REJOICE IN HIM... ALL OF US

... ALL THOSE WHO OBEY HIM.  [PS. 32:11B]

I WANT TO REJOICE, SHOUT FOR JOY, AND OBEY HIM.

FOREVER AND EVER, 

FROM HERE AND TO AND THROUGH ETERNITY.

EVER-BRIGHTENING LIGHT

AND OUR FATHER POURS BLESSINGS UPON US --

 SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY.

STRENGTH AND STRONGHOLD

SORROWFUL?  YES!

BUT, ALL WE CAN HOPE ON AND FOR

IS OUR LORD'S STRENGTH AND STRONGHOLD.

This took place a couple years ago.  As First Responders we do go.  And all sorrowful, but this was one of the saddest.  

An ice cream man, living here from Mexico

 and with very little local family,

 driving through this neighborhood 

again and again over the weeks, 

known and loved by the families, 

was suddenly murdered 

by the equivalent of teenaged gang boys.

To be there, touching kids, hugging around and about, is always a wonderful opportunity to bring the Lord's Word to their hearts.

Not joyful, but definitely God's healing-seed is planted.

And here are a couple other photos from that day.

 One is obviously put together by a child.

HILLS AND MOUNTAINS FLOURISH

AND WHEN THEY DO, WE DO!

... ETERNALLY ... 

EASIER FOR A CAMEL...

WHEN WE WERE IN MOROCCO IN APRIL, '01,

WERE WE RICH?

UH, UH!

BUT WERE WE POOR, 

WERE WITH SUFFERING FROM LACK OF FOOD, 

LACK OF TRAVEL VEHICLES? 

NO!

BUT THIS WORD OF GOD IS A GOOD REMINDER

OF WHERE AND HOW WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING.

FOREVER.

BE HAPPY. ME.

THAT'S MY WORLD-WIDE GOAL.

 FOR MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS.

BE HAPPY, GROW IN HIM.

MY HABIT ... FIRST RESPONDERS

I have several habits.  One is what the Lord laid on me about 3 months ago.  EVERY DAY post a photo on my blog with His Word on it.  And spread it onto FB.  Every morning when I wake up, that's the first God-job I do.  

Another habit.  Fill in whenever the Lord lays someone, someplace on me ... Bhutanese to a hospital, family/friend to see when they are in spiritual or physical or emotional need.  I'm a knee-jerk Christian.  Go forward and do.  Period.

Travel to and fro, whenever and wherever I am to be in our nation.

But this is one of the most important, and was attended recently when a 19-yr old boy, Julius, who had left the gangs, coming to the Lord, was murdered.  Can't not go if I'm in town.  Yes, it's a "habit".  

[The chocolate one is in my life too, and ice cream... but they aren't the important ones.]

======================================

Today we went arrived at a very busy portion of Omaha -- for info to you who know Omaha, it was at 23rd and Vinton.  While driving in and out of the neighborhood, I remembered being up on the main street nearby a couple years ago when a murder had taken place.  Hard so often when we're looking around and about the town and are passing murder sites.  Makes my heart shudder with sorrow.

Today a number of people connected to Julius arrived.  Family, friends, people who had been encouraging him to leave the gang and grow in the Lord.  They'd helped him prepare for a job,  gave him wisdom.  And a number of us simply connected to First Responders and his family and friends came.

The prayer time was amazing.  Filled with blessings.  Oh, and a few of the police that arrived to keep a safe eye on us, which is their standard now, got out of the cars and came to our circles and prayed with us.  That happens occasionally and is a real blessing.  Partly, because the groups who have lost a member don't trust the police, and after these prayer times it begins to enter their hearts that they can trust the police.

A couple had left already.

At the end, I had a blessing.  I was able to get a couple of the prayer shawls out of my car and one was given to Julius's mother, but she was not with us, but the shawl would be taken to her by one of her family members.  The other shawl was given to

Julius's aunt, and she was with us, and I was asked to  "shawl" her and pray for her.  I handed my camera to a young fellow and just asked him to take a few.  He did.

 

So now you've see a number of photos of the carers, the prayers, the encouragers... and you've seen me.  

And I came home very tired, very cold, very physically/ mentally challenged... but filled with joy, because I know people were filled with the Lord, filled with peace.