Month: March 2019

Worship with bare feet!

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     As people we participate in many activities throughout the week that require different shoes, our job may require work boots, walking or dress shoes. We may come home and put on slippers or go barefoot. The right shoes are imperative to getting the ‘job’ done, even fun requires the right pair of shoes.

     Craig and his co-workers are walking a 40 plus miles in the desert a week, and having tough boots is a must. Almost everyone on the team has had to get new boots as the ones we are used to wearing every day are not tough enough to do the miles. Craig comes home and we check feet. Are there any blisters? Do the boots need oil? Are there cactus spines that will work through? Any of these things could cause a failure in Craig’s ability to work?

     When I was in my twenties I started worshiping at church in bare feet. You may say ‘how gross is that!?!’ I know many people are self conscience of their feet, we may have smelly feet, warts or just ugly feet, but when God met Moses at the burning bush, He told him to take off his shoes as he was on Holy ground and again with Joshua at Jericho He said the same thing. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at the last supper.  God wants to be our foot inspector. He wants to see how we walk. Are we walking in the pigsty of the world? Do we have blisters of unforegivness? Do we have thorns of sin poking in to our souls?  If our feet are stinky, God wants to wash them. I go barefoot to remind me that God wants to see my feet, as He is Holy and I need Him to clean my walk as I worship Him.

     Some people may get offended by this blog! You may not be comfortable barefoot in church, but we all need to get comfortable being barefoot before the Lord so He can check our feet!

Exodus 3:1-4

 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro,  his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God..

What is that worth to you?

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     As we have traveled in our 1971 VW bus, we have on occasion had people offer to buy it on the spot. Our bus is very unique as it has a hard top camper.  The last time someone asked to buy it, I started thinking what is it worth to us? Well at this time it is our only house, our only car and has been in our family since before my husband and I were married. We went on our honeymoon in it, we have made three or more, long road trips in it all over the USA, our friends and family have helped us paint it up with Bible verses, and the lessons we’ve learned while driving are countless. In fact we just reached 50055.49 miles together.

     So for us unless the offer would get us a house, a car and a job to sustain the house and car, we just can’t afford to sell the bus. It is God’s provision for us at this time..

     Now today I was reading Matthew 6, where Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount, and He tells us not to worry about what we will eat, or what we will wear as we are of more value than the birds and the flowers. This got me thinking, that just like our bus, no-one could offer us what it is worth to us, just so we don’t put enough value on ourselves and others. God says He will provide our food and He will provide the clothing we need even as He provides for all of His Creation, but He goes farther by saying that we are of more value than the birds and the flowers. God has put so much time and energy and love into mankind, there is an unseen value in us. We are made in His image. We are worth saving to God. Just like the bus we have time, life and love that is unseen and not valued by others, so we are priceless to God. Don’t sell yourself short, only God can pay what you’re really worth! Ask Him to show you how much you’re worth…

Matthew 6:25-33 (NKJV)

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Are you dressed for the wedding?

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     My youngest sister is getting married at the end of the month, and I will be flying back east to attend. Weddings have always been stressful events for my family, maybe because we have had so many through the years. (Growing up in a family with seven girls, we have had five full weddings.) You would think by now it would be old hat, but we are all unique, and what works for one will not work for the other so the struggle continues. What will the colors be? What kind of flowers? Where are you going to have the wedding? How are we going to get there? Who will be responsible for what? And so on…

     For those with enough money to pay a wedding planner these questions may not seem to be such a big deal, but for my family, we ARE the wedding! The Bride, Mother of the Bride, Family of the Bride, Wedding planners, caterers, cake decorators, church decorators and cleanup crew. Add to that, that we have a hard time making decisions and you get the picture of what our weddings are like. Don’t get me wrong we have all had very nice weddings, but the stress is real.

     One of the hardest things is always deciding what to wear. We are very casual people by nature, until it’s time for a wedding, then we realize that we have no cloths for a wedding, which results in a shopping frenzy. And as we get closer to the wedding we start to think we’ll never find the right thing to wear, the colors are out of season, they don’t have the right size or my feet are huge, how can I find something that looks good and fits?. (No joke, I got married barefoot as I have man sized feet and you can’t be the bride and wear men’s shoes!)

     Anyway, why all this rambling about weddings and clothes? You ask. Well because it got me thinking about the wedding that Jesus told us about in Matthew 22:1-14, and how these invited didn’t want to come and some of those that came didn’t get dressed for the wedding. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be looking for clothing at the last minute for that wedding. What could be worse than showing up for the KINGS wedding and not have wedding clothes! In Revelation 3:1-6, Jesus tells the Church in Sardis, “ ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.’” Jesus seems to be saying that we can forget what we have learned and not applied it to ourselves, all the while believing that we have been walking in the teaching.

     Wow! I’m guilty of reading my bible and thinking I’m good, but forgetting that it is the doer of the word that is justified and not the hearer. (James 2:14-17) We have to believe and act to have clothing for the wedding. If we act without belief we are trusting in ourselves and it will not count in the end. Also in the same way if we believe and nothing changes in your life, you have believed in the wrong thing!

So, just asking are YOU dressed for the wedding? We’re all invited! I know I have room for improvement.

Lord, Help us to Remember, Hold Fast, and Repent! We want to have all the clothes we need for your wedding.

Blessings, Deborah

Revelation 19:5-8

 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

 

What Treasures Are We Looking For?

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     While Craig has been walking the desert,  I have had lots of time to think and ponder the things that are around us. I have seen the rush for money all around me; people are working with the hope to get rich, TV is full of “reality” shows like “Gold Rush” and “The Curse of Oak Island”. The underlying theme is always getting more money and getting ahead of the competition, while sinking millions of dollars in to the endeavor.

     And while I’ve been wandering around on YouTube, I have watched videos by the GIA on gem mining around the world and have been amazed at the things that people will go through just for the hope of finding that one gem that will get them out of the hell they are living in.

     If you know us, then you know that Craig and I are rock people. I think it’s in our DNA. We can’t pass up a good rock without looking at it. I blame it on my Dad who loved to go smash rocks and ponder how they were made. Well, while Craig and his co-workers are walking through the desert they, often come home with stories of the rocks left behind and bring some fun rocks home with them. And in the flesh there is always the hope of that one unreal find that will be worth something.

     But this has got me thinking of how well God has always provided for us, through His people and His faithfulness. We have nothing, but God has provided everything we need. This has amplified in my mind the beginning of Proverbs 2, and how finding God is of more value than gold and silver. He is our provider and shield, and He has promised that if we look for Him we will find Him.

     Isn’t this amazing, that God would not hide Himself from us and that He would shelter us under His wings? The maker of all things, the One that truly owns everything tells us to look for Him. How much effort do we put in to finding treasure? Are we willing to dig holes, get dirty and crawl on our hands and knees to get earthly treasure? Would we spend all that we have, to get it?

     What about a good relationship with God? How much do we spend on that? Do we not have time for the one that will provide ALL our needs? Are we so busy looking for worldly treasure we have missed true wealth?   

    We can give our whole life for the shadow of gems, gold, silver and money! But anything less than God will leave us empty. It’s time to start looking for the TRUE TREASURE!

(I’ll give you a hint,  start by reading your Bible, and the CROSS marks the spot! Good Luck hunting!)

Blessings,

Deborah

Proverbs 2:1-9 (NKJV)

My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.

Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

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      Psalm 23 has become our life chapter for this phase of the journey. How did we go from life is good, to the valley of the shadow, you ask!?! Well it goes like this. We have been on this adventure from God, going through the doors He has opened as they come along and all along Craig has been looking for work and praying that God would open the door to what is “next” for us. So God opened a door. Craig applied for a job as a UXO tech. What is this, You ask? UXO stands for Unexploded Ordnance Technician, In other words Craig is walking through the desert at the Barry M Goldwater Firing Range, looking for explosives that didn’t explode. He did have to take a class on job safety and have a little training, like don’t touch that and keep your eyes peeled for things you shouldn’t touch.

     Needless to say NOT the job I thought of when God said “I want you to do a new new thing.” But God has encouraged us all the way that this is what He wants us to do. The Sunday before Craig started work the message at church was on Psalm 23 and He reminded us that He is with us even in the dangers of walking through a bomb strewn desert. He has confirmed this every Sunday since with Psalm 23.

      We are not alone. He is with us holding us up. Craig is getting whipped into shape, everyday is an adventure of unknown finds and dangers, I get to pray for him and the rest of the team as well as keep things running on this end. It has been a growing experience for both of us as we have always worked the same jobs together.

     I know that this is one of the steps to what God has for us and we are continuing to pray about the road that’s before us. The Lord is the Good Shepherd.
Deborah Graber …

PS From Craig,
     Deborah and I for 13 years have always worked jobs together, as a team.   God is so faithful.   I actually asked God for a wife that would partner with me in whatever He gave me to do, and that’s exactly what He did. I could not do this work on my own. My wife is my support team. I get to walk 37 to 40 miles in a week, in the desert, with the snakes, and gila monsters, and things that go might go boom. My wife makes sure my clothes are clean, lunch is in my backpack, my electrolyte bottle is full. The best part is that she prays for me. I am certain that if you told me 6 months ago that we would be doing this I would have said you are crazy. I can’t do that! That’s what a praying wife can do….

Psalm 23 (NKJV)
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Blessings from Craig and Deborah <><