Night Candle Meditations

Four mallard drakes and their mates shuffle across wet lawns and an asphalt walkway in anticipation of bread offerings from men returning from breakfast. A few weeks ago there were over forty ducks making daily visits during our mainline meals. With each passing year the resident nesting population increases by one or two pair. I've wondered if it is the food or the security that attracts them to our compound? Those that trust in God have the assurance of Jesus' words, "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse or barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?" Luke 12:24. Some are hesitant to give consideration to such words today as inflation rises and living costs soar upward. It is difficult to trust someone you do not know, yet God knows each one of us intimately. He takes notice of a single sparrow falling to the ground (Matthew 10:29). How can He not notice the struggles we contend with each day...

As the setting sun slips over the western horizon, I gaze eastward to the Cascade Range. I imagine a living chain of angels along the ridge line. I know they are there, not just watching but touching our very lives. A few days earlier I stood transfixed as God's hand painted the morning sky above that same ridge line. I believe God was giving me a glimpse of what the borders of heaven may look like on resurrection morning. It has been years since my mother passed over into God's eternal care, yet memory awakens heartache as I recall her favorite Bible texts: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are see are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17,18. There is so much that goes on beyond the limits of our sight. Robin Jones tells a story that may provid...

Watching the antics of our elected Representatives is frustrating and discouraging as various members manipulate each other and their constituents. The myopia of the masses may bring lasting damage to the economy and American prestige on the world stage. Along with the political dissension it also appears that the flow of wealth is being diverted into stagnating ponds controlled by government and the financial elite. It is not surprising when attitude and perspective are influenced by daily news, especially when considering the world of politics. During recent morning devotions I realized that the tensions and drama propagated from Washington were detrimental to my thinking. Negative thoughts cloud the mind, hampering my communion with God. Reassurance settled in upon remembering Daniel's action when faced with political quandary. Daniel was upset when he realized that the people of his nation would remain captive in a foreign land for many more years. Rather than mope and compl...