Lightkeeper's Journal

Fog

 

Photography by Curtis Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

FOG...

Fog in the atmosphere.
Fog on the road.
Fog after the rain.
Fog on my path.
Fog in my mind.

No matter where the fog has manifest, prayer is the answer.

Fog, sunshine, rain, clouds, more fog and then blue skies.
This is basically life. One day, the skies are blue and the sun is shining. The next day it's cold, damp and gray. And then, you wake up to a very dense and unexpected fog.

Sometimes, our minds are clear with happy thoughts, forward movement, and looking for a bright future and everything that life may hold for us. The next day, we wake up in discouragement, pain and near hopelessness of thought.

Then sometimes, in the midst of the dense, overwhelming fog, where you can't see your way clear, the Lord sends a bright ray of light, both in the physical and the spiritual. Nature has a way of teaching us about the love and mercy of God.

LESSONS I've learned about FOG:

It doesn't last forever, sometimes it's mere hours.

The Lord is still there, even in the midst of the fog.

The sun's rays will peak through the fog and allow you to see your way clear, both physically and spiritually.

The dark gray fog will make the sunshine and blue skies seem much more beautiful.....because you've been in the darkness and now you see the light.

No matter the reason for your personal FOG, whether it's sickness, discouragement, depression, rocky relationships or unexpected problems on the job.... your answer is GOD. Only the Lord can cure what ails us both physically and spiritually. It's in the denseness of the fog that we learn our most valuable spiritual lessons.  Allow God to shine His light of love upon your situation. 

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 9:2

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

John 12:35

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

All scriptures are King James Version.

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

In the Wilderness of Life, You Can Find the Cross

 

 

Photography and Article by Norma Beaird

 

Romans 10:13

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The picture above is our newly decorated coffee corner. It was time for a change. After we wake up, the first thing that we do is go to the coffee corner, unless we decide to go outside first and check on the plants. Curtis likes his coffee. I like my coffee. Regular or Decaf, coffee helps to get us in gear. Sometimes, it puts us in Drive, or gets us out of Neutral. Coffee helps us to focus on the day ahead. No, we’re not addicted, but we’re not 21 anymore. We need a little assistance.

In the wilderness of life, evil attempts to steal our focus.

The world. Well, what can I say? It doesn’t matter where you’re living. Our communities, towns and cities are experiencing chaos on a widespread scale. To turn on the news is to fall into a ditch of despair and to be exposed to unending propaganda. Therefore, we decided that it was time to be reminded every single morning of what is important. Each morning, when I go to make coffee, I see the Eastern Bluebird picture and the three crosses. Each morning, I am reminded of what Jesus did for me on Calvary. So, before I get too discouraged over shootings, wars and upheavals, I am reminded that God is still in control.

For the last few posts, I’ve kinda had a theme going, “Manna in the Wilderness…..”, “…..Finding Peace on a Front Porch”. Sometimes, life is just difficult. The world around all of us refuses to make it any easier. In many ways, it always has been difficult, especially if you’re a Christian. At times, you feel like a fish out of water and wish that you could find the right river to swim in. You always feel that you’re swimming upstream, while everyone else is happily tubing downstream, catching the rays and drinking their favorite carbonated beverage of choice. You continue to swim upstream, tired and worn out, hoping that someone will throw you a life preserver attached to a rope to pull you back to the river bank.

Does this mean that we’re unhappy, pining away in this world, drowning our sorrows in Eight O’clock coffee and Chocolate Chip Cookies? Of course not! However, as Christians, if we think for one minute that this world is not becoming more spiritually wicked, then we haven’t been paying attention to the signs and people all around us. Have you noticed the constant anger in people? The rudeness? The bad attitudes? Have you paid attention to the number of people who are lost in a world of chemical enhancements? You attempt to pay for your items at the store and the clerk is so stoned that they can barely count the money back to you. Heartbreaking, to say the least.

Sin will keep us in the wilderness.  

The number one problem with the world that surrounds us falls under the category of “Spiritual Wickedness”. Everywhere we look, we find people who are living in opposition to the Holy Scriptures. They are living in sin. There, I said it. It’s called SIN. We find people who live life, not before a holy God, but they live a life bowing down to the god of “self”. Anything that you worship more than Almighty God is an idol. People bow to the gods of materialism, narcissism, selfishness, drunkenness, lasciviousness and desire. They bow to greed, lust and envy. They bow to their careers and put their family last on the list. They bow to everything and everyone but God. And, they can’t figure out why they’re so incredibly miserable.

Some people bow to these gods and still go to church. They may outwardly do and say the right things, but all that they have is a head knowledge of family tradition, a tradition of “every once in a while” church attendance. They know about God, they know about the Christian holidays and events, but they don’t know God on a deep, personal level. They don’t pray and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. They don’t talk to God because they're busy.

Their prayers are reserved for when they get into trouble, physically or financially. They may pray if they sense that a relationship is in trouble. But, they don’t seek God on a daily basis and praise Him for His many blessings. Unfortunately, many people don’t want to know God on a deep, personal level. He may reveal some things that they need to change. And….change is not always negative. Our lives constantly need the positive change that only God can bring.

Going to church does not spiritually save a person. Only Jesus can save people and forgive them of their sins. Good works and generous contributions won’t buy a ticket into Heaven. Confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and repenting of your sins will pave the way to peace and eternal life in Glory. Salvation is not a tradition, it’s an experience with God. Traditions are nice, but they’re not life-changing. Tradition can enhance family relationships and make a holiday more fun, but a tradition will not save your soul.  Going to church encourages the congregation in their Christian faith, but church must be about the worship of God, not a family tradition.  

Right now, we are living in a spiritual desert, a wilderness, wooded acreage with buried sins. Some people live in a high-rise of sin. The city beats them up every single day. It’s much easier to pretend that sin doesn’t exist, to ignore it, to look the other way. Because, with admission of sin comes a burden of necessity, the necessity to ask for forgiveness and to make a change. Why change when you can just cover it up with pretense?

 

1 Peter 5: 6 - 10

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,

that he may exalt you in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,

walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Whom resist stedfast in the faith,

knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,   

after that ye have suffered a while,

make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  

                                                                                       

We’re living in very dangerous times. People have an agenda; and today, most agendas are rooted in selfishness. Everywhere we look, we find unhappy, discouraged and depressed people. They don’t lean on God for help, they lean on prescription medications, alcohol, and illegal drugs. They are angry and stressed. They scrap and fight every day to make another dollar to buy another gadget or item that they believe will bring them happiness and satisfaction.

About satisfaction……we are all born with a spiritual void that can only be filled with Jesus Christ. You will never find peace and satisfaction until you find Jesus. There is a reason that He came to Earth in human form as a baby, endured ridicule and scorn and then died a horrible death on the cross of Calvary. He knew that all of us come into this life born in sin. He knew that we needed a loving Savior to rescue us from eternal damnation. He knew that we needed to feel the true love that only a loving Savior can give. Jesus loves us like no one else can love us. He always has and He always will.

Turn to Jesus. Confess Him as your Lord and Savior. Repent of your sins before Him. Lay your burdens at the cross. As the old hymn says, “Leave them there….” Don’t try to carry what God has already carried for you. Lay down the substances and pick up the Bible. Start reading. Start praying. Find a place of prayer and call upon the Lord. Make your prayer requests known to God. He hears your prayer.

In the wilderness of life, you can find the cross.

 

Romans 10:9

"That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 

and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the sea,

thou shalt be saved."

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2017, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

Eleven Things My Yesterdays Taught Me

 

 

Article By:  Curtis Beaird

Photography By:  Norma W. Beaird

 

I kinda thought I would think on, muse on, wonder about and listen to my yesterdays and see what they had to say to me.  

So, here goes…...

1.   Life is about falling down and getting up.  It is about fouling up and waking up.  It is about fast starts, slow starts, false starts, re-starts and do-overs.

2.   Our greatest privilege:  The opportunity to confess, repent, receive forgiveness and begin again and again and again.  Guilt is a painful reminder that we are not in charge.  Follow the trail of guilt through the veil of tears and it will lead us to grace, forgiveness and the next second chance.  Confession, as they say, is good for the soul.  It sets us free to fly.

3.   Life is about showing up.  Someone, who knows who, said,

"Ninety percent of success is little more than showing up."  It's about asking, seeking, knocking. Lean on the gate just a little and it will open.  If it doesn't, it is either not a gate, could be a wall, or it is not your gate to lean on.  Pick the next one and lean on it.

Thankfully, our life will see more than one gate.  Those that are ours will open.  

Show up and lean into it.

4.   Jump and the net will appear.  Give up on security.  Security is an illusion.  Time and chance happens to everyone.  At least the writer of Ecclesiastes thought so.  Living life on the fly is the way life is lived.  A living faith has wings.

5.   If you do look for security, try God.  We don't know how anything is going to turn out, except where God is concerned.  Fear is useless.  Risk invigorates.  Love grounds us.   Loving God gives us our only solid place to stand.  Go ahead and take a chance.  Do a half gainer off the high board right smack into the middle of tomorrow.  Go for it.

6.  Dwelling on the past will turn you into a pillar of salt.  Losing yourself in woulda, shoulda or coulda, means just that, losing yourself.  It will stop you cold.  It will reduce your soul to a mush of misgivings, doubts, and a long string of tiresome second guesses and self-castigation. That, when it is not exhausting, is boring.  “Forgetting those things which have gone before, I press on…”   A bad memory can serve our future well.

7.   Use depression wisely.  Surprise, surprise.  In the economy of God, even depression has its purposes.  The Bible talks about the "treasures of darkness”.  Obviously, you have to go there to find those treasures.  Never fear things out of our control.  Things in our control that we manage poorly; or plain fatigue, will now and then plop us down in the middle of the valley of the shadow.

 

Isaiah 45: 2 - 3

²  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

³  And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

A couple of questions.  Will we be like the Psalmist and walk through the valley fearing no evil?   Will we squint just a little and see through that scowling evil and find the greatest treasure in that dank darkness, that "Thou art with me”? (Psalm 23)

Makes no difference what the dark feels like.  While there, we may feel like a whipped pup or an abandoned child.  We may feel lost, a loser, confused….. ..or just not care.   Not caring can be the worst.  It is then that we are willing to lose ourselves for nothing.

Thankfully, feelings are just feelings.  In the extreme, except in the case of love, they seldom define the way things are.  As far as the valley of the shadow is concerned, our fearful feelings never tell us the truth.  The truth is.......God is there.   We are not alone.

The dark is real.  Evil is our threat.  Our feelings distract us from finding the treasure.  

“Thou art with me.  Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  My cup runs over."  

All of that and more while we are deep in the valley of the shadow.

Go ahead and take a step.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Use depression wisely.  It can lead you to the treasures of darkness.   “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.  And, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

8.  We lose in order to find.  Oops, I fumbled the ball.  Oops, I don't have the ball any more.  I lost it. Good.  Now you have a chance to seek and find what was intended for you all along…...your very own life.  "If you lose your life for my sake you shall find it."   Oops, I fumbled the ball.   Good. Another chance.

9.  We can’t get it right, but we can try again.  Faith includes trial and error, a good bit of experimentation and a dollop of adventure.  Noah's ark building, Abraham's leave-taking, Moses’ fire-watching and voice-hearing all involved faith.  Remember Moses?  Following a massive foul-up in the small matter of the killing of an Egyptian, he found himself on the backside of Median turning aside to see a bush that burned and was not consumed. 

While staring at the flames and the bush that wouldn't go away, a voice was heard. "Moses!"  Unmistakable, loud and clear, it was his name.  The specifics of his calling followed.  His excuses followed the call.   Faith took over.  And, Moses in shorter order than he ever intended, ever expected or even wanted, was on his way to trying again.

Getting it right must not be the requirement.  Trying must be the expectation.  The calling moves us to it.  The calling frees us for it.  Try again.

10.  Well, like I said at the top of the page, best I can tell, life is about falling down and getting up.  It is about messing up and waking up.  It is about fast starts, slow starts, false starts, re-starts and do-overs.       

Thankfully, it ain't ever finished.  It's better than you expected and can and usually will become something other than what you planned.  

Life is not a problem to be solved.  Life is intended to be lived.

Living is about forgetting about the pot of gold and falling in love with the rainbow.  God is good. 

Life is.....well..…life.

11.   There is no way to get ahead or fall behind.  Plans are great until they change or get wrecked.

In the economy of God, wrecked plans fit in.  

At least Paul thought so.  "All things work together for good..."   Plans have a way of ending abruptly and permanently.  We don't need a nip, a tuck or a plan.  We need a faith the size of a grain of mustard seed.  We need the faith that is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” 

Faith alive replaces strategic certainty with the risk of forward movement.  Try.

 

Romans 8:28 (King James Version)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Philippians 3: 13 - 14 (King James Version)

¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Copyright 2012, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.