The Stop Light

The Stop Light

        I really like this vintage traffic signal hanging in front of the Jolly Roger Restaurant in the Outer Banks.  The vine hanging down from one side gives it an elegant, yet rakish appearance that is quite appealing.  I also like how the faded green paint causes the lights to shimmer like jewels -- or maybe it's the sunlight glinting on their glass surfaces.  At any rate, I consider it a true work of art.
       When I was younger, we always called these traffic signals "stop lights."  One might say, "Watch out, there's a stop light up ahead." 
        Even though the green for "go" light and the amber for "slow and be prepared to stop" are important lights, the red for "stop" would have to be the most important of the three.  If we don't stop when the light is red, we run the danger of a deadly crash, with harm to ourselves and those around us.  I guess that's why we always called it the Stop Light when I was young.

        I'm reminded of a verse in Job where Elihu says to his friend, "Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders...God comes in awesome majesty.  The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power" 37: 14 & 23 NIV.
        Sometimes we need to stop and consider God's wonders.  Otherwise, we tend to zip through life without stopping to appreciate the beauty God has placed in the world around us.  Stopping to smell the roses is not just an indulgence, it makes like more beautiful and enjoyable.

       Then there are times we should stop what we're doing and reassess our lives.  Does God want us to continue on this road, or does He want us to go in another direction?  In the book of Jeremiah, God told His people to "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls" 6:16.

        There's a neat Child Evangelism song the kids love to sing.  Even though it's primarily a child's song, the truth of its message is as bright as that red light.  Here's how it goes:  "Stop, and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.  Stop, and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.  He forgave my sins and He saved my soul; He cleansed my heart and He made me whole.  Stop, and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me."
        Stopping can be a lifesaving action.

    

The Whalehead Club

 

The Whalehead Club

    I'm ever intrigued by paths.  Here we have a path in the form of a boardwalk that crosses over a boggy marsh from the Sound to the elegant Whalehead Club in the distance.  This unique hunting lodge is located in Corolla, North Carolina.  It has quite an interesting history.

     In 1922, the land (which was in the middle of nowhere at the time) was purchased by Edward Knight and his bride, Marie-Louise.  It took three years to complete the rambling waterfowl hunting lodge.  The walls are 18-inches thick and the frame is constructed of steel beams.  Also unusual for a hunting lodge is the elegant Art Nouveau decorative style used for the interior.
     In 1940, the house was sold to Ray Adams and just two years later, leased by the U.S. Coast Guard.  During WWII, German submarines were active along our shores and this location was used to train recruits.  In the late 50's, the house was used as a summer boarding school for boys, which sounds like a fun place to spend the summer!  Then, in the 1960s, the location was used for military and space program developments, which all sounds very hush-hush to me.
      These days, the beautifully renovated hunting club is a jolly good piece of history that's nice to walk around - and especially nice to tour through.

      Getting back to the path stretching out in the picture.  There's a verse in Proverbs that might describe this sturdy, straight pathway:  "Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil" 4:26-27 NIV.
       While there might be a few places on this pathway that I could pop off safely, for the most part, it's important for me to keep my feet on these well-placed, level boards.  If I swerve to the right or left up ahead, I'll find myself in either mud or several feet of gunky water and who knows what manner of danger within their depths.
       It's my choice.  I can either follow the rules and keep on the designated, safe path, or I can flaunt the rules and place myself in a possibly dangerous predicament.  I prefer to keep my foot dry and free from evil gunk.

        The object lesson is pretty straight forward.  If we seek to obey God in our daily lives, our paths through this world will be much safer and firmer.  God loves us and has a good plan - if we'll just follow it.  "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" 2 Chronicles 16:9.  

 

      And if you ever find yourself in Corolla, be sure and enjoy a tour of this lovely hunting lodge. It's a very cool place!



    

Outer Banks

Outer Banks

 

   Larry and I spent last week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The ocean was beautifully rough and as you see in the photo, the sky was filled with majestic clouds.  God sure painted a gorgeous picture (:

 

  The Wright Brothers Memorial looked regal in the glow of late afternoon sunlight, perched up on the hill from where the brothers began their historic flight.  Here I am (below) cheering with the other fellows as we celebrate that first foray into the world of airplanes (for which I am very grateful!).

 







  Now, for a couple pictures of beautiful flowers I saw.  The first lovely purple (complete with busy bumblebee) was taken at the Lost Colony Theater, where Trish and I took a tour of Fort Raleigh.  The second lush looking red flowers were in front of the Elizabethan Gardens.  We had a fun day together while our husbands played golf.

 

Although these flowers are not lilies, I'm reminded of what Jesus said about how He takes care of the flowers He created:  "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toll nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you....Therefore do not worry..." Matthew 6:28-31.

 



Bow the Knee

BOW THE KNEE

   Our choir sings a song entitled, "Bow The Knee," by Chris Machen and Mike Harland.  We sang the song a few weeks ago, the first time we'd sung it since our tragedy in April.  It touched my heart deeply and I want to share the moving lyrics with you:

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines every step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim
And our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
      when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward heaven and
      believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King - bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us,
And the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise,
Don't forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
      when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward heaven and
      believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King - bow the knee.

I smile through my tears as I sing this song and hold onto its eternal message.  I know too that there will come a day - in the not too distant future -- when Scripture will be fulfilled, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2:10-11.

~Photo: The stained glass window is in a church we visited in Aarhus, Denmark.