The Missing Sword

    We were walking along the enjoyable boardwalk in Duck, North Carolina, when we came across this pirate standing behind the corner of a building.  Whether he was hiding in order to accost unsuspecting passersby, or hiding because he was fearful that he couldn't defend himself -- I wasn't sure.  You will notice that something is missing that's very important to a pirate -- did you spot it?

    Of course, his sword is missing from its hilt.  A hilt without the other end of the sword is pretty useless and I'm not sure why Mr. Pirate is still holding onto it.  Perhaps he doesn't even realize that his sword is missing!  Is that even possible?

    Yeah, I think it's possible that a person might not even realize that his or her sword is no longer attached to its hilt.  This reminds me of Christians who still think they have a good grasp on their faith, but they've let the real weapon that gave them power break away -- and they seem to be unaware that it's gone.  And what is the spiritual weapon I'm referring to?  It's the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," Ephesians 6:17.  The Holy Bible -- God's very words lovingly written in a long, detailed letter to His creation. 

    The sword of the Bible is a real weapon -- a mighty weapon.  In fact Paul described it like this, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart," Hebrews 4:12.  Wow!  That is a powerful weapon indeed -- yet, how many Christians fail to take up that mighty weapon and use it as we, "wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," Ephesians 6:12?

    Too many times, we stand like that emasculated pirate, made weaker and less effective without the weapon that can hold the powers of darkness at bay.  If we neglect the word of God and fail to hold it in our hearts and on our lips, we are failing to use one of our strongest weapons and its easier for the enemy to get the upper hand.  In the book of John, Jesus said, "...without Me you can do nothing," 15:5, but, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed," 8:31.

    The importance, value and blessing of God's Word cannot be overstated.  Paul reminded young Timothy of this truth in his second letter, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work," 3:16-17.

    That missing sword in the hand of our pirate is looking more ominous with every verse from the Bible.  He may as well hold his hands up in defeat and slink back to his ship.  Or, better yet, he needs to get himself a sword like any self-respecting pirate and defend himself.

    How about you?  Are you a mighty Christian, holding the Sword of the Word in your hand and heart, a mighty warrior for the Lord?  Or, are you holding an empty hilt without a sword, wrestling against principalities and darkness in your own power and failing to win the battle because of neglect of God's Word?  The remedy is simple -- as the child's song says, "Read your Bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow grow!"

    It's a jungle out there!  We need "to put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil," Ephesians 6:10.  And what is a warrior without a sword?  To put it bluntly, he's probably dead  - or asleep (at least in his spirit).  Paul warns:  "It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed," Romans 13:11, and then, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15.

                   "Have you read my #1 Best Seller?  There will be a test...." signed, God

    

    

    

 

Seascape Timeshare Week

SEASCAPE TIMESHARE WEEK

    We enjoyed a very pleasant week at the Outer Banks the end of August, and I wanted to share a bit of our adventures with you.  This is one of my favorite pictures, because this ice cream was soooo delicious!!  I highly recommend a new ice cream store called Holy Cow.  The owner is from Poland and is very nice.  There's a store in Nags Head and another in Duck.  All their ice cream is homemade, which makes it extra special.  My favorite is pistachio in a waffle cone -- I'd love to have one right now!!

    The first evening, we walked a block to the ocean from our condo and as we walked back, we saw an amazing, beautiful sunset that painted a whole sky full of clouds with different colors of pink, purple, red and gold.  I never cease to be impressed with God's sunset handiwork!

    While we strolled along Jeannette's long pier, we saw a woman catch what we thought was a small flying fish.  It's the first time I've seen one of these unique species and I was surprised to see they have something that looks like little feet, as well as wings.  But, upon research, I found that it is a Northern Sea Robin and it doesn't fly (so, why is it called a "robin?").  The large wing-like gills help it to "walk" along the ocean floor. It's still a really unusual looking little guy!

    

We always enjoy visiting Bodie Island Lighthouse and walking along the boardwalk to the marsh area behind it.  The small museum also has a few interesting items to look at, plus the air conditioning inside is helpful on a humid day!  Built in 1872, it stands guard near the Roanoke Sound.

    We spent an interesting hour at the Wright Brothers Memorial, reading all about them (I'm usually with grandkids with no time to read), hearing a park ranger talk about the plane as he stood next to a replica, and walking the route taken by the first flight.  I've been to the Memorial dozens of times, but this is the first time I've walked to the furthest point of the flight (marker above).  While it only took Wilbur 59 seconds to fly there, it took us 3.45 minutes to walk there.  Anyway, it's quite impressive that Wilbur and Orville did their thing right there in Kitty Hawk in 1903 -- and look how far aviation has progressed in only 117 years!

    We visited an Arboretum called Dune Garden in Kitty Hawk, just the other side of the Wright Brothers Memorial.  We'd never even heard of it and were pleased to discover something new to us (thanks, Holly!).  There are lovely, educational gardens and then a nice path through the woods that leads to a large pond.  It's a peaceful, pleasant place to wander.

    

    We love walking along the mile-long boardwalk in Duck, seeing interesting things along the way and ending with a magnificent sunset, which displays varying colors as it makes it way to the edge of the earth and then sinks below the horizon.  I never tire of seeing the Master's incomparable paintings.  Here are two of the wonderful views we saw as the sun made its journey downward:

And a little later...

We were blessed to have our daughter Holly and grands Declan & Noelle join us for a couple of nights.  We enjoyed a BIG breakfast together at Henry's on Saturday morning.

    I can't end this glimpse of our week without including a picture of one of the three shrimp dinners we enjoyed (:  This one is my favorite place for fried shrimp - Frog Island in Barco, it's on the way to OBX.  It's not fancy, but their prices are very good and their food is wonderful!  And yes, a week at the beach is not so much about the sand and sea for us, but more about the food!  Truth is, when it comes to OBX, it's all good!!!

 

 

For a Fool?

 I saw this sign in a bathroom stall when we were in the Outer Banks recently.  I am amazed there is even such a sign in existence!  I mean, have you ever considered bathing in or drinking from a toilet?  Eww!!  Such a thought is disgusting!  What kind of person needs a sign like this??

When I considered that question and wondered what spiritual message I might glean from it, I immediately thought - it's for a fool.  The definition of fool is, "A person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person."  Only a fool would consider drinking from or bathing in a toilet.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of "foolishness."  Here's one I particularly like in the ESV translation:  "A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating," 18:6.  Sounds like a person who might benefit from that bathroom sign.  Chapter 18 NIV has a couple more zingers:  "A fool has no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions," 18:2; and "A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul," 18:7. 

Here are a few other things that fools are well-known for in the book of Proverbs:  The fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.  A fool gives full vent to his anger.  The sluggard (also a fool) buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.  A foolish man devours all he has.

The biggest danger in being a fool, besides drinking from or bathing in toilets, is failing or refusing to accept the truth of Jesus.  Sadly, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God,'" Psalm 14:1.  And finally, we see where Paul tells us, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God," 1 Corinthians 1:16.

Even fools can turn from their foolish ways and become wise -- here's how:  "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is," Ephesians 5:15-17.

I'm thinking that if more and more people will convert from fools to wise, there will be no more need for such ridiculous bathroom signs!

Tools of the Trade

 During our recent week at the Outer Banks, we visited Jeannette's Pier and walked the length of this very nice, long fishing pier.  We spent nearly an hour wandering along the pier, looking out at the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, which was teeming with jelly fish that day; chatting with fishermen and admiring their catch (although the only fish we actually saw were very small!); and watching surfers trying to catch that elusive big wave.

I noticed various signs with info about "tools of the trade" for fishermen.  There were boards featuring pictures of fish with their names, depths of the water at certain points along the pier, and pictures of various lures to entice fish.  

The lures caught my attention.  There was a triple swivel rig, a fireball rig, a jerk jigger and a double bucktail.  All kinds of bright, shiny objects to catch a fish's attention and tempt it to want to take a bite.  Of course, we know what happens when a fish takes a bite of one of these sharp suckers -- bam!  He's been caught and he just might end up in a frying pan.

I thought, "Huh!  This reminds me of lures the enemy uses to tempt men, women and children to want something they should not have or to do something that is not good for them.  The first lure was cast out by Satan long ago in the Garden of Eden when he said to Eve, "Has God indeed said , 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"  From that moment, he began reeling her in, tempting her to want something she was not supposed to have.  Sadly, she took the bait and we've all been in the frying pan ever since!

James warned in 1:14, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed."  Peter also tells us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," 1 Peter 5:8.

We've seen some of the rigs and lures used by fishermen to catch their unsuspecting prey.  What about us, what are some of the lures the enemy uses to catch us?  We read about numerous Biblical men and women who gave into temptation:  King David was lured to sin by lust and pride, Ananias and Sapphira by greed and pride, Peter and Abraham by fear, Moses by anger.  These are just a few examples of men and women taking the enemy's bait and committing sin.  

What about you and me?  We first need to recognize the lure that's been plopped in front of us -- see it for the sin it is and then "resist the devil and he will flee."  the Apostle John warned: "Do not love the world or the things in the world...for all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world," 1 John 2:15-16.

It's not easy when we're swimming around in a world with pretty, shiny objects that seem to be calling our names.  But, we have been assured by our Lord that, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it," 1 Corinthians 10:13.  

Whew!  That is a relief, because I certainly don't want to end up in the frying pan -- or the fire!