Prophecy

Advent 2011 Day 4

Daniel 9:24-27
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be will a flodd, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall determine the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This doesn't really look at first glance to have anything to do with Christmas, but it is a prophecy from Daniel about the coming of Christ. I looked up several websites that explain the prophecy, and my head is kind of spinning now. Look up Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks if you want to read more about it. I don't have enough room here.
I think it is amazing though that God gave so many prophecies about Jesus' coming. He didn't have to do that. He could have just sent Jesus, and been like, "Here you go guys. This is my son. You don't need any heads up about him." But he didn't. He told the Israelites so many times that Jesus was coming, and he told them in such a way that they should have known who he was.
We're told so much about Jesus. We have the Bible that gives us so much information about Jesus, but sometimes we miss out. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't pay attention to what we know about Jesus. We just run right on by the things we are supposed to do without even seeing them.
It's like the people in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. I'm sure they all thought that when the Messiah came, they would welcome him and set him up as a King. But they didn't. He ended up being born in a stable, and eventually even nailed to a cross.
With us, we say that if we saw Jesus and he needed help, of course we would help him. We would invite him into our home, and give him anything he needed. But Jesus said that whatever we did to the least of these, we did for him. So when you see a homeless person, or someone who just really needs help, what do you do? Do you help them? Do you walk by? Because Jesus said that whatever you didn't do for those people, you didn't do for him.
This Christmas season, you know that Jesus has come. You know what he did for you, and you don't need prophecies to tell you when he'll arrive. But don't get so caught up that you still miss out on him. It's pretty cliché to say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but it's true. If you go through the season rushing around and focusing on the commercial side of it, you're going to miss Jesus just like everyone in Bethlehem did. So take some time and help someone who is struggling with unloading their groceries. Sit with someone who is grieving. Serve somebody. And remember the real reason for Christmas. Peace, not chaos.

Arise, Shine

Advent 2011 Day 3

Isaiah 42:1, 5-6
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles
Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.

Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-22
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Thy people also shall be all righteousness: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

There are a lot of verses here, and the thing that stands out the most for me is that the light that would come is not only for Jews, but also for Gentiles. That's one of the most amazing occurrences (in my mind at least). God is not only the God of the Jews...I am able to be his child also. And no longer are we under the law of Moses. We are under the new covenant.
Christmas is not really about Jesus just coming as a baby. That's what we focus on, but if he'd just come as a baby, then done nothing else, the world would still be dark. There would be no salvation, there would be sacrifices.
But Jesus came, and he was born to do more than just hang out on earth. He was born to change the world, and to be our light. Jesus would be the ultimate sacrifice for everyone on earth.
Every year, we have lights up in our windows, as well as on the tree. It always makes such a difference when I come into the house after dark when those lights are on. They are just little Christmas lights, but they dispel so much darkness. When Jesus came, it was a very dark time for Israel. When he was born though, a light began to shine through the darkness. Some people saw it right then.
For Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and wise men, Anna and Simeon, the light was bright and obvious. Most people though, had grown so used to the darkness that they did not see the light at all. They went along as though everything was the same. And then there were people like Herod, and later the Pharisees, who wanted the light destroyed at all costs. But they could not destroy it.
Have you ever noticed that about darkness? When you have a light on, the darkness cannot just come and take over and destroy the light. The light banishes the darkness from the places where it shines, and the darkness has no power to do anything about it.
God is our everlasting light, and he is our glory. What darkness do we need to fear?

Oh Christmas Tree

Advent 2011 Day 2

Isaiah 11:1-2
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:5-6
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice on earth.
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Christmas trees are among the most common decorations of the Christmas season. One great tradition in many families is going out to chop down a Christmas tree, and then decorating it together.  Some people use fake trees, but that's never done it for me. I need a real tree for it to really feel like a Christmas tree.
Christmas trees are raised to be cut down and enjoyed for a short time, then they die. Even fake trees are only up for a limited amount of time before they are taken down and put in a box in storage. Christmas trees bring so much joy to people in the time that they are up. That is what they are made for. That is the reason that people get them, and why having a Christmas tree has continued for so long as a tradition.
The tree of Jesse, which was the house of David, had been cut down. The word stem in Isaiah 11 signifies a stump. It is like the reverse of a Christmas tree. It looked like the tree of Jesse was dead. It would not be bringing good to anyone. But then things changed. Instead of dying, a shoot grew from that tree. Jesus was that shoot, and when he arrived, he brought the life and the beauty to the tree. This tree will not wilt. The lights will not be removed, and it will not be thrown out to be burned or taken to the dump.
So remember that when you look at your tree (hopefully I'll have a tree soon so that I can think about it when I look at my tree). Remember the tree that never dies, but instead, grows more beautiful each day.

Building Expectation

Advent 2011 day 1
Psalm 62:5-6
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. (KJV)

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (KJV)

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. (KJV)

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (KJV)

We have just entered one of the biggest times of waiting of the whole year. Thanksgiving is over, and it is almost time for Christmas. Christmas lists are being made, presents are being bought, decorations are being put up. And all of it is leading us toward Christmas morning, when we tear into the presents and see all of the awesome things that we have been given.
But the first Christmas was full of a different kind of waiting. They weren't just waiting to get a bunch of cool presents, they were waiting for their saviour to come and rescue them.
And if we're honest, that is what we should be thinking about more than presents. Look around you. When three babies are killed by abortion every minute in the U.S. alone. When forty-eight women are raped every hour in the Congo. When little kids who have done nothing wrong become AIDs orphans and are themselves infected. That's when we should be waiting for our Saviour to return.
And while we wait, we are not waiting alone. God is faithful. He is our rock and our salvation. He is our defense. All of those things say that he is near to us. Even when it feels like we are alone, we have our saviour.
We should be waiting for the Kingdom of God, but we are better off than the Israelites were before the first Christmas. We have the Holy Spirit. But that anticipation should still be there. Can you truly say that you are as excited about the return of Jesus as you are in the time that leads up to Christmas?

Returning Home

I thought I would be totally excited to leave VT. The last few weeks I was there, I was so ready to leave. Don't get me wrong, I think that New England is beautiful, and it's great because there's so much art stuff, and it's just a neat place. But there was nothing holding me there. And after my last few days there, there was something holding me there. I had been so stoked to leave, but when I actually left, I was sad to leave. I did not want to leave the Griffin family, and my church family that I had come to love out there. True, I didn't make it to church all that much, but I felt at home. I was invited one day to exercise a horse that belonged to a lady from church, and ended up spending half the day with her and her family. I waited impatiently for church every week. It was the best part of my week.
But I still left. My plan had been to take a small road trip on my way home, and do some sightseeing. But those plans changed. I decided to get home quickly because of Gram. I knew there was still a chance that she would die before I managed to get home, but I needed to try.
Driving home was an interesting experience. I have never driven that long in my life. I made a couple of stops on my way out of VT, but then I just went. I left around 4:30 in the afternoon with the plan to drive as long as possible. There were detours because of the storm damage, and I wasn't quite sure if I would make it through. At times, I halfway hoped I wouldn't make it. I knew that if I didn't, I could always go back to the Griffins' and spend a few more days with them.
But I made it. And then it was just long and boring driving. I drove til about 3:30 or 4 am before I stopped at a gas station for a few hrs of sleep. Then I drove the rest of the way, getting home around 7 pm. The worst part was going through Chicago on the Dan Ryan express. There are so many people, and no one can stay in their own lane for longer than 4 seconds. By this time, I was exhausted, and tired of driving as well. I was having issues with my brakes, and if I wasn't so tired, I think I would have been terrified.
Once I was pretty much through Chicago, I decided to stop at Mcdonalds to get sweet tea. It was crazy hot, and I wanted something cold. I set my gps to get me to the nearest Mcd's, but when I took the exit, my gps suddenly died. I continued to where it had said the Mcd's should be, and it wasn't there. I didn't know where to go. I finally found a 7-11 and got a slurpee, but the gps still wasn't working, and even my phone was about to die. I was at the point that I just wanted to sit down and cry and not do anything. But I figured out how to get back onto the interstate, and after a time, I reached a place where I recognized my surroundings.
Getting home was great. It is always so weird to come home. I expect things to change after I am gone, but not much was changed. New carpet, but otherwise, I was just home. It was great.
And to make everything better, Gram started eating well again. I came home for her recovery, not her death. It was amazing.

Heartbreak and Sunshine

Today I woke, and the sun was shining. But my eyes were sore from crying. Early this morning, or late last night, I got the news that my sweet pony Gram was doing very badly. Mom didn't really expect her to last another day. And that was the reason for the blog about her. It was not a good phone call at all, and involved a lot of tears and asking why. Of course, there's no answer to that. I don't know why she is dying when I am about ready to go home, and when I am actually trapped here. She is one of my biggest reasons that I want to return to IL.
Today was peaceful. I realize I am saying that word a lot, but it is true. And peace is what I have been needing lately. So this has all been perfect. The time I spent talking with Kathy helped me to refocus my chaotic thoughts. And as we discussed the weather and all that has happened, we were able to pull a lot of life lessons/illustrations from it. It was not as though we were trying to, it just happened naturally. I haven't been around someone like that in quite a while, and it was refreshing to my heart. I had told Mom that part of the reason I wanted to leave the farm was because it made my soul hurt. But even with how sad I am about Gram, these couple of days have been very healing.

Gram

Gram
I don't understand the way that I feel. I feel like I want to die, and at the same time, I feel like I want to do something with my life. I feel like God hates me, and I feel like he's waiting with his arms open for me to run into them. My head is whirling, my heart is breaking, so now, at 1:17 am, I take pen in hand and write.
I write to ease my pain. I write to remember joy and I write to try to make sense of a world gone awry. 14 years, and a couple of months ago, I had finally saved up $100. It wasn't easy. I remember wanting to buy various things, and telling myself no, because I knew that the more I spent my money, the longer it would take to reach $100. And $100 was what I needed to buy Gram.
Who is Gram? Gram was my Aunt's pony. A sweet little pony (though at the time, she didn't seem so little to me) that I had been taking riding lessons on for a while. I was the only one who rode her anymore, so Neita said she would sell her to me for $200. My parents said that they would pay half, and finally, she was mine. That was the best $100 I've ever spent.
Gram and I were never the daredevil pair that you typically hear little girls and their ponies are. We only ever jumped accidentally, and I was too worried about holes that she could step in (our dogs like digging holes) to gallop madly across the field. But that doesn't mean she wasn't special to me.
We did a couple of 4-H shows together, but practicing for them was boring. The best practice was one where I put a cat in the saddle with me, dropped the reins, put my hands behind my head and let her go where she wanted. Didn't help with my showing, but it was fun.
The best thing though was when I learned to ride bareback (because I couldn't lift the saddle). We would be out for hours. As she has gotten older, the rides have gotten shorter, but also more important, because I never know how many more I have.
For as spooky and goofy as she is, Gram puts up with pretty much anything I do. She has tolerated goofy costumes, let me lay on her backwards (and ride her backwards), and so many other things. I always have to remind myself that other horses are not as tolerant of goofy antics as my sweet pony Gram.
And now she's dying. I'm in VT, trapped by floodwaters, and there's nothing I can do but pray. And I don't know what to do. I know you might think it's crazy for me to be so devastated about a pony, but she is my best friend. She comforts me when I'm sad, she's happy to spend time with me, and it always makes me laugh when I fall off because she stands just out of reach, watching with a concerned look until I stand up. But once she makes sure I'm ok, she takes off. Talk about loyalty.
I hate that this is happening right now. Especially right now. I'm coming home so soon, couldn't it wait? I don't understand it, but I guess there's a reason. I want to be with her, and I have no way to do that. I know there's nothing I could do. My Mom and Dr. Caroline are doing everything that can be done. But I still want to be with her. I love her.

Finally...Dryness!!!

How amazing it feels to be dry after being soaked to the bone. The rain was still pouring from the sky, and the deluge was still washing through the garden, but it made no difference to us. The mums were out of harm's way, and we could watch the storm at our leisure from the comfort of the house. It was a wonderfully peaceful afternoon. The hurricane was still raging, but it seems that a storm outside only strengthens the calm inside. Lunch was made, conversation was had. I read and watched the kids play. Every few minutes, we had weather updates, but there was not really any concern. The flowers were safe, and the house and barn were above water. The roads were closed, but even that did not worry us.
As the rain calmed a bit, we ventured outside to survey the damage. The water was still high, but not nearly what it was earlier. Bits of the road had simply collapsed into the ditch where the stones under the road had been eaten away by the flood.
We spent the afternoon and evening playing games, reading, and talking. I could get texts through on occasion, so I kept family and Facebook updated with what was happening.
In the early evening, I went out for a drive. Waterfalls that were not there before cascaded down the rock faces at the side of the road. Townshend Lake was around twice its usual size, and there was no beach to be seen. I walked down the road leading to the beach, and in the ditch beside it, water was still running, draining off into the lake.
I continued past the dam, but did not get far before I came upon a yellow gate that blocked the road. Continuing on foot, I found the reason for the gate. There was a narrow gorge that the road was supposed to pass over, but instead, the road simply ended and resumed again on the opposite side of the gorge. The guardrails remained, suspended over the water, and looking for all the world like two swinging bridges. For some reason, they lent an eerie air to the scene.
As I crossed back over the dam, the sun was peering out around the clouds. It had come out just in time to set behind the mountains. But it put on a spectacular show as it did so. I was glad that I waited to go for a drive when I did, because it was so gorgeous.
We had pizza for dinner and waited for the power to go out. We knew it would only be a matter of time. But surprisingly, it held on until 8 o'clock. Long enough to have supper and to get coffee made for the morning.
When the power went out, we used candles and oil lamps for reading. It was lovely. It was quiet and peaceful, with good conversation and good time to read and write. We listened while Kathy read a story to Ben, and then while Pr Mark read the story of the wise and foolish builders. Very fitting for this day.
Reading by lamplight is a far better way to end the day than being on the computer. Being connected through facebook and such things is nice, but it keeps your mind stirring far longer than necessary, while reading by lamplight eases you slowly down into rest.

Operation Save a Mum

The church service was the shortest I have ever experienced. We had one song, and a couple of verses, but shortly after the verses began to be expounded upon, we were informed that Kathy's mums were floating away. Kathy is the wife of Pr Mark, and she sells flowers. Flowers that were sitting in the field in pots. The field that the flood waters were gushing through.
Several of us ran outside, loaded into a couple of cars, and drove the short distance to the Griffin Gardens. And thus began the Great Mum Rescue of Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene.
I was the most casually dressed of the group, having opted not to wear a saree as I had been planning. I was in my next nicest clothes, which were jeans and a hoody. And sandals. Everyone else was in nicer church clothes; button down shirts, polos, khakis, etc. But that stopped no one. Everyone dove right in (almost literally) as we worked to rescue the plants.
The water was rushing through the field, cutting paths through the rows of pots, sending plants tumbling. At times, we would see a plant beginning to tumble downstream, and we would lunge for it, catching it just in time. The plants that were not reached quickly enough ended up in a heap at the bottom of the field. They were left to the water. For now at least.
After a few trips across the field to get plants and then back to dry ground, I didn't think I could get any wetter. I was wrong. Eventually my hoody was so soaked that I probably could have wrung a gallon of water from it. And still we continued; getting as many plants as possible to safety.
Toward the end, when we were getting tired, and doing the last batch, which was one where we had to walk upstream with hands full of pots, the reinforcements arrived in the shape of a neighbour with a 4-wheeler and a trailer. This trailer could hold about 15 plants, plus I (sitting on the back of the wheeler with my feet on the trailer) could hold 6 more. We couldn't go too fast, and the wheeler had a hard time getting up to the road where it was washed out, but it was still quicker than slogging through the water.
And finally, we were done. The plants we could save were on higher ground or behind barriers that deflected the water. There were many that were lost, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.
It was still pouring madly when we made our way out of the field and went to get dry clothes. At this point, we were all starting to feel the chill in the air. We were ok when we were moving, but a moment's pause made a chance for the cold to creep in. It is days like this where you thank the Lord for warm houses, dry clothes, and a dryer to dry those clothes that are soaked.

The Adventure Begins

The next few blogs are some that I wrote while I was in VT during Hurricane Irene.

The adventure has begun. Not only have I left the farm, but I have left in the middle of a hurricane. Or tropical storm. Whichever you prefer. It was absolutely pouring when I packed up my car and left.
I determined that the best start to an adventure was going to church. So I headed toward Windham. The rain came down like mad as I drove. My windows fogged, and I began to question my sanity. But I went just the same. I had said my goodbyes, and I was ready to leave.
On my way, I stopped to see what things looked like from the top of the Townshend Dam. Fog was still thick over the mountains, but I could see how high the water was. Grass poked through the water a good distance from the shore. You could almost feel sorry for it there, where it thought it would be safe from the water.
Looking down the other side of the dam, I saw something intriguing. Just below the dam, the water was dark and calm. A short way downstream, however, a side creek joined the main river. This creek roiled and raged as it entered the river, churning up the soil as it came, and colouring itself with the sediment. As the muddy brown water flowed out of the stream, it drew a sharp line across the river. The waters did not mingle. Rather, they existed side by side, looking for all the world like the meeting of the waters in Brazil. Perhaps Vermont was jealous of the Amazonas.
Continuing to church, I saw signs of the weather other than simply the rain. Branches and twigs littered the road heavily, and I hoped that I would not come across anything too large to pass by. There was nothing though that hindered my progress.
I made it to church, and called Mom to talk for a few minutes. The church parking lot was one of the few places that I could get cell service. I was actually stalling on going through the rain. When I finally went inside, I ended up soaked almost immediately. As it turned out, that did not really matter too much.