Archive for October, 2017

Searching for Autumn

Saturday, October 21st, 2017

When the weather cools down and the days get shorter, the leaves stop producing food for the tree. Then chlorophyll breaks down and the green fades revealing the underlying yellow and orange. Other chemical changes will bring out the bright red in some species.  Needless to say, it’s my favorite season of the year!

To fill the void that occurs when you live in San Diego, we’ve hit the road for the Northeastern part of the U.S. and Canada. It’s been bittersweet because the folks in that part of the world are rejoicing in an Indian summer; unseasonably warm weather muted the colors, eliminated most of the red, and much of the foliage went from green to brown. What has been fun to watch is the preparation for winter; park benches are being removed, construction is frantically being finished up, tours and tourist spots are closed, and only winter clothing is in the stores despite the lingering appearance of shorts and t-shirts.  But there are lots of people wandering the streets with the buskers performing and side walk dining still happening while the sun shines.  I’m taking photos of lone coloring trees and only focus on the pretty parts and rejoice that I don’t have to rake it all up!

Don’t Look Back

Monday, October 2nd, 2017

Something has been put before me multiple times in the last weeks, so I finally had to write about it and confess.

A month ago I heard a powerful speaker talk about Christ returning on Rosh Hashana. All the New and Old Testament verses he knew by heart and it certainly looked like a sure thing for this past September. And even tho’ we don’t know the day or the hour, Rosh Hashana is a 3 day holiday so there was wiggle room, and the speaker was pre-trib because Jesus would not let His followers suffer. Plans for the second temple, the coronal mass that was ejected from the sun that was headed to earth a week ago, the cell phones that would enable the whole world to see Christ return in the clouds, Psalm 27 that the Jews read everyday leading up to the Feast was my Bible verse for the day he spoke, the comic I was sent on Facebook showing the rapture…you name it, it was all lining up. But I was frightened, and every ounce of my being tensed and I was so puzzled by my reaction I was FEARFUL, but why?

I was afraid that like Lot’s wife, I would look back.

I’m supposed to look forward but what would make me turn?

Looking for family members?

If I was driving when it happened, what would happen to my cute little car?

I love my life, but if that was my speed bump, would God take it away? Our assets which would go to our kids but they were raptured too, so who would get it all? Who had I not shared Christ with? What good had I left undone? I have a trip on the books…

Each day leading up to Rosh Hashana were a terrible countdown for me, I didn’t even make a haircut appointment until the following week in case I didn’t need to spend the money. Shoot, I was looking forward to growing old and being a burden to my children.

Yes, the devil finds my brain a veritable playground. But maybe each of us is leaning out and holding on to something or someone.

I Googled and read “Overcoming Your Common End Time Fears.” What I learned was thru Y2K, 2012 Mayan Calendar, the blood moons, natural disasters, Jewish holy days…nobody who thought the end was near has been right so far.

God reveals in scriptures that we are given signs and warnings and we are getting a bushel of them but I see also where we are to pray and encourage above all else.

I am seeking to replace fear with comfort and approach this issue in my life with more wisdom and trust. Obviously it is a work in progress right now. I still check out the cloud formations warily.

“Trust in the Lord with all your might, and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5