For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. _{Psalms 30:5 (RSV)}

And my tongue will talk of thy righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disgraced who sought to do me hurt. _{Psalms 71:24}

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,

God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,

Op’ning to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;

Drive the dark of doubt away;

Giver of immortal gladness,

Fill us with the light of day!

Henry J. Van Dyke

Image via Wikipedia

Today was a lovely day. The sun was shining bright in the noon day sky. The air, which had been bitterly cold, felt delightfully warm. There was a freshness in the breeze. How delightful it wasto be outside on a day like today. After two solid weeks of bitter cold, snow and ice it was finally nice to have a warm sunny day.

My job requires that I spend most of the day driving throughout Western Pennsylvania, a feat that heretofore had been hazardous, but not today! Today the roads where dry and clear and the sun shone brightly in the sky. With a bright clear sky, no precipitation, and the sun shining on my back, I started the day with a new found joy that only comes after a long dark period.

Image by abcdz2000 via Flickr

I imagine that is how it must have felt for the disciples when they finally realized that Jesus was not dead but had risen! What great joy that must have brought the downtrodden disciples! They may have thought they had put their faith in a false hope that Jesus was the Messiah. It was not until he rose from the dead that the real hope of their salvation, and ours, would be realized. It was not until the cold sting of death had been broken by the rising of the Son, that they could rejoice and be glad. It is because of the risen Son that our winters of discontent are changed into a springtime of joy and contentment.

That is the message we should all grasp as we face this season of Lent. We do have to weather the storms of life and wade through the cold and bitterness of a sin soaked world, but our joy comes with the rising of the Son. Each new day brings with it the hope of a greater joy, and with each rising of the sun we have yet another opportunity to praise the RISEN SON of God!

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. _{Heb 12:2 (KJV)}

Now I do not know about you but that makes me want to jump up and shout and sing!

Mortals, join the happy chorus,

Which the morning stars began;

Father love is reigning o’er us,

Brother love binds man to man.

Ever singing, march we onward,

Victors in the midst of strife,

Joyful music leads us Sunward

In the triumph song of life.

Rejoice for He is risen!

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Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalms 51:7-12 (NKJV)

When I was younger I used to enjoy those occasional snow days that would halt regularly scheduled activities, especially school. Waking up in the morning and hearing the radio announce the name of our school as one of the districts to be closed due to a major snow storm was exhilarating. My brother and sister and I would bundle up in our winter gear and grab the sleds out of the garage and head on outside to make tracks in the freshly fallen snow. Hours would pass before we grew tired of playing in the snow. We would make snow forts, snowmen, toss snowballs at each other, sled down the back hill into the neighbors yard, roll around in the snow and even make snow angels. Oh the fun we had as kids playing in the snow.

This week the northeast got blanketed in over 2 feet of snow, and now that I am no longer a school kid snow days are not quite as much fun as they once where. Having a snow day from work is not the same as having a snow day from school, primarily because there is a financial cost attached to the day off. The joy of a snow day has been replaced with the realization that someone has to shovel all that snow out of the driveway and off the sidewalks to make it possible to travel away from home. I have no desire today to make snowmen, or sled down a hill, or even make snow angels, the fact is I do not particularly like snow at all. It does look pretty hanging off the trees and blanketing the countryside, but it surely is no fun to have to shovel all that white stuff off the driveway and maneuver around on snow covered roadways.

It is amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What once was an event we looked forward too has turned into an event we could for the most part live without. I know God in His infinite wisdom felt the need to send snow in the winter, but I think I would much prefer to skip it altogether. If I could control the weather I think it would be a nice warm sunny spring day all year round. I know that is not practical in the northeast but hey I can dream can’t I?

Why this change of perspective when it comes to snow days? What causes one to change one’s opinion of a life event so markedly? Has our life’s situation changed so much that we no longer view the same event in the same way? When I was a child a snow day meant a day off from something that was less appealing — school, but as I got older that same snow day became the object of my dislike because I no longer associated the arrival of snow as a welcome diversion but rather as toilsome and inconvenient. The joy of those bygone snow days has been erased.

The snow that was a joy and delight in my childhood has become a minor inconvenience today. What once brought hours of joy and endless possibilities has today become a nuisance. Perhaps it would do me good to try to remember the joy of my childhood during these Northeast snow days. Perhaps I should try to recapture some of the thrill of those bygone days. Perhaps I should try to see a snow day as a welcomed diversion from normal day to day life.

King David likened snow to his being washed of his sin. He had lost the joy that came along with living because of his transgressions against God. He knew daily that he had messed up and wanted to recapture the joy that came along with being cleansed and forgiven. Guilt and shame steals a great deal of joy from our lives. So does regret. To a child being corrected by our parents ranked high on the list of dislikes. Being disciplined was not something we loved as a child, actually it is not something we enjoy as adults either. (more…)

A View from the Nest
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
Insight from the Journey across the Sky

From the coming up of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. Psalms 113:3 (BBE)

We take far too much for granted and fail to offer the praise that is due His name. We oft times whine and moan about supposed injustices that befall us as if the whole world revolved around us. The last time I looked up into the sky the earth revolved around the sun and the morning and evening did not answer to my command. Our lives too are ordered of the Lord we can either pause and give thanks or murmur and complain. The choice is ours, the option is left up to us. We are given the freedom to acknowledge the blessings of God or to ignore them. Each day as we awaken, we have the choice to either walk in thankfulness toward God or seek our own will and way.

There is much to be sorrowful for but there is far more to be thankful for. Each new day, each new sunrise brings with it the opportunity for new blessings. From the rising of the sun to the going down thereof the Lord’s name should be praised. If we spent as much time praising the Lord as we do complaining about life’s ills I think we would find far more sunny days then cloudy ones.

So in light of the suffering of those who endured the earthquake in Haiti I leave you with these words from Red Foley. Lord forgive me when I whine I surely am blessed and the world is mine. My prayers go out to all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. I pray for the Lord’s blessings to arise out of the ashes of despair and destruction. May the Lord’s healing flow throughout the land, and may His name be praised in the midst of the storm.

Today upon a bus, I saw
A lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her – she seemed so gay -
And oh, I wished I were so fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle,
She had one foot and wore a crutch,
But as she passed, a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two feet – the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,
The lad who served me had such charm;
He seemed to radiate good cheer,
His manner was so kind and warm.
I said, “It’s nice to deal with you,
Such courtesy I seldom find.”
He turned and said, “Oh, thank you, sir!”
And I saw that he was blind.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two eyes – the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play;
It seemed he knew not what to do,
I stopped a moment, then I said:
“Why don’t you join the others, dear?”
He looked ahead without a word,
And then I knew; He could not hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two ears – the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go,
With eyes to see the sunset’s glow,
With ears to hear what I should know:
I’m blessed indeed, The world is mine;
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
— Red Foley —

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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This week’s Worship Wednesday offering is “Glorious Impossible “. How the impossible became possible. Only through Christ do we find possibilities when all appears impossible. What is impossible with man is possible with God. He is able to do exceedingly above anything you could ask or think. God is not limited by our belief. He defines belief.

As we prepare for Christmas let us focus on the truth of this song. Glorious Impossible by Carl Cartee.

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Glorious Impossible

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