Dusty Places

I have read that indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air because of all the dust particles that accumulate in a home.  Dead skin cells, dead dust mites and their feces (yuck), pollen, tiny clothing and carpet fibers all combine to create the seemingly never-ending cycle of dusting furniture and floors. 

When my Grandmother Ollie's dust mop found its way across the linoleum floor to their bed, she was heard to say with a laugh, "There's one or two men under here!" as big fluffy balls of "stuff" were pulled into sight.  Who knew she was a teeny bit right?  I never thought of dead skin cells, dead dust mites and their poop floating through the house and collecting under beds, on overlooked and seldom-cleaned places!  Makes you want to clean everything in sight! 

The operative word here is "dead".  :o)  Dead and useless.  Unsightly.  Dulling once-shiny surfaces. 

In thinking of the spiritual application of "dusty places", only the Sonlight of Jesus our Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit can illuminate the dead things in our lives so we can cooperate with Him to get rid of them.  Dead works (performance to gain God's favor), dead, dry and dusty attitudes that dull our relationships, and the dusty irritants of the daily traffic of family and others around us all contribute to dusty places in us.  We need the Big Swiffer Duster!

On March 9 of this year I happened to look into the foyer as the morning sun was streaming in through the window of our front door.  It was delightful to behold, but it also showed up all the dusty places on the floor.  I took a photo because I loved the light pattern on the floor.

I think the room is fine

And go about my day,

Unaware of dust that's there

Until new light's displayed.

Elaine Beachy

April 28, 2012

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy

Time for Family

Making time for family is so vitally important in spite of food and gas prices.  Our son Darren, his wife Melanie, and their children, Caleb and Noelle, live 45 miles from us in Front Royal, VA, about an hour away.  Our daughter Deb and her husband Keith, and their two daughters, Alissa and Nicole, live in Centreville, VA, about 7 miles and 20-25 minutes from us.  The distance for them is not so great, but traffic is much heavier.  Our oldest son Doug co-owns our house here in Manassas and lives in the lower level.

Doug decorated his home in contemporary style,while Dave's and my upper level is more Victorian/traditional.  Deb's home is decorated in what I would call craftsman/traditional style, and Darren's home has two themes: the lower level media room is definitely contemporary but he and Melanie also have country/traditional style decor upstairs. 

We have widely-varied interests in our family too:  Dave and Darren love deer hunting  and guns, while our son Doug wouldn't want to kill a fly.  Keith's interests are hiking, photography, mapping, family geneologies, civil war and Anabaptist history.  Deb loves baking, hiking, gardening and reading and is good at relationships; I call her my little joy-bell. :o)  Melanie enjoys exercising, hiking, getting a sun tan, Facebook, keeping her house, and is starting a new chapter in her life by going into a home-based business.  I love to read, write and take walks outside (and have my family over!). 

Two weeks ago on a Sunday we met for lunch here and had a "build your own hoagie" theme with each family contributing fixin's and accompaniments for the meal.  Afterwards we were outside because it was such a beautiful day, even though the air had a slight chill. 

Melanie and daughter blowing bubbles by our front walk.

Caleb, Deb, Alissa, Dave, Keith, Darren and Doug coming back from taking Darren's black Pitt Bull dog for a long walk.  Melanie, Noelle, Nicole and I also walked, but didn't finish the whole loop with them.

Ladies chillin' out on a blanket after the walk.  I've since bought a cheap quilt at WalMart for this purpose because the grass clippings in the yard stuck to the blanket and were too hard to get off.

All the guys (Keith on glider, Doug at right front by step, Dave behind Doug, and Darren leaning against house siding), on the porch with Fiona, Darren's Pitt Bull he rescued from the pound.  Darren used to say he'd never, ever, own a Pitt Bull because of their "bad reputation" as vicious and dangerous.  But she is a real sweetheart -- gentle and loving, even after being abused.  The pound said they found her wandering, skin and bones, right ear torn up, and other wounds on her body, on a road near Farmville, VA.  I had to change my opinion of Pitts as well.  She's a great dog and very well mannered.  Our son Darren is a great "pack leader", putting into practice the things he learned from watching "The Dog Whisperer", Caesar Milan on TV.  She obeys immediately.

Noelle and I doing a small puzzle on our front porch.

These are memories woven into the fabric of our family.  I pray a blessing on each of your families!

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy





Foundation For A Happy Family

This morning as I walked through my neighborhood praying and calling out to God to help marriages and families, I stopped and watched a robin feasting on earthworms.  He cocked his head sideways close to the ground and paid close attention to hear sounds of a meal coming his way.  I had read from the book of Proverbs before I walked, and immediately thought of a passage I read from Proverbs 4:20-23:  "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." [NKJV] 

Proverbs is such a profound book of wisdom from Jesus, Who is our Wisdom, source of knowledge and understanding.  We are told to seek for these things, as they are more valuable than rubies, gold or silver.  Chapter 9 begins by saying "Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars. . . and then admonishes all to come eat and drink what she has prepared.  Verses 10-11 are the truth: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  For by me [wisdom] your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you."  [NKJV]

A godly home is a happy home.  A godly home is built on Jesus our Wisdom by inclining our ear to His Word as that robin inclined his head toward the ground to hear clearly with the ears God gave him.  God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is love, so wisdom comes from love.  The husband and wife must tune their spiritual ears to what God is saying rather than giving attention to TV sit-coms, movies, the world's opinion and thoughts of friends or ungodly influences.  To give attention to God's Word, they must first have a reverence for His Word and value it.  I believe we in America don't value God's Word like we should.  No where else will husbands, wives, and parents find words of life with promises from God they can stand on.  God gave us all we need for life and godliness.  [2Peter 1:3]

Yesterday morning as I was drying my hair, I thought of a song we used to sing as a teenager at home.  I tried to find out on the internet who the author is, but without success.

What makes a happy family?

Listen and I will tell.

It's not your house, it's not your clothes,

Or the car you like so well;

The trips you take or the radio,

Or the money you have to spend.

It's something better than all of these,

It's something that will  not end.

It's love of Dad who works so hard

To get the things you need.

It's mother's love in helping you

In every kindly deed.

It's sister's love, and brother's love,

And your love for each one,

That makes the joy and happiness

When every day is done!

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy

Renewal

At this time of renewal of fresh growth and springtime beauty, I think of how the Holy Spirit transforms our lives into fresh growth and beauty.  Yet, our cooperation is needed.

My heart is pained for families who are reaping the consequences of sin.  For fathers and mothers who are stuck in old patterns of addiction, verbal abuse, and worse.  My heart is pained when I hear of a son losing respect for his father because he sees his dad's addictions, and for the mother who is trying to hold the family together.  I can only imagine the struggles and fears she battles every day, as her trust in her husband is severely damaged or destroyed.   As she struggles to raise her family right.  I see the pain in her eyes and the longing of her heart for a right foundation for her family.  To have a godly home -- a godly leader in her husband.  She wonders if he will ever change.  He has received Christ as his Savior, but has fallen back into old ways of thinking and acting.

Just because someone has trusted in Jesus for their salvation and forgiveness of sins doesn't necessarily mean that his outward behavior is automatically changed.  It takes a renewing of the mind to the Word of God, as Romans 12:1-2 states: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 

Deep scars and old patterns of coping with pain from a person's past need to be healed and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that happens automatically by looking at Jesus in His Word and resting in His forgiveness and grace as God's love is received and experienced.  Sometimes parts of the heart have crusted over so tightly with defenses to pain that it's difficult to let the love of God shine in.  That person has trusted Jesus to forgive them and trusted in Jesus' righteousness to save them, but his mind has to be renewed. 

Even though you are one person, you have three parts: your spirit, your soul, and your body.  Your spirit is made holy, righteous and totally perfect the moment you trust in Jesus' righteousness to save you from God's coming judgement on sin.  We live in a day of grace where all who trust in what Jesus did for us are saved from God's wrath on sin, because He placed all His wrath against sin upon His beloved Son Jesus on the cross.  Jesus was made a curse for us and took our punishment from God.  What a blessedness! 

But our soul (mind, will, and emotions) and our bodily appetites have to be changed by the renewing of our minds.  Our new, made-righteous spirit is to have control over our soul and body, and that takes time.  We need to humble our minds to the Word of God and receive instruction and wisdom and agree with the Word in order to be renewed in our thinking.  "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  [Proverbs 23:7, KJV] 

If you don't think on something, you won't do it.  Meditate on something, and you will do it.  You can't be tempted by something you don't think about.  Our thinking needs to be changed and brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.  If we sow to the flesh (first, in our thinking) we will of the flesh reap corruption.  [Galatians 6:7-8, KJV]  Even though our spirits are holy and righteous, our bodies and minds, relationships, families, finances, etc, can be destroyed because our minds aren't renewed to obey the Word of God and make it the final authority for life.  Because we have a new nature on the inside of us, we need to set our minds to have a reverence and honor for God and His Word.

Praying for all the saints is vitally important.  You may feel like you're "over the hill" and can't contribute anything of value to life or don't really matter much, that your "good old days" have come and gone.  You can change your thinking, too; as a brother or sister in Christ, regardless of your age, you are greatly needed.  Prayer is a much-needed ministry for the Body of Christ today.  Will you join me in praying for families and marriages in the church?  Will you make a decision to obey Ephesians 6:18?  "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." 

Christian families and marriages are in trouble.  Will you intercede for them?  Pray that believers will have the holy "fear of the Lord", a reverence for the authority of God's Word.  Pray that they will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Pray in the Spirit. 

Satan wants to destroy marriage and family.  I commit myself to praying more for families and marriages.  "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much!"  [James 5:16]  I believe that when the saints are awarded [judged] in heaven, those who quietly gave themselves to a life of prayer will be awarded one of the highest honors!

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy

Daddy's Springtime Graduation

Today is Good Friday, and my thoughts go to an experience our family had during the beautiful Manassas, VA springtime nine years ago.   

On March 29, 2003 at 1:30 in the afternoon, my sister-in-law Barb called to say Daddy was being taken to the hospital because his lips were purple and he was very weak.  I assumed he would be given oxygen and sent home with a supply to help his breathing.  He had been feeling very poorly and tired for some time, but no one knew how sick he really was.  I wonder if he even knew.

The doctor said dad was very ill and would be kept for a few days for observation.  He was put into a regular room, but the next morning in church Dave and I received word that he'd been moved to the critical care unit.  We left church and went immediately to the hospital.  I felt physically cold inside, and it began to dawn on me that he may never come back home, may never see our new home being built next to their back yard.

For ten days we all lived through the process of watching daddy slip away to Heaven.  I am grateful for the time we all had with him.  I found myself feeling wounded inside, wondering how I could again pray  with faith for anyone who was sick, and I wept because of that, too.  I thought of the words of Jesus to Peter, "I have prayed for you that your faith fail not..." 

I distinctly experienced the heart of Jesus when I heard Him speak into my heart that He cries with me.  God told us to "weep with those who weep", and I know He does  not command us to do something He wouldn't do.  Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb.  I knew God did not make daddy sick or cause him to die.  Death is God's enemy too, the last enemy to be put under foot, Scripture says.  Jesus was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  I believe Jesus buried his earthly father too, because Joseph is not mentioned during Jesus' ministry or at His crucifixion: only His mother and half brothers.  As long as Satan is roaming to and fro throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour, death at some time, will be a reality in this life. 

My faith must not be based on my experiences, but on the Word of God.  I have grown more and more in the knowledge of God, asking for and receiving the truth.  I continue to pray with faith for people's needs, believing the Word of God that it is always God's will to heal.  Jesus proved that in His earthly ministry: He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.  Jesus gave us, His disciples, the power and command to "preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons."  Matthew 10:7-8

Daddy never graduated from any great schools or received earthly honors.  But he graduated from this fallen earth to the safety of Heaven because Jesus was His Lord and Savior.   Sometimes when I get homesick for daddy, I ask Jesus to please tell daddy I love him.  As one song says, "It may be Friday night, but Sunday's on the way!"  I wrote a poem that April, and I publish it for the first time below.

Jesus Cried With Me

When daddy couldn't eat or drink

Or even make his eyes to blink,

We stroked his limbs, massaged his feet,

Sang songs that to him were so sweet.

And Jesus cried with me.

We swabbed his mouth and kissed his head,

We children stayed around his bed.

Helped daddy hug our mama's neck

As mamma kissed her love, and wept.

And Jesus cried with me.

In tears we bathed his heated brow

Until he needed it no more.

When breath grew shallow, heartbeat faint,

God was there and saw His saint.

And Jesus cried with me.

Remembered words, remembered deeds,

When daddy tended to our needs --

We told him "thanks" for all he'd done,

Then released him to go home.

And Jesus cries with me.

By Elaine Beachy

April 24, 2003

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy



My Walk

This morning I took my camera with me on my walk and shot these photos.  As I take my daily walk those four blocks and back, I drink in the beauty all around me.  Keeping my eyes on what is lovely brings such joy.  I apply this to my spiritual walk with the Lord as well.  I can choose what to focus on.  If I look down and looked for something unsightly, I'm sure I would find it.  But I can choose what I feed my eyes and thoughts.  As I choose to think about what all Jesus did for me so God could declare me holy and righteous in His sight, I am filled with joy!  When I choose to forgive those who caused me pain, I am free to walk in newness of life.  When I choose to praise the Lord, I choose to walk the high road of freedom in my spirit!





"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near."  Phillippians 4:4-5



Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  Phillippians 4:6-7

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.  Phillippians 4:8

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy