Creator God Revealed

Photo essay by Gail Smith

Psalm 36

5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

 

your justice like the ocean depths.

 

You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

 

7     How precious is your unfailing love, O God!  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,

letting them drink from your river of delights.

 

9 For you are the fountain of life,

 

the light by which we see.

 

Lessons Learned from a Wire Fox Terrier

By Krisi Paxton



1. Do everything with passion, whether it is licking a hole in an old railroad tie or eating a friend’s last bite of pancake.
2. Eat when you are hungry. Bounce when you are happy. Sleep when you are tired. Get dirty.
3. Cuddle with your loved ones. Read their moods. Sneak a kiss whenever possible.
4. Take long and frequent walks with your two-legged friends. Stop to smell the flowers or rub your face in the snow. Detour from the plan once in a while.
5. Be patient with small children.
6. Ask for nothing more than simple food, water and an occasional last slurp from a cereal bowl.
7. Be content to hang out with those you love. Travel with them every chance you get. Make friends in strange lands.
8. Explore the woods. Mingle with other species. Be afraid of nothing.
9. Expect little.
10. Appreciate everything.

Ziggy, a loyal companion, passed away May 9. She was only eight years old, but she crammed 100 years of pleasure into each moment. People smiled and chuckled when Ziggy entered a room. She lived her last spring day at home, lying in cool grass, basking in soft breezes and warm sunshine. Her loved ones sat with her, touched her, laughed at her quirks and admired her fine qualities.

I want to be just like Ziggy.

KEEPING THE DREAM

By Marie Tschopp

“He will not grow tired and weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28 NIV

I could not believe it happened again. For the second time in less than a year my husband lost his job due to a plant closing.

I looked around my kitchen at the cabinets my husband installed a few years before. It was his dream to build his own home, doing the majority of work himself. Now, we were faced with selling. Thoughts of unfairness darted through my mind like shooting stars in a meteor shower.

“God, we thought it was your will to build. Why did you have us build only to sell?”

Needing an answer, I grabbed my Bible from the table and flipped pages. I sensed an urge to turn to Isaiah 40, so I did and read about the greatness of God. Verses like 18, “With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? “ And verse 26, “…He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name, because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (NIV).

To be honest, I felt worse—insignificant even. I doubted an all powerful creator cared what my family faced. Still, I continued to read on to verse 27, and it was as if God took my face in his hands as He said,

“Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?”

I read the verse again and again, “…why do you say…my cause is disregarded by my God?”

I closed my eyes as the tears fell. God cared, and I knew my family would be okay no matter the circumstances.

I took a deep breath and prayed, “Thank you Lord. You are great and mighty and you really do understand.”

When I opened my eyes another verse caught my attention,

“….The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28 NIV

I fell to me knees and prayed, “Father, thank you for loving us so much. You tell us that nothing in our lives is insignificant to you. I choose not to worry, but to trust in your loving care.”*

*Within a week, Brian had a new job because the previous employee quit unexpectedly and without explanation).