are enjoying their time there, and Ann has taken a leave of absence from her work on the left coast to be with us in Atlanta for a week and a half, or so. We anticipate Joern's arrival at the end of the week.

During this week, I have had a number of occasions to use the new van, you see pictured, above. We have gone out for lunch, for walks, and even a picnic. It has a motorized ramp that slides out the side door, through which I can maneuver up into the vehicle. In the front passenger area, there is a locking mechanism which secures the wheelchair into place. I feel quite comfortable and secure riding in this van, but I must admit that I occasionally have words of caution for my driver --"Look out!"

I have a few family announcements to present:

1. An engagement: Our son, David, recently presented his girlfriend, Laura Chambless, with the rock. She accepted his rock, and set a date for the blissful event --October 20, 2007. We are happy about the forthcoming expansion of our family.



2. A new house: Yesterday, we ventured in my new van, to David's new, and first house. I was there to observe the flurry of activity, of cleaning and moving. I stayed out the of way (as best I could). Dave's new house is close to his work and is in a nice neighborhood. We were quite pleased and surprised, according to God's providence, that some old friends, Michael and Misty, live next door.



3. A trip: On Wednesday (through Friday), I will be making the longest trip I've made in the past year+. We will be traveling to St. Simon's Island, on the South Georgia Coast, where Laura's folks (Phil and Ouida) live. There we will be looking into wedding event plans. When we get back, I will let you know how our trip went.

My dreams are coming to pass. I was praying that God would not take me Home before experiencing some of these milestone events. This coming Sunday, we are celebrating birthdays! My grandson, Alex, turned 2 on 30 April. Mike and I will be celebrating our birthdays in the coming week and a half.

As a tip for caregivers, I mentioned in a recent post the benefits of ground flaxseed. Kathie has been taking this with me. She has been doing so for the lowering of cholesterol. An interesting note, Kathie went to the doctor last year, and came away with a prescription for the drug Zetia. She went to the doctor 6 months later, and upon being asked the question "Have you been taking the drug?", she answered,"No, I am doing a natural regime." With dismay, the doctor said, "I guarantee you, your cholesterol has not been lowered." Kathie had her cholesterol level measured, and it was 32 points lower! The omega-3 oils in flaxseed are, indeed, very good for health (and regularity).

To return to the mentioning of Old Friends (i.e., long term friends, with no inference to age[wink]). I recently requested that the book Knowing God, by J.I. Packer, be picked off the shelf. It has been many years since I last read this book. If you've not read it all, or it has been a long time since reading it, I would highly recommend the reading thereof. You have already heard me state in previous posts, that the ultimate goal in life is to know God and to learn to walk with Him. If someone would ask, "Have you heard from God lately?", you could say, "Yes!" if you have been prayerfully reading His Word, the Bible. Jesus said, "My Word is Truth" (John 17:17). In this day, when many people believe that there is no absolute truth, or that truth is an individual matter, we need to hear from Jesus. He says that there is no truth apart from Him, and that Truth can only be fully known by knowing Him.

To encourage you in your walk, I would say to you, "Get to know God!" It will first prepare you for meaning in this life, and ultimately, it will prepare you for the World to come, where Christ reigns supreme. Packer's book, is really a Biblical guide to a deeper discovery of the person and nature of our Heavenly Father. He tells of the access we have to the Father, by the means of His Son, Christ Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen God afresh, and with renewed discovery of the vast dimensions of God's work on our behalf. One thing that is quite amazing to me about God is this: He chooses us, in spite of our desperate unworthiness, to be in a relationship with Him as His adopted sons and daughters. And that He, if you would, allows us to set the proximity of our relationship to Him. He does not force Himself upon us. He tells us, "If you will draw nigh unto Me, I will draw nigh unto you" (my paraphrase of James 4:8). Drawing near to God to accomplish this goal, we need to fight our natural (fallen) inclination, which is to run and hide. Isaiah (53:8) writes "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. "

Again, drawing on thoughts of Packer, there are two words that describe the Mount Everest of truth in scripture, and by so doing, describe the full truth of the Bible. The two words are: Propitiation and Adoption. The first word, propitiation (Hebrew kapporeth) is used four times in the New Testament. Propitiation is a word that has to do with atonement, it is the work that Christ has done on the cross, to cleanse us of sin. And with that, propitiation carries the meaning, that Christ, in dying for our sin, dealt with the Father's anger and wrath against (human) sin. It is the work of propitiation, accomplished by Christ Jesus, that has brought mankind into a position in which we are made acceptable to God, and set into His family as adopted children.

I will end here at this time, and will comment on this in future posts and conversations, but for now, you can look for me on the road to life Eternal, captured by these two Mount Everest words. These words, which cause me to, proverbially, click my heels in the air with joy, because of what God has done through His Son, Jesus, for me, and if you have this faith, for you, as well.

Goodbye for now, and may the Lord richly bless.