Quiet



We stood there on a bridge in the quiet of the forest. There were no human sounds, no shouting or arguing, no honking horns or sirens or sub-woofers, no TV - just quiet.

I thought, "God, why is it You feel so close to me in this quiet place?" So often in quiet places and sometimes at night Psalm 23 comes to my mind, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul... I began to sing the praise song, "In the secret, in the quiet place, You are there."

We were hiking the East Glacier Trail in Juneau. Leaving the Visitor Center area we had heard people calling to each other and some shouting at their dogs, the sound of buses bringing more tourists, and helicopters flying overhead showing people the sights from the air.

We had gone into the forest and up the mountain a ways when we stopped on a bridge.


It was while we stood there that I became aware of the quietness. At first I thought it was just the absence of sound, then I realized birds were singing, leaves were rustling and the brook was bubbling. But it felt so quiet and still. What was missing was the hectic pace and hubbub of human life.

Jesus went often to a solitary place to pray. If He felt the need to get away, how much more we, in our humanness and weakness, should try to get away. We need times of healing and times of refreshing. Psalm 46:10 invites us to Be still and know that I am God...

In Mark chapter six we're told that there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and the disciples didn't even have a chance to eat. Jesus said, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

Sometimes we don't even realize we need a rest until we experience a quietness in some place. In that quietness our spirits are refreshed. Then renewed, we face another day with the hubbub of human life.

The Lord will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17b The forest was quiet. The birds were singing. It felt like a touch of God's hand.

Mark 5:22-43 (Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 8:41-56)

^{… 25}And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

³¹"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "

³²But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

“When she heard about Jesus …”

Personally, I’m one of those people who is fascinated by home-remedies and new kinds of treatments. Perhaps that’s because I’m easily bored. Or maybe it’s because I’m very curious. For whatever the reason, I’ve read about all kinds of treatments and cures and tried a great many. I’ve also talked relatives of mine into trying some of my more successful cures … although not with a lot of success … I guess I’m just not really gifted in a Louis Pasteur kind of way.

When my husband was first diagnosed with melanoma cancer, we were inundated with all kinds of cures. After the doctors removed the tumor on his neck, they started us on a new treatment called “interferon” via a pic-line in his left arm. That lasted for a week before his vein got infected and they had to remove nine inches of the vein in an emergency surgery.

Nevertheless, the next year they removed a golf ball sized tumor from his head. A month later he went through a month’s worth of radiation to his head. Then an old friend sent us a year’s worth of vitamins and another friend sent us a year’s worth of tea that is supposed to restore your blood cells health and ability to fight off cancer.

My husband could easily have said that he “had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all (he) had, yet instead of getting better “he” grew worse.”

The difference was Jesus. You see, he had “heard about Jesus” so from the beginning he turned to God and what a difference it made. Although we did spend some money traveling to and from places, God arranged for friends to provide some things we needed. Although we did do some of the things the doctors suggested we didn’t do them all. When one of the doctors suggested radiating his neck, we prayed about it and had NO peace and just opted out … guess what? Later we were told that was a good move. After his brain tumor was removed, his doctor suggested we go to MD Anderson for a bone marrow transplant. Again we felt NO peace, so we got a second opinion and that doctor suggested we just wait and see what God would do. He was right!

It may be that God will call you to go through some really painful times. I have a dear friend whose wife was taken home to heaven. God used breast cancer to do that. But his family experienced great peace in knowing that God was in charge. (They suffered. They cried. They felt like they had died. But they had “heard about Jesus” so they trusted and God proved faithful.)

I want to encourage you today to make it a point to learn more about Jesus. “Don’t be afraid … just believe.” He can do anything because “Nothing is impossible with the Lord!”

Mother's Day
by Barbara Chadwick


I always loved Mother's Day. We made cards in school and church. We hugged our mother and told her she was the best mother. Then we went to Grandma's house and had a big dinner, which, of course, our mother and grandmother prepared.

After I got older and realized how much Mother did and what it cost her in time and energy, not to mention the planning and preparation that went into each day I wished I could have somehow shown my appreciation more appropriately.

Paul said to the Thessalonians, "...we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." Thes. 2:5 When I read that verse I'm always reminded of my own Mother. There were five children so she had a lot to do. I have pictures in my mind of sitting in her lap, of her combing my unruly hair, of her holding a pattern up to me for measurement and so on. These are pictures of love. And when she did any of these things for the others I still felt loved.

Then there's the discipline. I thank God that she cared enough to discipline me.

I am told that when I was three years old that one day I banged my fist on the table and said, "I want my blankety-blank-blank breakfast right now! You know that verse in Colossians that says, Let your conversation be seasoned with salt? I don't think that's what it means!

My mother looked at me with her mouth hanging open. "Where on earth did you hear that?!"

I said importantly,"Wichad says it all the time." Richard was my friend from next door.

I am also told that I got a good spanking and was told NEVER to say that again! I don't remember ever swearing again. Some lessons are learned quickly.

That verse in Colossians - Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:6) - I learned the importance of that from watching my Mother. She is very gracious - full of grace and love.

She felt that motherhood was God's plan for her. In Ephesians 4:1-2 Paul is talking to the church at Ephesus but the words apply to my mother: I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

She settled our quarrels in love, she patiently guided us through all those childhood phases and taught us to treat each other kindly.

On Mother's Day I reflect on God's gift to me of a Godly Mother.

Facebook Conversations

Sandy Hey, I got the Cd's from the His Hill Conference today. Muchas gracias! Can't wait to listen to them.Now if I can only find a CD player that Malcolm hasn't trashed....

Top of Form

Audrey

Is trashed a fair word? ... from his perspective is it more like explored, investigated, fixed, experimented on the extent of densile strength inherit in the plastic form???? Come on mom ... for the sake of th sciences ... hehehe

2 hours ago

Sandy

Problem 1: What happens when coins are inserted into car CD player? Malcolm's Hypothesis: Music will play or coins will come out the heater vent. Conclusion: CD player changer ceases to function.

Problem 2: What will happen when 2 or more CD's are forced into CD changer simultaneously? Hypothesis: Both will play at the same time? Conclusion: CD player changer no longer closes or opens .

OK Auderey, we've had a scientific moment. Now I want to listen to my His Hill CD's. Thanks for playing.

2 hours ago

Audrey

Ahhh ... now you must wait until he's old enough to get a job (one where you are not paying the employee) and buy you a new one ... sigh.

Robert went through a phase where he took my mother's pinking shears and cut a small triangle in the back of her new couch ... just to see what it cut like

We moved to Panama and he took a pair of scissors and made random experimental snippets through and entire laundry basket of clean clothes ... just wondering how it would cut.

He found a knife and sliced two long strips out of the top of my hope chest ... just wondering what it would cut like.

He took a kitchen knife and machette chopped the top of the drawer that held the knife (military housing ... they never caught the drawer at inspection ... I don't remember if I deliberately tried to cover it up). ... why? just wondering if it would chop it up.

Conclusion #1: spankings have NO effect on a very curious mind

Conclusion #2: reasoning doesn't work when your mother obviously doesn't have a curious mind

Ah well, I feel for you in any case ^_^

3 minutes ago ·

Why is it that we feel we must experiment? Why can’t we just go ask our Father if this or that is ok? Or would He show us how is works? Consider these scenarios:

I wonder what it would feel like to have an affair?

I wonder if I would feel freer, more like myself if I left my spouse and family?

I wonder if anyone would notice if I didn’t show up for work? Church? Life?

I wonder if I could get away with lying, cheating, stealing?

For the curious, life can be exciting. But if you really like living on the edge you should consider spending some time with Him and finding out what the parameters are. You might save yourself a lot of headache … and heartache.

^{2 TIMOTHY 3:16 NIV} All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:^{12 NIV} For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account

Romans 8:9-17 (New Living Translation)

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life^[a] because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,^[b] you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,^[c] you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children^[d] of God.

¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.^[e] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”^{[f] 16} For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Hill
by Barbara Chadwick


We were driving on Douglas Island and turned on the road to Eagle Crest, the ski slope. Shortly after we turned there was a sign that read, "Hill". I thought, "Well Duh!" because we clearly were going uphill and we had already passed a sign stating that chains were required. I guess that sign was for those who didn't "get it."

Then my thoughts turned to the road of life. What would it be like to have a sign alerting us about a mountain looming ahead? That our road would be difficult and we'd need extra help?

Think of all the signs that might apply: Caution Falling Rocks; Road Construction Ahead; Next Services 150 miles; Detour, etc.

Would we start to whine and cry? Would we complain and wring our hands and say, "Oh, me! Oh, me! What shall I ever do?"

Or would we fortify ourselves with extra prayer and commit to memory extra scripture to encourage ourselves through dark days? Would we do extra exercise to strengthen our muscles and build up our immune systems to withstand the testing time?

I believe God's love and mercy to us are evident in that He doesn't provide "Road Signs" for us. We'd be constantly on the defensive. We are temporary travelers on this earth after all. This is not our home. He has cautioned us to trust in Him for the journey.

We are hard pressed on every side (Caution Falling Rocks) but not crushed; Perplexed (Road Construction Ahead) but not in despair; Persecuted (Next Services 150 Miles) but not abandoned; Struck down (Detour) but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

But look at verse 16 - 17 of that chapter: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

We don't really have to worry and fret about whether we will encounter "Hills" in our lives because Jesus said in John 16:33, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

And we do know where to turn for help: Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

It makes me think of that old gospel song:
This world is not my home. I'm just a passin' through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Oh, Lord, You know I have no friend like you. If heaven's not my home then Lord, what will I do. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Since this is a temporary home for us let us trust Him for the journey.

Ironing

by Barbara Chadwick



I hate ironing. It makes my back hurt. It is boring. It is tiring. It is repetitive.

I let it accumulate for weeks then, finally, out of some sense of duty/obligation or some other word that I can't think of right now I drag out the ironing board and the iron.

I ironed a shirt one day and Kenneth wore it the very next day! My brain said, "for goodness sakes, let it hang in the closet for a couple of days at least!" But I just smiled at him and said, "You look nice."

A friend told me she loved ironing. She loved seeing those wrinkles straightened and shirts brought to life. I prefer to see shirts brought to life straight out of the dryer!

But this part made me feel bad (guilty, you know) She said this was also her time to pray. She prayed for the one who would be wearing whatever she was ironing. She prayed that as that one went about their day they would glorify God in their activities. She prayed for friends, for God's blessings on their home and for her church.

So I've been trying to look at this hateful task in a new light. The bathroom light. That's the room that has the most light in this house. No, really, last week when I gathered all the clothes that had to be ironed and got out all the stuff - the board, the iron, the spray starch, the water (for the steam) - I stood there a moment thinking about my friend. Then I began to ask God to change my attitude. As I ironed I prayed that as we wore those clothes God would use us to touch the lives of others, to be encouragers, to be a blessing and to be a help in times of trouble.

Guess what?! In no time at all I was done and my heart was light.

Prayer does change things - mostly me!

Listen to how Peterson translates Romans 12:1-2:

So, here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit unto it withour even thinking. Instead, fix your attenton on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I wonder if God gets as tired ironing out the wrinkles of me as I do in ironing the shirts? I'm so glad He's not through with me yet!

Don't Let A Bird Build A Nest On Your Head!
by Barbara Chadwick



Last night my dishwasher had one minute left on the timer. I opened it and took out some forks to set the table for dinner and didn't close it all the way. As we were eating we heard a beep beep every couple of minutes. We kept talking about it and looking around us to see what could be beeping. Finally our grandson, Kenneth Ryan, walked into the kitchen and stood over by the dishwasher thereby discovering it was indeed the dishwasher beeping. He closed the door and in one minute it beeped that it was finished. I had left it open too long when it was trying to do it's work!

When the door of the refrigerator or freezer is left open too long it will beep. The oven beeps when it is preheated. The de-humidifier beeps when it is full. Then, of course, there is the smoke alarm. But I think you'd have to use a different word than beep. Maybe BONG!

Wouldn't it be neat if we had a beeper that would alert us when we're drifting away from God? When we tell a little white lie or we listen with relish to certain gossip or our eyes go where they shouldn't go?

Kenneth says you can't keep a bird from lighting on your head but you can keep it from building a nest there. Consider a temptation as DANGER and run from it - or at least duck!

Then what if we had a smoke alarm kind of sound, BONG, BONG, BONG if we started to steal something or commit adultery or strangle someone!

The devil wants us to trip up - actually he wants us to fail big-time. BUT -

...God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well -made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to every - thing the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own., Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensible weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:10-18 The Message

And watch your head!