MOUNTAIN SHOPPING!

COURAGE UNDER FIRE…

Lately I have come to realize it takes courage to live.  The longer I live the more evident that is for me.  Today I was told by some body that I was too intense foe her to help me in a program designed to help people like me; disabled but work ready.  Not wanting a  handout but simply hand up.  oh well. I now have a new word to describe me., “Intense”  Haven’t quite figured that out yet.  Maybe she was trying too hard to be politically correct.  Reading between the lines she probably wanted to say I was too old or too dark or some other silly opinion.  Stereotyping is alive and well.  After looking at my bio she determined I was not financially strapped. Looking at my Educational history and resume, she determined I was well educated.  I explained I am among the educated poor of this great country.  She looked at my benefit income and determined I would lose benefits if I returned to work.  I politely replied that was not true. I had already checked that out  With the proper authority.  Then she suggested I do volunteer work .  My reply was I did 2 plus years in Korea as a volunteer.  Maybe she should be volunteering her job.  She really did very little to meet my needs and wasted the governments time and mine of course..

Let me pause right now to thank all my helpers of the past and those who would not or could not.  I dried my tears , regained my composure and remembered that all my help really comes from God.  God is well able and more than willing to be with me and for me.  I can do all things through Christ Jesus.  That brings me to what I want to share with my followers today.

This quarter the Lessons for study are awesome indeed.   last two lessons dealt with Love and Peace.  The theme is the Sovereignty  of God.  We learned about the reign of Jesus in the future .  What a glorious time that will be!  It will be nothing like our world today.  I thought about my age and health these days and my mind thought about Caleb.  Faced with an enormous task of becoming a spie and bringing his report back to Moses.  He was with others but his report mattered. his opinion was not popular and was among two minority  opnions .  Here are some interesting things extracted from Caleb’s story:

• Majority opinion is never an accurate measurement of right and wrong.
• Boldness based upon God’s faithfulness is very appropriate.
• For faith and courage to be effectual , they must combine works with actions.

Read the story of Caleb in Joshua 14.  His testimony is very dynamic and encourages me greatly.  He was  a young man when he spied the land for Moses His testimony is found in Joshua14:11 NKJV

” So here I am here today 85 years old.   I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I am just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.  Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me on that day.”