Sunday Morning Coffee: April

The last day of April! Seems to have come very quickly, and it’s going out just about the same way it came in. Except that we have dogwoods blooming, and our azaleas are slowly opening up. Tulips still thrive, but daffodils are resting until next year. I have big buds on my peonies, and the iris are showing signs of life. Spring is certainly a time of hope!

While a friends in Canada reported lots of snow, we were having days of 80+ degrees. That didn’t last for us. It’s been quite cool for the past few days. Not exactly summer yet 🙂

I saw a post today that Nebraska has over-ridden the governor’s veto of a law that defines what a woman is, what a man is. It is aimed at protecting the intimate spaces set aside for women–bathrooms, showers, women’s sports. I’m glad they over-rode her veto. She said she was afraid the bill would cause harm and bring lawsuits by biological males who want access to women’s facilities, including shelters where women and children can find protection from violent partners.

I was thinking about how my grandparents would have reacted to this controversy. They would have been shocked. They would have had a hard time understanding how a biological male could claim he was female, even though he was still endowed with male genitalia.

The bill does make allowance for babies whose sexual identity is ambivalent at birth. That is, there is evidence of both male and female genitalia. That is a totally different situation than a fully grown male claiming to suddenly be a female, even though he clearly isn’t. Some of these men have successfully managed a transfer to women’s prisons, and the reports of sexual assault against the female inmates have already started. It’s like putting a full-grown adult into the middle of a children’s playground. The playground, then, belongs to the adult.

Call me old-fashioned. I don’t care. My Bible says God created them “male and female.” It does not include “or whatever they decide to be.”

I’ll admit, there have been times–not many, but a few–when I’ve wished I were a man. Those times generally came during social gatherings, when the men talked politics or biblical matters while the women exchanged recipes and discussed babies, pregnancy, and childhood diseases. The men were more interesting!

But I have never wanted to BE a man. I am happy and content as God created me, thankful that my godly husband is responsible under God for the leadership of our family and that I can find security in following his leadership.

And by the way, real men don’t go around demanding they be respected just because they are men. I met one like that when I was in college. He was annoying. Real men don’t demand respect; they earn it and never take it for granted.

Saturday Soliloquy: Diabetes

I have Type II, which is purely a lifestyle problem and can be controlled through diet, exercise, and adherence to medication. My A1C has been stable and safe for several years now. I don’t bake much any more. If there are cookies, cakes, pie, etc. in the house, I WILL eat them. So we rarely have such things. A treat once in a long while has not affected my A1C which, by the way, is a sneaky little blood test that can determine the level of sugar in one’s blood for the last three months. So if you want a cookie, eat it right after your most recent A1C test 🙂

Type I occurs when the body is producing no insulin whatsoever. This is considered a childhood onset disease. The victim must depend on insulin injections, maybe an insulin pump, in order to keep the body functioning well. Type I cannot be controlled simply through changing eating habits.

Exercise and weight control are important in both Type 1 and Type II. There was a time when I was walking four miles every day, but about nine years ago the bones in my lower back decided to go on strike. They look like Swiss cheese these days. Walking across the street to get the mail can cause me a LOT of discomfort.

I’ve tried a variety of things, including water exercise and swimming, both of which I enjoy. Couldn’t keep it up. Pain is a huge factor in how much I can do. I finally discovered that a recumbent exercise bike is a good answer for me. It causes me no pain. Of course, it doesn’t do a lot for arms, but it does help strengthen abs and legs and helps keep my breath capacity normal. And it burns calories.

This one is similar to mine, except mine has no facility for propping a book or tablet. I wish it did. I hold a book in one hand and the bike handle in the other. Gotta do something with my brain while I’m pedaling away.

Finally, I’m offering you a short list of symptoms and possible results from uncontrolled diabetes:

Here’s a helpful article: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323185

Common symptoms include frequent urination, strong thirst and hunger, fatigue, tingling in extremities, and more. Of course, these symptoms can indicate other illnesses as well as diabetes, but it’s painless and necessary to get yourself checked out.

What are some important results of uncontrolled diabetes?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323185

Whenever I am tempted to ignore my diabetes, I pull up a mental picture of myself. I’m in a wheelchair; there’s an oxygen tube in my nose; I’m blind; I have at least on foot amputated; I have heart disease, and I have to have a urine collection bag because my kidneys are impaired. I’m quite helpless, and not much use to anyone.

This picture is supposedly of results of “long covid,” but it looks about the same as my mental image of uncontrolled diabetes. I don’t want to go there. I almost certainly will eventually have to use a wheelchair because of my back, but it won’t be because of diabetes!

A Song of Victory

Psalm 68: 13-16.

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

Verse 13 uses the Elizabethan lien which could be obscure and confusing. We are more familiar with lain, as when one has lain down to rest or sleep. Several other translations of this verse use the word sheepfold instead of pots. Both would convey a sense of poverty, certainly not luxury.

The dove covered with silver, with feathers of gold, could have several meanings. It is a poetic device, and we really don’t know what was in David’s mind.

 “The wings of a dove, flashing silver and gold, have been taken to refer to Israel basking in prosperity (Delitzsch), to the enemy in flight (Briggs), to the glory of the Lord manifested at the battle (Weiser).

BlueletterBible

It certainly seems to be a sign of triumph and blessing.

Verse 14 is also somewhat cryptic, and there is much speculation as to its meaning. Salmon is another name for Mount Ebal in central Israel, which many would consider more of a high hill than an actual mountain. It could be that, in battle, kings and armies fled across Mount Ebal, and the reference could be to the armor of the soldiers, or even to bodies lying dead along the way. I couldn’t find any absolute interpretation of this. Again, it seems to be a poetic device, which David used often. What we can take for certain is that God gave the victory when His people obeyed Him and trusted in His power.

VV. 15-16 refer to Bashan, a mountain farther north in what we now know as the Golan Heights. It is higher than the hills upon which Jerusalem was built, and the meaning here would seem to indicate a sense of jealousy among those higher mountains, or perhaps the people who live in them, against Jerusalem. Personification is a literary term, in which the author gives human feelings and behaviors to what we consider animals or inanimate objects. David uses that term here to describe the attitude of Bashan toward Jerusalem.

Water from Heaven

Psalm 68:9-12.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby Thou didst confirm Thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: Thou, O God, hast prepared of Thy goodness for the poor.

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

My parents were born in 1923 and 1925. They had sharp memories of the depression years. They both grew up in the dry, arid southwestern part of the States, where irrigation trenches were commonplace. I was born in Colorado, but when I was only two, Mom and Dad moved us to southern Minnesota. I have none of their experience, except through stories, but I do remember how wonderful the rain was after a long, hot dry spell in the summer. I loved the smell of the rain.

Petrichor means the smell of rain. It comes from the Greek word petra, meaning stone, and ichor, which in Greek mythology refers to the golden fluid that flows in the veins of the immortals. While I don’t believe in such immortals, I have to acknowledge the poetry of the word. Rain is so rich, so life-giving, and so refreshing! It is God’s blessing, water from heaven that brings life to a dry and weary land.

This passage tells us that God cared for His people, His land, and gave them abundant richness. He gave the word, in this context meaning the promise, of the land of Israel for His people. They had to fight for it, and had great victory along with some defeats because of disobedience and lack of faith. But they did succeed, and kings and their armies fled from the Israeli soldiers,

It was customary, after a battle, that the Hebrew women who had stayed at home to tend to the children and the flocks and fields, went out singing songs of praise to God to meet their men. It was their privilege to divide the spoil (prey, plunder) among their families and especially among the needy.

The Earth Shook

Psalm 68:7-8.

O God, when Thou wentest forth before Thy people, when Thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Terry and I were talking yesterday about how the very Voice of God thunders like an earthquake; in fact, can cause an earthquake, when He so chooses (Psalm 77:18; Judges 5:5). There are other references to the power of God in literally shaking the earth. He created it, after all. He can do with it as He wills.

God’s people, Israel, were privileged to have God Himself lead them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Selah means think of that! He used a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to demonstrate His Presence. And still, even with that reality, they often chose to rebel against the hardships of that desert trek, which rebellion, of course didn’t work out too well for them.

God’s creation recognized His Presence and trembled before Him! The earth shook; the skies poured down rain; even Mount Sinai bowed in His Presence.

If the earth itself recognizes God, and trembles at His power, who in the world do we think we are to disregard Him! The wisdom of mankind is surely foolishness to God (I Cor. 3: 18-19)!

Father of the Fatherless

Psalm 68: 5-6.

A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

These two verses are among the favorites in this psalm. I will admit that, on a personal level, if I have ever been truly solitary it has been by my own choice. I don’t need to have people around me 24/7. In fact, sometimes I crave to just have some time alone.

Big however here, though. Being solitary, in this context, speaks of those who have no one at all to whom to turn in times of need, whether it be physical, spiritual, emotional or financial. Orphans. Widows/widowers who are alone and solitary through no choice of their own. Having friends and family nearby, as I do, is not truly solitary.

We often tend to think of God’s greatness in a military sense, or in His sheer power of creation and maintenance of our world and the universe. Those things are true. But His greatness is also clear in His tender concern for the needy, whatever that need may be. He sees the loneliness of the solitary, and He can provide comfort. I’ve had several single friends over the years who have become part of our family, even if only for a short time. I am aware of singles ministries, but have never been part of one. There have been pros and cons, in my understanding, of such ministries. Several women have told me that the competition for the few men involved in such groups is rather fierce 🙂 Others have found lasting friendships through singles ministries. As in everything else, wisdom and discernment are needed.

The name Yahweh is connected to God as the Becoming One (Exodus 3:13-14), the God who becomes what His people need. He becomes the Father to the fatherless; a defender/protector of the widowed. This will not happen, though, without the active seeking of the fatherless and the widowed for His blessing and fulfilling of their needs. As with all of us, the Bible promises that when we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

Sing unto God!

Psalm 68:4-6.

Sing unto God, sing praises to His Name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him.

A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Long ago, someone asked me why we even have a song service in church. “I can’t sing very well. I don’t really enjoy music. Why is it such a big deal in church?”

I had to hide my amazement. Music has always been an important part of church for me. Music has existed since before human beings began to sing and play instruments. Job 38:7 tells us that the morning stars sang together. No, I don’t know for sure what that means, or how it sounded. I do know that God is a musical Being. He is, after all, the Creator of all things!

Here is an interesting short quote from a longer article:

King David had this understanding. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork,” he wrote. “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun” (Psalm 19:1-4). The word for line in verse 4 can mean rope or musical string. In fact, when the Apostle Paul quoted this verse to the Romans, he used a Greek word for “line” that actually translates into “musical sound.” “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18).

https://www.thetrumpet.com/7580-where-did-music-come-from

If music is important to God, it should be important to us. Granted, not everyone is a musician, but certainly we can learn to enjoy the emotion of music, the sheer beauty of the harmonies, the glorious sounds of the instruments, with or without vocal accompaniment. I have an old hymnal called The Sacred Harp. The human voice is that harp, created by God for speaking and singing.

One more note on this verse. “His Name, JAH.” JAH is the shortened form of Jehovah, the ONE true God. It is pronounced “Yaw,” and is used for no other human-created god, ever.

As you can see, I was planning to discuss three verses today. I’ve changed my mind. We’ll address vv. 5-6 tomorrow.

Sunday Morning Coffee: A Puzzle

Why it is it that I sleep well most nights, but on Saturday night insomnia sets in? I need to be up by six on Sunday morning, which is, I admit, the only day of the week I’m up that early. I went to bed by 9:30 last night, finally fell asleep around 11:30, slept well until 6, so I’m good to go today.

Is it the devil keeping me awake? Is it my personal objection to being up before daylight sets in?

For so many years, I was up at 5 a.m. to get showered and have my coffee and devotions before the rest of the family started stirring. Of course, that was nearly 30 years ago when I was still full of energy. I was teaching full-time, had four kids still at home, and Terry had an over-the-road trucking job. So when I did get to bed, I usually was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Maybe it’s because I’m just not as active as I was back then. But if that’s the case, why do I sleep well most nights?

I slept well when, 25 years ago, I went back to school for a master’s degree. I slept well when I was working as a psychotherapist. It’s really been since I retired that I’ve begun to struggle with insomnia.

Huh. Maybe I should go back to work.

Yeah. No.

That would not go well.

Maybe, after three months of sickness and inactivity, I just need to work at building up my strength and do more here at home. There’s never a lack of work to do.

Anyway, there are my early Sunday morning musings. Sometimes there just isn’t a lot to say, but I’ve finished my coffee, and I need to get myself ready to go 🙂

Saturday Soliloquy: Music! Music! Music!

The time has certainly gotten away from me today! I got caught up in a couple of music videos, and one thing lead to another. . . .sort of like trying to eat just one potato chip, as the old advertisement goes 🙂

Here’s one: You may not enjoy the second half as much, but the first half is gorgeous.

And another, from Pirates of the Caribbean: If you love bass singers, you’ll enjoy this:

And finally, to put you in a Christmas mood: A new cantata by a young woman I’ve know since she was maybe seven or eight. Heather Sorenson has become a well-known and beloved composer, arranger, director.

As you can see, my taste in music tends to be on the eclectic side. My favorites will always be rich, strong sacred music, followed closely by classy country gospel. Then Classical, all sorts What I do NOT enjoy? Metal; screaming; rap. Just not my deal. I am often asked if I like contemporary Christian. That depends. If the words and music are repetitive and superficial, no. If the song is mainly for performance, then probably no. If a new song is rich in melody and harmony, can be easily learned and sung by a congregation, and brings glory to God, then probably yes. And if its lyrics are quotations of scripture and it also has rich melody and harmony, absolutely yes.

Here’s another musical style for which I’m developing a strong liking:

There are several groups of male Jewish singers that are just excellent. No, I don’t always understand the words. I could look them up. I do love the music, though.

Let God Arise

Psalm 68: 1-3.

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

There are several well-known and beloved verses in this psalm, and I thought about dealing with just those verses. But I believe they are more meaningful in context, and so I’ve decided to take the time to write about this entire psalm.

David begins this song with a plea for God to arise and defeat those who hate Him, or do not believe in Him. His language, as it so often is, becomes poetic: let those enemies be blown away like smoke; let them be melted like wax, by fire.

The righteous, however, can rejoice in God! We need to fear Him only when we have transgressed and tried to hide it; only when we refuse to continue in sin.

The music I found today is a little different from my norm. I found a print song of the words from this psalm, but could not find it being performed. In my search, I found this one. I love it. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.