Musings from My Sun Porch

                 Recently, I watched a documentary about Hurricane Ian that struck Ft Myers Beach in September of 2022.   My family, friends, and I have vacationed there many times, so the video story of the devastating impact of that storm was both sad and fascinating.               Several individuals were spotlighted as they told their heartbreaking efforts to survive one of the most devastating storms in the last 90 years.   As I listened to and watched the video, I saw several places that were very familiar to me, now reduced to rubble.   One man talked about being swept out of his home as it began to collapse around him.   He found himself in about 15 feet of fast-moving water and was desperate to find something to cling to.   Thankfully, he found a tree and hung on for dear life until the water began to recede.   He survived the storm! ...

                 Today would have been my Mom’s 97 th birthday.   Like my Dad, Mom loved and cared for her family, but if I had to use one word to describe her, it would be “doer”.   Mom had to constantly be doing something to provide a better life for her family.   She did so much to keep our family running smoothly.   During the summer, she was constantly working in the garden, canning and freezing goodies that we could enjoy the following winter.   That didn’t stop her from searching out grocery bargains and taking my brother and me to countless activities. I think that one of the biggest issues my Mom and I had concerned chores. I’ve always been an avid reader, and when Mom had chores for me to do, my standard reply was, “Please wait until this chapter is finished.”   She always agreed, only to come back 30 minutes later to find that I was 3 chapters past the one we had agreed on.   Needless to...

                 Yesterday would have been my father’s 98 th birthday.   He’s been gone for 13 years, and I still miss him.   He wasn’t perfect, but he loved his family.   His letters home while he was in the service reflect his love for my Mom—Mandy, as he called her.   They were married for almost 65 years, and his love for her was never more evident than when she became sick in 2007.               As Mom underwent several surgeries due to an infection that ravaged her body, he was always by her side.   He became her primary caregiver as well as the cook, house cleaner, and laundry person, but you never heard him complain.   When she went to the hospital with another round of pneumonia, he was right there, remaining by her bedside until just a few hours before he died.             His lov...

                 One of the most oft-quoted phrases found in Scripture is Joshua 1: 6, “Be strong and courageous…”   In verse 7, the writer adds emphasis, “Be strong and very courageous…”   Then, to make sure he gets his point across, in verse 9, he says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”             “Be strong and courageous” appears approximately 11 times in Scripture, and the term “fear not” appears over 70 times.   Why, then, does fear seem to be one of the primary concerns of our lives?   The word “afraid” or some form of it appears over 200 times in Scripture.   No matter how many times God tells us not to fear, we can’t seem to overcome that natural tendency to fear.          ...

                 In I Chronicles, we watch as the nation of Israel comes together to proclaim David as King, just as God had previously ordained him.   In Chapter 12, there is a long list of thousands of warriors who saw the handwriting on the wall (figuratively) and decided to throw their allegiance to him, rather than to Saul.   Verse 32 tells us why.             The men of Issachar were men “…who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…” (NIV84).             These men, like the others, were not stupid.   They knew that God had chosen David and that in God’s timing, he would be King.   They wanted to be on the right side of history when that time came.             In Matthew 24, in response to a question from His disciples, Jesus gives ...

                 In my last post, I spoke about the kings that followed King David and how they each failed to wholeheartedly follow the Lord.   Finally, after 275 years, Hezekiah came to the throne of Judah.   The Scripture tells us that “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done” (II Kings 18: 3 NIV84).   This time, there was no “except” clause.   Unlike those before him, King Hezekiah destroyed every aspect of idol worship.   As a result, he was successful because the Lord was with him (II Kings 18: 7).             Still, Hezekiah was far from perfect.   After he had ruled for approximately 14 years, he became deathly ill.   Isaiah, the prophet, delivered a message from the Lord.   “Put your house in order because you are going to die” (II Kings 20: 1b NIV84).   Not exactly the words he wanted to...

                 Recently, my daily Bible reading has been focused on the book of Kings.   The most famous king of Israel was David, a man who was far from perfect, but still, God called him a man after his own heart (I Samuel 13:14).   Unfortunately, when David died, we can’t say the same about those who came after him.               On his deathbed, David chose his son, Solomon, to succeed him.   He commissioned him with these words, “…observe what the Lord your God requires:   Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses…” (I Kings 2: 2, 3 NIV84).   At first, Solomon followed his father’s instructions.   He knew his own limitations, so he asked God for wisdom so that he could govern the people well.   In response, God gave him wisdom and discernment, as well as riches and ...

                 249 years ago today, the Declaration of Independence was signed. Two days later, a Pennsylvania newspaper published the document, making it public knowledge for the first time. At the time of its adoption, the colonies had been at war with Great Britain for over a year. During that time, there had been several victories by the American forces, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, but the Founding Fathers knew that the British were a formidable foe. They also knew that their mere signature on the Declaration was sufficient to convict them of treason, and they never dreamed that it would be almost 7 more years before the Americans would be completely free of British rule. Still, they adopted the Declaration, pledging “to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”             It was not until 1787, a little over eleven years after the signing...

                 A friend and longtime member of my Sunday School class passed away last week.   She had been in a nursing home for over a year, but her death still seemed sudden.   She had very little family—just an aunt and some cousins, so her church family was her family.   She was a “people” person, and I think that for her, one of the worst things about being in the nursing home was that she was alone.   She was confined to her bed, so unless people came to her, she had no one to talk to.             I went to visit her several times, sometimes with other friends and sometimes alone.   At first, she welcomed the gifts of puzzle books and sweet treats, especially brownies, but the last time I visited, it was obvious that she was beginning to decline.   Every time I tried to leave, she kept calling me back.   I even made it to the hallway once...