From the Bearing Sea

I really should get out and fill the bird feeders. The wind came swooping down from the North West and we have snowige.

My mom and I were going to get out and walk one of the parks this morning, but we changed our minds. Instead I think I'll make cookies. She sent me my grandma's Overnight Cookie recipe. That should make the house smell good. Bread in the machine, soup on the stove. How many more days do I really have before that pleasure is gone? A live Jars of Clay is providing the background and I have plenty of school work to do. My kind of day.

Fear Not. The phrase for the month. On that theme, here is the word from Amy Carmichael for today, March 9.

Psalm 147:6 The Lord lifteth up the meek

"Temptations are oft-times right profitable to man, though they be heavy and grievous, for in them a man is meeked, purged and sharply taught... Learn to obey, thou dust! Learn to meek thyself, thou earth and clay." (to "meek" is an old verb meaning to "humble".)

Our natural thought does not connect meekness with strength. Our natural thought is all wrong there. the truly strong are the gentle, the Strongest of all was the gentlest: "I am gentle and lowly in heart".

As I pondered this word from the Psalm and thought of our Lord's life, always triumphant, never cast down by disappointment, by weariness, by apparent
failure, or even by the certainty of suffering swiftly drawing nearer, I wondered if the cause of our cast-down hours is not the hardness of the way (as we are tempted to think it is), but some flaw in the inner spirit which makes it impossible for our God to lift us up. If so, praise Him, it need not remain so: There is a lifting up.

Aaron and Lindsey came to church yesterday. They are home from their mission in Senegal for a year. They told of warfare in the spirit realm and in the community. Bless them Ha Shem as they blessed me. Most of the time that Lindsy was in Africa she was sick; but when she came home the sickness was gone, she felt healthy again.

There is a man who has been working with Aaron, helping him with language when he works on Bible lessons, giving him aid in developing illustrations and follow-up lessons. His name is Juno. He is also under pressure from the elders of the village to deny the Messiah after verbalizing his delight with the Word of God.

Lindsey told of three different women who were coming daily to learn the Scripture. One of them began to ask thoughtful questions about her sin. Under pressure of the elders, she suddenly quit coming to learn. God bless this dear woman and give her a deep longing with understanding from what she has already learned.

Fear not Lindsey and Aaron

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Hebrews 6:10 NKJ