TWA:SW 37 Rescue at Joshua Tree National Park

Our next stop was Joshua Tree National Park, where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts collide against a backdrop of the Little San Bernardino Mountains in southeast California.

Although it’s one of the newer parks and not well known, it encompasses over 1,200 square miles . . . an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island!

Joshua Tree National Park is named for the “Joshua Trees,” which according to undocumented legend was the name given by the Mormon settlers to these strange plants. As the story goes, the trees reminded the pioneers of the biblical Joshua, who lifted up his arms toward heaven for hours and hours, interceding to God so the Israelites could overcome their enemies and safely enter the Promised Land.

Although they grow to be as tall as some trees (nearly 50 feet) and are long-lived like trees (can live hundreds of years), Joshua trees are really a member of the Yucca family, Yucca brevifolia. They are most abundant in the Mojave Desert and thrive at elevations between 1,300 and 5,900 feet.

Joshua trees bloom in the spring, typically from late February to late April, and they were bursting with blooms while we were there. If you want to visit, I highly recommend April for maximum color and beauty!

Besides enjoying the Joshua trees, the park is famous for rock climbing, hiking, camping, and star gazing (since the night skies are usually clear and very dark).

We marveled at the unusual rock formations in the park, known as “inselbergs” (a loan word from German meaning “island mountains”).

They are composed from igneous rocks that have been weathered over ions of time and are now beautifully sculpted into soft contours and smooth boulders, often stacked in whimsical towers that seem to pop right out of the desert floor!

Alan and I took a drive along the main road through the park on a cool, sunshiny day and saw many hikers climbing the rocks.

We enjoy hiking—and used to scramble up rocks like mountain goats—but it occurred to us that at our age it would be pretty easy to slip and fall, so we mostly kept on level paths and resisted joining in the fun of rock climbing.

But, really, doesn’t this look tempting? Alan probably could have done just fine, but he makes wise decisions that keep us out of lots of trouble I’d likely get myself into!

As we traveled, I couldn’t help scanning the distant hills to see if I could find climbers, and they were there, mostly looking smaller than ants on anthills!

About halfway through our adventure, we heard a helicopter overhead.

Helicopters make so much noise I usually hear them before I see them! This one seemed to roar out of nowhere and suddenly passed right overhead.

Police were already on the scene and stopped the traffic just in front of us to make space for the helicopter to land.

Before long, a second helicopter came to to the site. We could tell we were not going to be going anywhere for a while, so we started looking around, trying to figure out what was going on and praying for whoever needed an airlift from “Mercy Air.”

After a while, I decided to take a walk along the road. I was delighted to see that what had seemed like barren earth as we sped by really hosted a number of tiny but beautiful flowering plants.

Talk about blooming with grace and blooming where you’re planted!

The things I miss when I’m looking off into the distance at all that’s impressive and famous while failing to admire the humble beauty right at my feet!

My dad (after he retired and got smarter about life) often used to say, “Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!”

That day we did. So many times it takes trouble to make us slow down, doesn’t it?

As a flower lover, I was thrilled to discover all the tiny treasures and signs of new life. Life and beauty abound even in parched places. God is so merciful!

After about a half an hour, we saw one of the helicopters lower a rescue worker with a stretcher, load someone on and take them back up to the safety of the craft. Within seconds, they roared away, doubtless to a hospital emergency room.

I never heard what happened, but I thought about how we humans can lift our hands to heaven, just like Joshua, and ask for help. I thought about how we humans are spiritually in need of rescue. We are never going to be able to climb to heaven on our own and will just get injured if we try. We can die trying or accept help from Jesus, who knows the way and explained, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). I am eternally grateful that our merciful God sent Jesus down from heaven to rescue me . . . and “whosoever will.” Have you asked Jesus to rescue you?

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! . . . Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies” (Psalm 136:1, 23-24 NKJV).

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:4-11, ESV).

TWA:SW 35 Antelope Canyon: In the Cleft of the Rock

“Whatever you do, don’t miss Antelope Canyon!” Randy advised.

He and Julie had been out West a few years earlier, and they thought Antelope Canyon in Arizona was possibly the highlight of their entire trip.

I’d never even heard of Antelope Canyon, but after their advice, I looked into it.

Antelope Canyon is just a couple of hours from the Grand Canyon’s south rim.

Antelope Canyon belongs to the Navajo Nation.

You can only visit if you make an advance reservation.

And reservations are very expensive.

No one is allowed to roam free.

However, the guides are very knowledgable and personable, so they’re worth their hire!

They also keep you safe, which isn’t something you’d think you need, but you do!

On the surface above the canyon, everything looks dry as a bone.

You’d never guess there are wondrous caves underneath!

How does it happen?

Antelope Canyon is one of several very unique “slot” canyons.

There are holes or “slots” on the floor of the desert where light can filter down inside.

This allows the most astounding play of colors and shading.

This is all well and good, unless there’s a torrential downpour, which does occur on rare occasions.

Because the desert floor is mostly sandstone here, the water can’t penetrate.

So, it runs downhill looking for a crack or crevice and picking up sand and debris along the way.

(The passageway is at the bottom center of this photo.)

The result is a flash flood of water swirling through tiny passageways.

Over time, the raging waters carve out intricate passageways.

The grit and sand caught in the flood actually serve to smooth and polish the surfaces of the rocks until they look like exquisite pieces of pottery!

There are two tours available.

The Upper Canyon has a mostly level pathway with more beams of light shining directly into the canyon.

The Lower Canyon is a more difficult hike, requiring climbing up and down 5 flights of “stairs” (ladders).

In some places the passageways are very narrow with no level footing. (Note pathway here in middle.)

However, Lower Antelope Canyon is over twice as long and in some places 120″ deep, so there are many more opportunities for spectacular views!

(In the middle is the pathway with shoe prints. It’s hard to stay oriented!)

Also, if you just go by the names, the Navajo People call Upper Canyon Tsé bighánílíní, “the place where water runs through rocks.” 

They call the Lower Canyon Hazdistazí, or “spiral rock arches.”

Alan and I chose the Lower Canyon, and we were overwhelmed by the subterranean beauty—unlike anything we’d ever seen above ground on Earth!

Beginning our descent into Lower Antelope Canyon

(All the photos on this blog are from our trip in 2022 to Lower Antelope Canyon.)

(Note the uneven surfaces!)

So, what’s with all the rainbow colors underground?

Land forms above the area of Antelope Canyon

I don’t have a definitive answer for that question.

In this unfiltered photo (which I took above ground), you can see most of the rainbow colors are present within the mineral composition of the rocks.

I think much of the effect is from brilliant sunlight casting light and shadows on the rocks.

This is basically the same photo, but in this one I used the “enhance” option (on my i-photo, free-with-computer program). This intensifies the colors, but it doesn’t actually change them.

In this image, I opened up the light setting (on my same, no-upgrade app), which allows us to see more texture with a slightly less intense color experience.

In this photo, I’ve enhanced both the amount of light and the color intensity. BUT, I didn’t change the colors. They were already there!

Here’s a photo taken from outside (note the grass that can grow here). The camera picked up the walls of the cave (which whited out the deep blue sky), so the colors aren’t so intense, but they’re still there.

I’m convinced that most of the variation in color comes directly from the intensity of the light shining on each surface.

With bright sunlight shining directly on the surface, most of this particular area is very similar in color.

From deep inside the cave looking up, the light makes some areas a brilliant yellow but lower folds in the rock are pink and even checkered with maroon and green at the bottom.

We may not often examine people the way we do rocks, but each person is like a sandstone sculpture!

The colors are all there, but they change in brilliance depending on the dance between Sonshine and shadows in our lives.

We are carved by countless flash floods coursing through the corridors of our hearts.

We are smoothed by the very grit that drives us crazy!

We’re tossed and turned until sometimes we can’t tell up from down!

My son Jonathan says God takes all our dreams and turns them upside down to make a tossed salad!

But, I’m okay with that! The Bible says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

I trust Jesus to use all the storms and pain to cleanse and smooth me so I’m “a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21, ESV).

Why do I trust Him? Because He has always been faithful and kind to me. What King David wrote in the Psalms is still true today: “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9).

Finally, I want to discuss our need for shelter and safety.

About twenty-five years ago, an international tour group was caught by a flash flood.

Although there wasn’t much rain at Antelope Canyon, there had been a thunderstorm seven miles slightly uphill.

Eleven tourists were trapped and drowned in a raging flash flood.

Since that time, more security measures have been added.

The tour agency is extremely careful to cancel tours if there’s any possibility of a flash flood.

But, as with most of life’s adventures, there are always risks.

We can try to play it safe, but Jesus warned us, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

If you haven’t already, will you please give your life to Jesus and see what He does?

There’s a whole world of spiritual beauty you’ll never find if you try to “play it safe.”

Please, please take good advice, study the Bible, and explore the depths of God’s love!

I promise you’ll be okay, even if He turns your world upside down! I can promise with confidence, because Jesus promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5.)

Just as He has done for every person who repents from their sins and asks Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, He does just that!

He makes a way for us.

He is the Good Shepherd, who leads us all the way and protects us on our journey.

We can share Paul’s confidence “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

And that—at the end of our pilgrimage—“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

And all the way, He hides our souls in the cleft of “the Rock”—which is Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Psalm 61:1-4 (NKJV)—

Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

So Long, IRS?

Here is another online joke, although I don’t know the author to give a proper attribution. But, in America, today is “the day” to have in our tax returns. Oh, wouldn’t it be great if we could enjoy all the benefits of our governments without needing to support them? Despite disagreeing with many of America’s financial policies, I am grateful to live in a country where people can run for election without getting mysteriously murdered. I am deeply grieved for the moral failures enabled by our freedoms, but I’m thankful for the great freedoms of choice we have, and I believe these freedoms are God-given. Painful as it is, God created us with free wills, and most of the horrifying evils as well as the inspiring goods we see in the world around us are because we, the people, have been allowed freedom to choose. I also believe heaven will be a place where we still have freedom of choice, but we will be like Jesus and always make right choices.

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:1-3).

TWA:SW (33) Paradise Valley Today, But What About After Death?

From The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, we headed straight to Phoenix to visit some dear friends.

“Straight” sounds fast, but there are always mountains to overcome, so everything takes longer than you’d think . . . just like all of life!

The closer we got to Phoenix, the greener life became.

The huge water resource for northern Arizona is the Colorado River, so a different system from the Rio Grande, which flows through New Mexico.

The Colorado River is about 1,450 miles long and drains nearly a quarter of a million square miles.

As a watershed for some of the southwestern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, it passes through five states and part of Mexico before entering the Bay of California.

So much of the water is used for irrigation in California’s Imperial Valley that sometimes the Colorado River dries up before it reaches Mexico (much like the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico).

As we drove north toward Phoenix, we could see that there was still some water in their creeks, although there were no raging rivers like we saw in our travels through the North.

Picacho Peak, Arizon

How to provide enough water for people is doubtless one of the most serious problems in the Southwest!

With a population of over 1.6 million, Phoenix is Arizona’s biggest city, but we really by-passed it in order to visit our friends in Paradise Valley.

Although its relatively small, Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality.

It reminds me of Palm Springs, California, or Boca Raton, Florida . . . lush and tropical . . . a true oasis in the desert.

Paradise Valley has made headlines in the Wall Street Journal as a premium place to buy real estate, and it’s become one of Arizona’s premier tourist destinations.

As the locals say, “There’s a reason why we call this paradise.”

Our friends know the Lord blessed them with this home, which they bought before the real estate market went crazy.

True, it’s the most glamorous home I’ve personally stayed at in the last 50 years, but Vittal is a very hard-working pathologist with uncanny investment sense, and he earned, saved, and made his money fairly.

Theirs is a beautiful love story of two people from India who came to this country and were able to make “The American Dream” come true.

Bougainvillea

And, that’s one of the things I love about America.

It’s still possible to work your way up from poverty to wealth by giving it “all you’ve got” and using your talents and gifts.

Like the story in Matthew 25, I believe God gave them “ten talents,” but they used their talents wisely and are enjoying the fruit of their labors! “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance” (Matthew 25:29).

Maya and Vittal are incredible hosts! Maya prepared about eight absolutely scrumptious Indian dishes. (I still need to get her recipes!)

They entertained us royally for a couple of days and had a wonderful guest house where we could have stayed, although Alan preferred staying in our Sanctuary (due to their darling doggies; Alan has pretty severe asthma.)

Talk about a room with a view!
(Camelback Mountain in the background)

There home was so mind-bogglingly beautiful that I couldn’t help comparing it to what our heavenly home might be like! “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

Just what will heaven be like if life on this earth in Paradise Valley is so incredibly wonderful?

That evening, Vittal took us even further up the mountain to watch the sun set over Paradise Valley.

The sunset was stunning!

As night fell, I began to think about life after Paradise Valley. What about after we die?

Two nights ago, Alan and I watched an excellent documentary about near-death experiences. Whether or not you believe in life after death, I wish you’d watch this film. It’s fresh off the press (2023) and fulfills the IMDb summary, “After Death explores the afterlife with the guidance of New York Times Bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists, and survivors that shed a light on what awaits us.”

Before the night falls on our lives, let’s explore what comes afterward, as I believe there is life after death based on the teaching of Jesus who rose from the dead, and also corroborated by thousands of people who have had near-death experiences.

Will you also entrust your life to Jesus, who promises an eternal, resurrection life after this life that will make even the most beautiful homes seem like cottages?!

“Thomas said to Him [Jesus], ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’.” (John 14:5-6).

TWA:SW 31 Saguaro National Park: Rainbows in the Sonora Desert

I wasn’t expecting anything special on our visit to Saguaro National Park, but it turned out to be a spectacular day drenched with sunshine, downpours, incredible clouds, and rainbows. Who would imagine that one of the only days it rained on our trip would be in the desert? I took hundreds of photos, culled them down to my favorite 100, and then cut them in half again . . . but still way too many for a blog post. However, I thought if I kept my mouth shut and just let you scroll, you could see the best I have to offer in a few minutes. Our tour started and ended in Tucson, Arizona. We spent some time at visitor centers, gawked our way around a six-mile gravel road—the “Hahokam Loop,” which had fabulous views, and then (after most of the rain was over) took a short hike up Signal Hill before heading back to Tucson. I tried to keep the photos in chronological order; the rains truly did come and go, and it could be clear out one side of our RV and stormy out the other! If you hover over any photo with your pointer, it should tell you a bit more information, but otherwise, please just scroll and enjoy the beauty of this special day God gave us.

(Yes, the roads take people in and out of the park a couple of times)

All the rain and beauty made me think about how much we need both sunshine and showers in our lives to keep us blooming.

Isaiah 35: 4-7—

Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come . . . and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
⁷ The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water . . .

Dr. Jonathan Armstrong Teaching on The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Do you find yourself wondering why people believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Or, do you believe but still find yourself a little confused by the Gospel accounts of the resurrection? The resurrection is the keystone to the Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul argued, either the resurrection changes everything or Christianity is a fraud. In this Benefit Lecture, Dr. Armstrong will attempt to harmonize the literary accounts of the resurrection in the Gospels as well as investigate the archaeology of the traditional site of the resurrection in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

You can scan the QR code above or click on the link below to learn more about this crucial topic (and register if you’d like to attend):

https://www.aqueductproject.org/courses/the-resurrection-of-jesus-christ

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:6)

TWA:SW (28): White Sands National Park—Whiter Than Snow!

What do you think? This reminded me of my grandchildren sledding down a snowy hill in Michigan this past winter.

This photo makes me think of all the times we’ve had to drive on slippery winter roads!

However, all these scenes aren’t of snowy countrysides!

They were taken on a pleasant, sunny day on our visit to White Sands National Park in New Mexico!

But, maybe I should back up just a little! After a couple of weeks exploring Texas, we made it across the border into New Mexico.

Our first stop was Carlsbad Caverns, and from there it’s only a several-hour drive to reach White Sands National Park.

However, in those few hours, the scenery changed dramatically! Instead of wilderness and scrublands, we began to see evergreens and ranches.

There had been a fierce wind all day and a storm during the evening after we left Carlsbad. Overnight, the temperature dropped precipitously (and unexpectedly) to below freezing. Alan accidentally left on the water heater, which we took as a gift from God, since it kept our pipes from freezing! 🙂

Cloudcroft, New Mexico, elevation 8,676 feet

Our trip to White Sands took us over a snowy mountain pass . . .

and through a mountain tunnel.

Elevation makes such a difference! Before long, we were back to arid wilderness again,

with painfully dry river beds and lifeless grasses.

There were a few signs of life, but we had to look long and hard to find them!

White Sands National Park is one of America’s newest parks (2019), but it’s unique and unforgettably beautiful!

The park covers 227 square miles and is part of the largest gypsum dunefield on Earth.

The reason “white sands” looks like pristine snow is that it’s not really sand in the usual sense.

It’s an immense deposit of gypsum crystals.

This dunefield is about 30 feet deep, and some of the dunes are 60 feet high.

Scientists estimate this vast area of resource weighs over 4 billion tons!

Gypsum is used for construction, agriculture, art, food products, medicines, and cosmetics, (etc).

You can buy a pound on Amazon for about $10 . . . (2000 pounds times $10 times 4,000,000,000+ . . . Does that mean the net worth of this park is 80 trillion+ dollars?? We could get out of our national debt . . .). 🙂

So far, the U.S. government has designated this national treasure as a national park to be protected and enjoyed by all!

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are coming from all over the world to enjoy it!

We took time for a picnic lunch and a little hike.

Totally exhilarating!

If you go, be sure to have water and good protection from sun, wind, and possibly cold!

And, of course, gear for sledding if you’ve got room to pack such!

I’ve been thinking: There is something bigger than our national debt and there’s something worth even more than 80+ trillion dollars. Do you know what?

It is we, the 8+ billion people in the world who’ve sinned and strayed away from God.

We owe Him a debt that’s impossible to pay through good works or trying to be perfect.

By some miracle of grace I’ll never comprehend, God loves every one of us in this world so much that He sent his perfect, beloved Son, Jesus, to die so that we could be redeemed from our debt of sin, not “with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

All we have to do is come to him in repentance and faith, for “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” Isaiah 1:18).

“Jesus Christ . . . is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6).

An Invitation to Join Us at Aqueduct Project for an Open-House, Online Prayer Service

Puertas Abiertas

Tag der offenen Tür

Have a heart for the unity of the Church and the global mission of sharing the love of God? Got an hour?

If so, I’d like to invite you to join me (and others at AQ) on Wednesday, February 28th, 9:00-10:00 New York City time, for a one-hour, multilingual prayer service (English, Spanish, and German), where we will join together as a global community and pray the Moravian Daily Texts (Psalm 7:2 and Matthew 10:19) for the cause of world mission. The prayer service will feature live reports from several missionaries. / Durante este servicio de oración multilingüe de una hora de duración, nos uniremos como comunidad global y rezaremos los Textos Moravos Diarios (Salmo 7:2 y Mateo 10:19) por la causa de la evangelización mundial. El servicio de oración contará con informes en directo de varios misioneros. / Während dieser mehrsprachigen Gebetsstunde werden mehrere Missionare live über ihre Arbeit berichten. Wir beten als globale Gemeinschaft für die Verbreitung des Evangeliums weltweit und für den Schutz der verfolgten Kirche, unter Berufung auf die Herrnhuter Tageslosung (Psalm 7,2 und Matthäus 10,19).

https://www.aqueductproject.org/courses/open-house-puertas-abiertas

Jesus prayed to God the Father, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21, NKJV).

Happy Valentines Day

I hope you have a truly happy day today and feel very, very loved!

Although we don’t often ponder the roots of this holiday, it has a rich, ancient heritage dating back to a third-century priest and physician who ministered to Christians being martyred during the persecution of the Roman Emperor, Claudius II. 

For his compassion and good deeds (as well as his faith), Saint Valentine was eventually arrested, beaten, and beheaded on February 14, 270 AD.

He was buried near Rome on the Via Flaminia (Flaminian Way), which was a famous road between Rome and the Adriatic Sea (marked in blue in the above photo).

View of the Flaminian Way in modern times

Pope Julius 1 (333-356 AD) built a basilica at the site to preserve St. Valentine’s tomb (which has since been destroyed, although archeological evidence of his tomb was found centuries later).

Porta del Popolo by Giuseppe Vasi (1710-82); Public Domain
(aka “The Gate of St. Valentine” in the 12th Century)

To this day, you can walk along the Via Flaminia and remember the great physician priest who died for love of his fellow believers.

“Jesus Christ Crucified” by Diego Valázquez, circa 1632
(Public Domain)

What love, to sacrifice one’s own life while ministering to the needs of others! Yet, St. Valentine was following the example of Jesus Christ, the great high priest and physician who loved every person in the whole world so much that he laid down his life for us (Mark 2:17; Hebrews 5:9-10). “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

The pure, holy, undefiled son of God—Jesus Christ—died in our place so we can have forgiveness for our sins and become children of His Father, God . . . so Jesus can become “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Jesus loved us before we even existed or ever understood his love: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is the greatest expression of love in the universe! It’s God’s gift offered to us (Romans 3:23). Jesus’s “valentine” if you will. So, whether you give or receive any paper valentines today, please know that Jesus has sent you a valentine of sorts—His love letter to you, inscribed in the Bible! Will you reach out and accept His gift of love today? If you do, you will feel very, very loved and know that true happiness comes from being known, accepted, and loved by God!

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

Back on the Bus to America’s Great Northwest for a Busman’s Holiday

I might be mistaken, but it occurs to me that for the coming year Alan and I will either be traveling or hosting family and friends more than not, which means long, peaceful days for writing blogs will be scarce. Just a few years ago I was writing daily; last year it dropped to three times a week. For the next twelve months, I’m thinking it might be more like 1+ times weekly if I’m lucky. For one thing, I really want to finish my series on traveling around America, but these posts take oodles of time researching and processing photos (and thoughts), so if I can get one a week out, I’ll be thankful. I’m gearing up to have my first post on our Northwest adventure ready by next Thursday.

Beyond that, I’m always interested in trying and sharing new recipes. (Please send me any family favorites you’d be willing to share!) And telling stories. I love to tell stories about God’s grace and goodness in my life and the lives of those around me. I’d love to share YOUR favorite stories too, if you’ll work with me! For this coming year, I’d like to see Summer Setting serve as a place for those who read this blog to input into this blog! It can be a photo, a drawing, a story, an essay, a poem, or a prayer. Or a question for discussion. Got an idea? Write me! Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear stories from around the world about how God is at work?

I’ll also do my best to keep writing. I love writing and can’t seem to stop. I’m reading a witty book by Dorothy Sayers, The Mind of the Maker (which really is so profound that the Archbishop of Canterbury offered her an honorary doctorate of divinity degree), in which Sayers does a masterful job of defending a trinitarian view of God and mulling over topics like universal moral law and the reality and role of evil while delighting readers with her descriptions of a writer passionately practicing his craft: (speaking of human artists, not God at this point)— “If he is genuinely an artist, you will find him using his escape from work in order to do what he calls ‘my own work,’ and nine times out of ten, this means the same work (i.e. the exercise of his art) that he does for money. The peculiar charm of his escape is that he is relieved, not from the work but from the money. His holidays are all busman’s holidays.” This describes my retirement perfectly! I’m free to write without needing to get paid, but I still write with a passion put to use in my old griefs!

One of my friends is a retired professor of architecture who is still producing artwork. It’s not about pay, it’s about passion! In what way are we all made in the image of our Creator? For sure, in our desire to create—whether it’s a glorious garden, an elegant chair, a lush painting , or a blog post! God created us to create. God gives us freedom but also responsibility to use that freedom for good rather than evil. On that subject, I stand on the Bible’s inspiration: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV). Write about these things. That is my hope and prayer!

If you’ve got any time and energy to create something good and lovely to share on this blog between now and July 1 of 2024, please write me at kathrynwarmstrong@gmail.com, and I’ll try to help spread the joy!