Wicked

     On a recent day trip I happened upon a quaint little craft sale. Beautiful fall arrangements, signs, and harvest decorations were on display with a line of people anxious to purchase their favorite item. I didn’t make a full inspection of everything available as, this time, I didn’t feel inclined to make a purchase. But a few things caught my eye and set me to thinking.

     A cute little pig was hugging his blankey and holding a sign which said “Give Thanks”. I don’t know if he was thankful that Turkeys are a favorite food for Thanksgiving rather than Ham or if he was thankful for his tattered, comforting blankey. Or maybe he was telling me that we Americans are piggies and we should be thankful we have plenty to eat!      Another decoration with pumpkins, squash, and hay had a sign that said “Wicked welcome”. I couldn’t help but think how mixed up the world is today. In current slang I guess “wicked” means something good, something kids want to be; whereas in my years as a teen “wicked” meant you might be thrown into a juvenile detention center.

     But as my mind continued to return to that “wicked” sign another thought came to me. As distasteful as being “wicked” is to me, that is what we all are before Jesus rescues us from the power of Satan. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” That means me…My heart is wicked. Or, my heart WAS wicked. But something happened to change me. That something was receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

     He welcomed me to his arms even when I was “wicked” and he died to save me from my sins. He can do the same thing for you. We don’t have the power to change ourselves. But when we respond to God's call on our lives to receive Jesus; when we ask for His forgiveness and accept His sacrificial death and resurrection as our means to becoming a child of God, Jesus makes us a new creature and He removes the power of Satan from keeping us in the kingdom of darkness. Then we have something to be truly thankful for. I give thanks unto you Father, King of the Universe.
Colossians 1:12-14 KJV Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

Lancaster County

A drive in Lancaster County makes a great day trip for the fall. Dad wanted to visit his brother, Uncle George, in Ephrata. Charlie and I decided to enjoy taking Dad out for the day. On the way to see Uncle George we stopped at a couple of farm stands and on the way home we stopped for a walk in Nolde Forest. The wonder of God's handiwork cries out to us in the beauty of the day. It was a drink for the eyes to behold as we viewed the beautiful golden and orange colors surrounding us. As we walked in the forest we could listen to the creek tumbling over the rocks calling us deeper and deeper into the stillness of the woods. I thought about how God wants us to come away with Him and spend time with Him each day. As we feed on His Word and go deeper and deeper into the stillness of His presence our hearts are calmed from the pressures of this world. He calls us to "...be still and know that I am God". That day my reply was "Here I am Lord, I hear you calling me."