JUST WANT TO BE NEAR!

August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 | lindamowles

Cuddles and Snickers love to travel with us, at least when we are not going to the Vet’s office! Then, they are not quite so happy about it.

But, on our recent travels, they enjoyed looking out the windows and, when there were long times between stops, they would fall asleep … something that dogs seem to be able to do with great ease! But, for their safety as well as ours, we could not take the risk of having to move the vehicle quickly with them loose in the cabin, exposing them to falling down the steps, slamming into furniture, etc. Also, we did not want them to be able to get under our feet near the accelerator or the brake pedal. That would have been a recipe for disaster, to be sure!

The solution was a leash and harness attached to the seat belt on the floor. We thought we had the leash short enough so they would not get in the way while we were moving along the highway, but at one point I looked down and saw this. The two of them had wriggled the leash in such a way that they could reach the space between us. Cuddles had her nose on the engine compartment while Snickers had her back touching it.

It was as if they were saying “We just want to be near you. We’ll be asleep, but we can sleep better with you right here!”

I believe they were feeling secure. They didn’t understand that the roadway was going past them beneath their feet, or that the scenery was changing as we were going down the highway, or that towns and cities were passing by them without trouble … they knew they were near us and that is all that mattered to them.

Once again, the canine daughters were teaching me a lesson. Security in our Lord is available each and every moment of our day and then through the night, even when we are sleeping and unaware of anything.

The Psalmist wrote:

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”

Psalm 5:11

David further recognized the love God has for His people when he wrote:

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

Psalm 86:5

Of course, our Lord Jesus talked about rest in Him when He said:

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:29

These verses reinforce the concept that we are to rest in Jesus, God is loving and will protect us from harm, that is, we are secure in Him for eternity. I doubt that these concepts were in the dogs’ minds when they were reclining on the floor of the RV. But I do think that they understood that we were there so that they were not frightened, even of all the strange sounds and vibrations that they may have felt. They were secure in our love. They just wanted to be near us.

So, how are we near to our Lord Jesus Christ? We see Him when we read the Scripture. The Bible is all about God and our Lord, from beginning to end. We see Him when we meet together to worship Him. Believers can encourage and enlighten us as we live our lives in Christ. We see Him when we look at His creation. While the creation alone cannot provide saving grace, the fallen creation is still evidence of His power, majesty and glory. Let creation speak to you and raise your voice in worship and thanksgiving to Him. We see Him when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide our thoughts and actions.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10

Be still before God. Read your Bible and meditate on its words. Worship and be under the preaching of Bible teachers who live what they preach and who preach about Jesus Christ as seen in scriptures. Fellowship with believers who can encourage and support your growth in Christ. Beloved, be near to Him — He is always near to you!

Be secure and rest in the Lord and be thankful for His sacrificial love.

Father, I thank You for sending Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for my sins. I pray that I would give honor and glory to you through His blood, and that, through faith alone, I would rest in Him for my salvation. Grant me peace and security as I travel the road you have placed before me.

HOME – WHERE DID YOU SAY IT WAS?

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 | lindamowles

The posts on The Ruminant Scribe have been anything but regular for the past couple of months. I have diligently tried to post every Tuesday and Friday since I began the blog, and I have been pretty successful in keeping that schedule (apart from when surgery has thrown the calendar into a spin).

But, for the past couple of months, the posting schedule has been shot. I didn’t want to explain what was coming as I did not want to publicize the fact that we were going to be out-of-town for two months. No sense alerting whatever malevolent forces are lurking to do harm to the fact that the house would be unoccupied for that period of time.

So, what took us away? My husband, the two dogs and I went on our 2018 Western Adventure RV Road Trip.

RV with car — RV ready to roll with Jeep following wherever we go!

The mileage on our motor home when we began was 56,660 miles. When we pulled into the storage lot 64 days later, the mileage was 61,919. Thus, after applying higher math to the equation, we had traveled 5,259 miles.

However, the coach was not the only vehicle driven. We towed our Jeep and used it at the various stops to visit the National Parks, towns and roadways while the RV was hooked up to the power at the campground. In short, the Jeep gave us portability that the coach would not have done, so we need to consider the Jeep’s mileage as well. The trip meter says that the Jeep was driven 1,334 miles during this trip.

So, the total mileage for our 2018 Western Adventure over the past 64 days was 6,593 miles.

I am confident that there will be more references to our trip in future blog posts; suffice it to say that for now we are very glad to be home. This prompted me to think about what Scripture says about home.

One of the most prominent references is where people are simply returning to their home, the place where they belong, the place where they are safe and secure, the place they want to be for a host of reasons. Consider:

As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.”

Genesis 30:25

“And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.“

2 Chronicles 25:22

The Lord God was so detailed in giving the Law to His people that He required that a newly married man should remain at home with his wife for one year.

“When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.”

Deuteronomy 24:5

Scripture speaks of having a place to call home, noting that this even applies to animals:

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.”

Psalm 84:3

After Jesus healed people, He most often would tell them to go to their homes:

“I tell you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Mark 2:11

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.””

Mark 5:19

And of course we also have Jesus’ words in the parable of the lost sheep:

“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'”

Luke 15:6

While we didn’t have a party at the house upon our arrival, we were very thankful for the home to which we returned., and the children did, in fact, have a surprise waiting for us.

Traveling is great fun with many adventures to have, sights to see, foods to taste, pictures to take and roads to travel. But there is something heart-tugging about “home”.

So join me today as we celebrate returning “home”. We often think of our home in terms of chores – laundry, cleaning, dishes, yard work. All that is necessary to be done, but for now, I would ask that you think about your home differently.

Think about your own home, no matter what it looks like: whether it be a house, an apartment, a tenement, a bungalow, a cottage or a townhouse; whether it is in a city or village; whether it is huge or tiny; it could even be a motor home that can move to different locations! If it is the place where you feel secure … safe … loved, then it is “home,” and praise the Lord for it.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

John 14:2-3

Home, for the Christian, also includes being with the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity in our heavenly home. Praise God for His gracious gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ’s righteousness, we can have life everlasting in our heavenly home. Thank Him now for such a marvelous gift that we have yet to experience.

Blessings to each of you.

Father, thank You for the blessing of travel and experiencing new things, seeing new sights, going down unexplored roads. Thank You also for the blessing of returning home, and for the blessing of Your presence no matter where we are. We praise You for being with us each step of the way. Thank You, Lord.

PLAN AND GO – OR GO WITH THE FLOW?

January 31, 2017 | lindamowles

I find it interesting when I talk to people about vacations. Some folks just “go with the flow.” No need to plan where they are going to stop, “there will be a place somewhere!” No need to get tickets ahead of time, “there will be a seat available!”

Others plan every hour and second of their time away from home. They have hotel and restaurant reservations. They have tickets, in hand, for various events they want to see or in which they want to participate. And, they have maps galore including the most up-to-date GPS program available.

I suspect that most people are a combination of these two extremes, but I am mostly a “planner” while my husband is more of a “go with the flow” guy. It makes for some interesting times.

taylor-mcgee-campbell-wisconsin-dormatory — Taylor University, Upland, Indiana — picture of McGee-Campbell-Wisconsin, my dormitory when I was a student in the late 1960s. It had been demolished by the time our daughter graduated from the University in 2000.

We had two children in college at the same time. They both were in out-of-state schools, each about 7 hours away from our home but in opposite directions! This did not create too much of a problem until the year when Parents’ Weekend was held on the same date for both schools. Normally we do things together, but given the circumstances, I went to our daughter’s school and my husband went to our son’s school.

vmi-jackson-hall-1996 — Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia, picture taken in 1998 of Jackson Hall (the dormitory) when our son was a cadet there.

Since we were going in opposite directions, leaving at different times, it never occurred to me to make my husband’s hotel reservations. He made his own plans when he traveled for work so I didn’t think twice about his plans for this trip, especially since he was going to an area not far from his birthplace.

I planned my trip and even arranged for an Aunt to meet me in the small Indiana college town as a surprise for our daughter. I had started loading the car with things that she wanted for her dorm room when my husband asked: “Where am I staying tonight?” I responded: “I don’t know; where did you make your reservations?”

The blank look on his face was all the answer I needed. No reservations. “Well,” he said, “there are loads of rooms in the area.” So I headed for Indiana and he headed for Virginia. He knew the area well, in fact it had been his sales territory for a number of years, so I was not concerned about his ability to find lodging.

What neither of us knew was that all of the gazillion schools in northern Virginia had Parents’ Weekend at the same time. What he also did not know, but soon found out, was that no rooms were available in any of the hotels/motels near the VMI campus.

I, on the other hand, was safely booked into my hotel when I tried calling him on his cell phone. At that point in the day, he told me about all the Parents’ Weekend activities and mentioned that he did not yet have a room. He was confident that it would be easy to find one; he just had “not really looked”.

Later, he called to tell me that he found lodging – an hour away from the college and in the direction of our home. He was not in a regular room but in the hotel’s conference room. I then had a mental picture of a long table with all the chairs pushed in forming a fence with his sleeping form stretched out between the chairs, a book for his pillow. Rather like the Biblical Patriarch Jacob, I thought!

conference-room-table

While he let me have that delusion for a while, later in the conversation he told me that the room had a sleeper sofa. There went the Jacob analogy!

Praise the Lord that He is sovereign. In our arrogance and sin, we think that we have our life all worked out, but we must remember that our life is always under His control, whether we plan and schedule or relax about the details. Job learned this millennia ago when he said:

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

Job 42:1-2

Moving into the New Testament, when Pilate said that he had the power to either free or crucify Jesus, Jesus corrected him:

“You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

John 19:10-11.

In Proverbs 19:21 the writer says:

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.”

I have to confess that my planning down to the infinite detail is something of which I must repent since it falls in the category of prideful sin. You know, something along these lines: “I’ve got this, Lord. You can take care of more important things!”

I further suspect that Bill’s relaxed attitude is much more like that which our Lord desires. Rest in His arms and let Him handle the details. I’m basing this on the teachings in Matthew chapter 6, a chapter which I commend to your reading.

In it, Jesus talked about anxiety and told His disciples, and us, not to worry about our life or what we are going to eat or wear. God knows what we need and He will work His will through us. At the end of the chapter, He says:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:33-34 ESV

Yeah, I believe that this supports my husband’s relaxed attitude about planning, and it is something that I have to cultivate in my own life on a daily basis.

Ultimately, both of us had marvelous times with the children on our respective Parents’ Weekends. Even when things seem to be hectic, helter-skelter, and going awry, God has even the tiniest details in His hands. What an incredible, caring and omniscient God we serve. What a glorious blessing it is to call Him “Father” through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank You, Father, for guiding us through the hurdles that we encounter in this world. Thank You for loving us and sending Your Son to be our Savior. Thank You for blessing us with Your Spirit as He teaches and encourages us along the way. Thank You that Your purpose always prevails, even when things seem out of control to our limited way of thinking!