You speak

You speak.
silently,
sometimes softly
sometimes ever so loud
but not with words
spoken.

sometimes written
sometimes in art
the snapshot
the painting

sometimes
the way we walk
how our arms hang
how we stand

tells, says all.

sometimes
our view, our vision
of our life
and of another
is seen
through eyes
downcast
flashing anger
wincing with pain
bloodshot with tears

sometimes.

You speak.
Does no one hear
your pain
your cry
your need
Will no one listen

What am I to do
you think

I too was there.

Many have come and gone
Some have stayed
in place,
lost still
and alone.
Others,
maybe you
have gone on,
found the missing piece
of this puzzle of life.

For God
can be your shield
your protector
your guardian

He will hear your cry of distress
and He will care
He will direct your every move.

He will listen
to your pleas
He will put gladness
in your heart
and lightness to your step.

He will give reason
to trust
He is merciful
and loving
and worthy of praise
and thanksgiving.

He is kind,
yet judges righteously
He is Truth
He is honorable

He instructs
provides insight
leads us to
and through
places we are fearful of

He will save you
He will bring you
a gift ...
a singular gift whose value is priceless ...
The gift of eternal life.
One you cannot repay
Cannot earn.

A gift to accept
and live.

Cathy Orrick Luders

10.23.2010

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Our Choice

"... But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, ... you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days ... I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, ... that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;" (Deuteronomy 30:17-20a NKJ)

God created us - Adam and Eve were His first - and we created more. We are not on equal footing with God. No one is of His stature. He is Above all, greater than our greatest. Each of us is created to be like Him, but it is our choice to Be like Him, to listen to Him, to obey Him, to follow in His footsteps.

Likewise, it is our choice to listen to our feelings, to give in to self-doubt, to settle on self, and not on Him, to chase our sorrow in drink (or food), to never open the pages of His book, to never get started on a new road. It is always our choice.

We choose every day. We feel pain and agony, whether physical or emotional, and we can settle there and constantly complain of how we "feel" today ... or, we can move on. Get busy. Open His word. Get into His word. Pursue study. Listen to what He says to us. Find a Bible-believing and teaching church if you don't already attend or belong to one. Get involved. Become attuned to where you need to be. You may discover that where you need to be is where you want to be, and nothing in your life will prevent you from following Him.

It is your choice.

What have you decided?
Will you follow Jesus?




To know more about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior: http://windowtochristianministriesiniowa.com/ReflectionsOnJesus.html

To Know

To Know
To Live
To Be About
yet aware
of the future outcome
when Jesus returns.

To not fall
down in a heap
To not remain
desolate and filled with despair.

To know
... more than head knowledge
... more than thoughts
... more than responses from other people.

To know
the true meaning of life
To find
our way, the way
to Jesus

To not be afraid
To reach out
To grasp hold

To reflect
on where and what we are
where and what we have been
where we will go
what we will be.

To see
beyond our eyes
into our heart.

To review
and remember
Bible prophecies of old

To believe
the promise of the Holy One
To accept
His love for you
His gift of salvation

To live
renewed
re-nourished
reborn
... a new life
... a new beginning
... a new you

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17 NKJ)

To search
To find
To believe
To accept
To know
To live

Do you search?
Have you found?
Do you believe?
Have you accepted?
Do you know?
Have you been reborn?

To know more about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior: http://windowtochristianministriesiniowa.com/ReflectionsOnJesus.html

Oct. 12 photo collage

On Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 12, my husband and I escaped from the woes of the world and drove north to Backbone State Park near Strawberry Point and into Elkader before returning home. Here are some photos from that excursion. Some show beautiful foliage, some just rocks and trees, some farmland, and some others, the sky in all its splendor and beauty.  Enjoy!

See the rainbow!

The Catholic Church in Elkader. It had just started raining, but I was sheltered underneath the trees to get this  picture.

That's me in the corner. This is the Keystone Arch Bridge over the Turkey River in Elkader, Iowa. 

Have your eyes been opened?

"We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." (Daniel 9:18, New Century version)

Not because of our deeds,
Not for our accomplishments,
but for our needs, our burdens, our sin.

All that God has to give and does give is not a result of anything we have earned. It could/would never be enough. He gives because He loves us. He offers because of His love. What we do determines/shows where our allegiance, our thankfulness, lies.

Are we a child of God, the one true God, or are we snug within ourselves, refusing to accept His open hand of grace, believing all there is is only because of what we can do?

"With men (people) this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26, New King James version)

Jesus asks of the blind men (and blindness can be physical and spiritual; what we cannot see is not only visual) in Matthew 20:32, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  Their answer? "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." (v. 33)

"So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him." (v. 34)

Have your eyes been opened? Do you see what God offers you? Have you accepted His gift? Are you full of thanksgiving, of praise to Him?

"Lord lift my eyes,

Open my heart,

Touch others through me
In You, always, only." 

He lives ... He's here

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  (Luke 8:5-8)

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved, But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." (Luke 8:11-15)

The seed in the field ... the word of God in our hearts.

God does not want His word to simply lie on the path of our life, whereby you walk over it, concerning yourselves only with personal cares and riches and pleasures to obtain. He wants His word to take root, gain a foothold, continue to grow, hungering more and more for Him and His word.

As the word or the memory of a beloved person lives in your heart, that is how God wants His word to live within you. God does not replace your beloved's heart love, but builds upon it.

The pain of losing a loved one.
God understands your loss.
He knows what you feel, what you can't always put into words.
He was there.
He brought His Son into the world
to save us from our sin.
He allowed His Son to be sentenced to death
to save us from our sin.
He watched
He waited
He looked away
He forgave us
of our sin ...
Because of His Son.

God was there.
God is still there. Always.

When a loved one dies
When a relationship fails
When we cry out in pain
over our losses
our dreams
our hopes
our mistakes

To take so long
to find Him
To hear
To really hear
God calling

Do you answer Him?

How long do you take
May be years
decades
forever it seems.

So much time -
many years perhaps
you spend holed up
in your own personal world
of glum and gloom.

Questions bombard you from every corner -
why,
when,
how,
who,
where,
what

Questions you struggle to answer.
Questions
like
What on earth am I here for

Questions that only grow,
consuming more of your day,
so you feel you are
not living.
not doing.
not being.
Absent.

I was there.

Your life - filled with remorse,
misgivings,
questions with no answers,
only your own seemingly worthless thoughts.

Maybe not so worthless,
but they were getting you nowhere.

You didn't know where to turn.
You wanted to hide,
yet not.
You wanted answers.
You wanted love.

I found my way to Jesus.

Not quite that simply.
An individual comes into my life. Someone who asks about me, who is interested in me, who becomes my friend, who teaches me about Jesus, who becomes my mentor, who guides me, but doesn't judge me, doesn't tell me what I should do, who prays for me.

The seed is planted. My choice what to do.
Your choice too.

I sought a Bible-believing and teaching church. I found. I learned. I felt God's tug at my heart strings. I believed. I accepted. I allowed God's seed, His word, to penetrate my being. I grew. My faith grew and grows - up and down, in and out. Sometimes my growing seems stagnant. Sometimes it bursts wide open and I am awestruck - filled with wonder and excitement.

Every day is a new beginning, a chance to build upon past experiences, to see where God will lead you, what missions He has for you and you alone.

The road is winding and still rough. But I'm not on it alone. God is beside me, behind me, in front of me.

I still have pity parties, I still cry with pain and sadness, I still have moments of feeling alone.

But the seed was planted. And the seed has grown. And has remained and does not fall away.

He is patient. I not so much. But I learn and I strive to be obedient to the Master - my Lord Jesus Christ.

The one who saved me from eternal damnation
The one who loved me and loves me still
The one who was and is and is to come

The one who brings hope and love and peace and joy ... to me and to you ... JESUS!

Information on how you too can be a child of the King: http://windowtochristianministriesiniowa.com/ReflectionsOnJesus.html
or for an interactive presentation of the gospel: http://www.thekristo.com/

To Live, To Die

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

To live
to remain
on earth
to do the Lord's bidding

Always wonder why
when we think
usefulness is gone
we remain
and when
we are in the midst
of going to and fro
or just barely
beyond the opening gate,
our life is over.

Our physical life is over. But if we are with Christ, if we have professed Him as our personal Lord and Savior, our spiritual life continues and grows and lives forever and ever in the heavenly realms. Without Jesus - if God had not come to earth at all, where would we be? There would be nothing to hope for. Our eternal life begins the moment we realize and accept Jesus' birth, death and resurrection is for us, our very souls. This is our rebirth. With Him, our tomorrows have promise and hope. And when we reminisce of days past and those soon to come, the remorse and sadness that envelopes us will give way to joy. Joy in the Lord. And what a day of rejoicing that will be.

Wapsipinicon Photo Collage

Wapsipinicon State Park

Anamosa, Iowa ~ October 5, 2010

It was a Tuesday afternoon, but seemed like a Sunday. A few people about - fishing, camping, or sight-seeing like us. We hoped for colorful arrays of oranges, reds, gold, but had to settle for mostly green.

I grew up on a farm in Cedar Rapids and we had many pine trees. I saw this and it reminded me so much of home, I took a picture. I remember the sharp pine needles when out walking barefoot, the fragrance of the trees as I walked through them.

Pampas grass grew in many places along the roadway. I think it is so pretty.

This is of the church entering Stone City.

God's dream

Max Lucado says "God's highest dream is not to make us rich, not to make us successful or popular or famous. God's dream is to make us right with him."

"Love is of God" (1 John 4:7)

"... The love of God was manifested toward us ... He sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ... He loved us and sent His Son to be the propituation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

God's dream
God's desire
God's wish

Not God's need
Not what we think
But what He knows

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts
Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8)

God's ways are higher
Higher still
than we ... such lowly creatures

God's dream
God's desire
God's wish

Is not the same as ours.

What we give to Him
is of little value
if we have not found
what it is He desires

Do you know?

God is love.
Love is of God.
God sent His Son,
His only begotten Son,
into the world
for us.
to live.
Through Him.

Not through ourselves
not through anything we accomplish

God's dream.
His desire.
His wish
is
for you
for me
to have
a very personal
and up close
relationship
with the Living Lord.

Cathy Orrick Luders

10.4.2010

When Jesus Comes Again

I love listening to The Midnight Cry." We have it on a CD by the Tennessee Baptist Association. Of course I can't find this particular version anywhere on the internet. My husband downloaded it to my computer though. I love the words, what it means to me, who I am in the Lord, where I am going, someday.

I did find this video which I share with you today. May you be blessed.


In searching and finding the above on YouTube.com I also came across this video to share the Lord's message of His Return. ... "and when the rain starts falling, it's too late."

God knows

"God is God. He knows what he is doing. When you can't trace his hand, trust his heart." - Max Lucado

God knows
what He is doing
Not I
I barely know
what I am doing
only surface things
they seem
are of consequence
But not so
God knows
what I am about too.
He knows
my comings
and goings
where I've been
and where I've still to go

His purpose is
not always mine
My goals are not
always His

But He is
and I am only a
fragmented
piece of His creation

It should be enough
to rest
in His loving embrace
and be
at peace.

Cathy Orrick Luders

9.27.2010

Sunday events

I turned a corner mid afternoon Thursday, Sept. 23, and the self-imposed misery of this week in remembering past pain started to lessen. I know God played a big part in it and I am grateful for Him as well as the people which He brought me in contact. Most of you don't know who you are, but I do, and I thank you. And those of you who do know, I thank you double.

Tomorrow is Sunday, Sept. 26. There are two events special about this day  --  it is International Bunny Day and my husband, Jimmy, was ordained to the Gospel Ministry 34 years ago.

 Jim was a Bible student at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal, Mo., when he accepted a call to be pastor at Spencer Creek Baptist Church in Vandalia, Mo. He served there two years and was instrumental in helping the congregation celebrate its 100th anniversary. A few years ago he decided to return to school and obtain his master's degree to enable him to become a hospice chaplain. He is currently a student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., working on a master's in theological studies. He works in hospice.

Our bunny, BeeJay, is 10 years and 3 months old. He thinks (according to his Papa Daddy and Mommy) it is grand he has a special day besides his birthday, which is June 14, Flag Day. In recognition of BeeJay and International Bunny Day, here is a collage I put together in 2007.

Here are some interesting rabbit sites: MyHouseRabbit.com
House Rabbit Society

Today is That Day

Today is the day

That Day

14 years past 

she was no more 

a living presence. 

That Day 

her labored shallow 

breathing 

stopped.

That Day

I stayed late at work 

to finish. 

That Day

That evening

That night

Time stood still. 

There was no more 

time left to explore ...

anything. 

Such sadness

in remembering 

the events of 

That Day 

and the many days 

and months 

leading up to it. 

Eight months 

she suffered.

A last family picture 

was taken 

two daughters 

and their husbands 

and a grandson

not yet 5

Today is the day

That Day

she left us all

here on earth.

And although 

my moments 

of intense sadness linger

she is in a better place

and one day, 

someday, 

I will see her again

and 

there will be no more 

sadness, no more pain

to remember. 

There will only be joy.

Joy that she gave herself to Jesus 

and she is with Him 

in heaven. 

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

I thank Jesus she is with Him 

and her pain is gone

and someday, 

my pain too, 

physical, emotional, 

will be gone. 

"Let not your heart be troubled ... ." (John 14:1)

Memories of sadness

Memories
Sometimes not so good
The day a loved one dies
The events
Leading up to that moment

Sometimes
It is the day
The actual day
Like Tuesday
Sometimes
It is the date
Sometimes
It is something
Special just the two
of you did together
Sometimes
It is a fragrance
An item of clothing

Sometimes
The memory
So invades you
Nothing matters
And
No one can
Touch the hurt away

Although it surely helps

Sometimes
The need
To be with another
Escapes us
And
We are stuck
With ourselves

Oh to go away
Eventually
It will,
It does.

The not so good memories
Move over
Leaving room
For happy and carefree moments
Of another time
Long gone.

Cathy Orrick Luders

9.22.2010

In Memory of

My Mother

Mae Stoner Orrick

July 31, 1910 – September 23, 1996

the word / The Word

Today's reading with Dietrich Bonhoeffer took me to thinking about the word "word." Bonhoeffer says, "Every word has its place. Every word is alive and is at home in a certain place."

I never thought about this. Well I supposed I did, perhaps once upon a time. It reminds me of grammar. In searching the meaning of word I came across a variety of thoughts. Here is one person's conception of What Is A Word. Perhaps you have ideas to express as well.

Bonhoeffer says in place of genuine words we now have chatter. Words no longer have any weight. There is too much talk.

What is a genuine word? Is it original, real, true, honest, sincere? Chatter I suppose is saying nothing. Or saying little of any consequence. Too much talk, yet too little being said. Too much of nothing, too little of that specialness, too little meaning, too little truth.

Think again. If a genuine word is original, real, true, honest, sincere, are we not speaking of God?

God is original ... "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." (Psalm 90:2)

God is real ... "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exoduc 3:14)

God is true ... "These Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, 'You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." (John 7:28-29)

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' " (John 14:6)

God is honest ... Two of His commandments, "You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:15-16)

God is sincere ... "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10: 22-23)

Every word has its place. Every word is alive.

The Word is God, the Lord Jesus. He is alive!

"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words, Lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar." (Proverbs 30:5-6)

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword; piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

The Lord is

The Lord is faithful
Greatly to be honored, reverenced

The Lord is mighty
Righteousness and justice
are Your foundation

The Lord is creator
of the heavens, the sea, the land,
of all peoples across the globe

The Lord is worthy
full of mercy and compassion and love

The Lord is Truth

The Lord stands firm

The Lord establishes covenant relationships

The Lord endures forever

The Lord rules
judges, disarms, scatters
opposing forces

The Lord is holy

The Lord is established. He blesses and is blessed and is to be praised.

"O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You."(Psalm 89:8)

Go Forward

"And the Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." (Exodus 14:15)

Go Forward ...

Surrender
Escape
or
Stand, Fight and Die

Powerful words.

Surrender - give up
Escape - move away from the situation
Stand, Fight and Die.

If you stand
and fight
its realistic to consider death is nearby.

What would you do? What did the children of Israel do when the Lord's servant Moses was leading them out of Pharaoh's land to the Red Sea?

Go Forward ... that's what the Lord said then, that's what He says now.

Go Forward.

The enemy, in this case, Pharaoh, figured otherwise. "For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in."

But God knew what Pharaoh didn't know. God knew what the children of Israel didn't know. And His instructions were to Go Forward.

The same is true today. God knows what we never know. God tells us to Go Forward, even when we are confused, bewildered, trapped. When our back is to the wall and we are cringing. Believe in Him, Trust in Him, be Obedient to Him. He will see us through. He will provide. He is sovereign. He knows all. He sees all.

God delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh and his army. He said He would. He doesn't go back on His promises. He continually guides us, He gives us insight, He provides wisdom, He leads us to and away. He saves us from the enemy. He delivers us.

Pharaoh thought he would win. But remember, God knew what Pharaoh didn't know. And all the bad and evilness Pharaoh had planned for the Israelites became a blessing to them and death to him. His plan was not God's plan.

It is God's plan that counts first and foremost and in the end. God's plan, God's purpose, God's law, God's blessing. .

"God leads us on an unfamiliar route," said Roger Stacy, Director of Missions with the Gibson, Tenn., Baptist Convention. Stacy presented the message from Exodus 13:17 - 14:31 following the annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Southern Baptist Association Sunday in Cedar Rapids.

His purpose is to show His glory, to gain honor.

"...I will gain honor over Pharaoh ... that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord." (Exodus 14:4b, 17)

"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

Go Forward ... and go with God.

Yesterday

8:35 p.m.

Won't go away
Bothersome
Moments past
when
nothing
No pain
No unrest
Moment or two or more past
... many yesterdays.

Try
to put
thoughts
toward Jesus

Sometimes
hard
to do

Movement here,
there

Twinge
of pain
striking
vengeance

Don't like
where I am

Imagine
uncountable more
don't like
where they are

Seek
comfort
envelope self
within
God's
sheltering wings

Swim
head swaying
not to any tune
don't want to fall

Comfort
fails
Can't find release

Restricted.

Am reminded.

We are
one in the spirit
We are
one in the Lord

...in life
in death
in life ever more

A time will come
A season
Tomorrow

May never like
where we are
but
with Jesus
we have
hope
for a better
hereafter.

Cathy Orrick Luders

9.13.2010

Video by Jars of Clay

Checking in at Google Reader

I decided to visit Google Reader today and see what i might have missed since the last time I checked in. Obviously, I should stop in more often.

I learned Jimmy Dean died in June at age 81. I remember before he became synonomous with sausage he sang ... "Big Bad John" (1961).

Gardner Denver, which once had a foundry in LaGrange, Mo., is moving its corporate headquarters from Quincy, Ill., to the Philadelphia area according to a Sept. 8 story in the Hannibal Courier-Post. Support services would remain in Quincy, but relocation to a major metropolitan area "was necessary to the long-term growth of the company," said President and Chief Executive Officer Barry L. Pennypacker.

The foundry in LaGrange had been idle and in terrible disrepair for the past several years. I used to live in the town of 1200 and remember it being a mainstay for most of the towns' men. When it closed, employees were left high and dry. Gardner Denver sold the foundry in 1995. This past August (I read about in the Canton Press-News Journal) it was sold to a firm in Dubuque, Iowa. Read that story here.

Of course, the Canton Press-News Journal has also been sold. But I knew that. I am a regular subscriber to the weekly newspaper, so even though I'm often receiving it from one week to three weeks late, I do get the news. The Steinbecks are still connected to it, but are no longer in charge of the purse strings. If you want a look online, click PNJ.

Loving God, Loving People

"Loving God, Loving People." That was the title our pastor gave to his message from Mark 12:28-34 this past Sunday. It sounded so familiar. And well it should be. After all, it was part of Immanuel's theme just a year ago (Looking Back / Looking Forward through Loving God, Loving People) in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

That's what its all about. Loving God. Loving People. "...First of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ... and the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)

The gods of all other religions are false. We are misguided when we follow them. There is only one God and we are to love Him, praise Him, honor Him, give glory to Him with our entire being.

And we are to love our neighbor -- that one who is near. There is no one who is far. Every single one of us has a neighbor with whom we can share God's love.

Knowing the commandments and agreeing with the Lord they are right and lawful and true, is good, as Jesus says to the scribe who visited him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

But knowing and agreeing is one thing. It is as Mark 1:15 says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Repent .... and believe. ...