Lenten Covenant Light 2.24.26

7th Day of Lent

On this 7th day of Lent, I remember that Yeshua had already fulfilled many prophecies just by walking upon this muddy ball called, Terra Firma. Prophecies like Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

Confirmations and affirmations are always given to those who believe. He spoke truth to those who walked beside Him, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12

Follow the Light when darkness is the deepest, and enjoy the new land you find in the Sonshine.

artwork ” True Light of the World” by Yongsung Kim

“This is my song,
O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar
and mine…”

Last week on Fat Tuesday, the temperatures were in the 60’s…the first daffodil had opened in my brown gardens…the lenten rose had it’s first 3 blooms on it…and…the peepers had started singing in the pond across the street. It felt like spring – it felt like the start of a new journey – it felt like I should start walking. Not an easy thing these days, but I did.

I ponder often during this time of the year and tend to think of Lent as a time to remember the journey of Yeshua‘s life here upon Terra Firma. Scripture says that Rabbi Yeshua often spent time alone in the wilderness. Perhaps sitting alone, looking out over the country that His Father had given to His chosen people. I think it had to impact His human side in so many ways. The loss of His earthly father – and probably other relatives and friends – the wildflowers that were blooming around him – concern for His friends and relatives walking beside Him – the mountains and rocky stones under His feet – the birds or wildlife that were drawn from their hidden places to gaze upon the One Who had created them – and the truth that He knew the prophetic timeline of Daniel was coming to partial fruition. It was almost Passover and the Passover Lamb must be in Jerusalem.

“This is my home, the country
where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams,
my holy shrine…”

I was singing with many choirs/groups back in the college days. Harmony was part of my everyday life, and I dreaded the day that I would have to leave it. At some point, our choir director chose the song: Finlandia by Jean Sibelius.

We sang it first in Scandinavian (as best we could) and then we sang this translation by Lloyd Stone. Translation by Stone isn’t close to the actual translation, but it fit the times of the early 70’s and struck a chord with me, and the others that sang around me. We sang it on the buses as we traveled on tour and later a group of us sang it in a Cathedral in one of those “foreign” cities that we were visiting. The priest and a small crowd gathered to listen. Silence was better than applause as I gazed at the cross and felt the tears gather.

“But other hearts in other lands
are beating
With hopes and dreams as true
and high as mine…”

Life is a journey made up of many, many, many other smaller journeys. Rabbi Yeshua knew this well. No tour buses. No cars. No cell phones to book ahead. Not even a donkey until he got to his destination. Did they sing on their journeys like my parents and I used to sing in the car? Did they tell stories as my friends and I used to do on sleep overs? Did they have sore feet? Empty stomachs? Dirty clothes? Areas that they wished they didn’t have to travel through?

What I do know is that whoever was walking with Yeshua, they were walking with the SON of GOD every step of the way – – just like we do in all of our journeys. Christ’s walking throughout His country, reminds me that He is walking with me through every journey of this life just like He walked with the disciples. It is the comfort of His presence that gives me peace and keeps me walking forward.

It is as if He is singing in harmony the words of Finlandia beside me; our strides matching the pace; His wisdom – His truth – singing in my heart all the things I need to remember…that He has gone to prepare a place – in another land – for me – a land where the skies are bluer than the ocean and His SONlight beams over everything.

“My country’s skies are bluer than
the ocean,
And sunlight beams on clover
leaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too
and clover,
And skies are everywhere as
blue as mine. “

My prayer for this 7th day of Lent 2026 is that His people who are called by His name will humble themselves, pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, so that He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins and heal our world.”

“Oh, hear my song, O God of all
the nations,
A song of peace for their land
and for mine.”

*To the melody of Finlandia
*Lyrics by Lloyd Stone

art work “Symphony of Praise” by Yongsung Kim

Widow’s Mite LIGHT 9.29.2025: Dangling Carrots

“A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.”

~Confucius

If that past few months have proved anything, it is this – Confucius had some wisdom behind some of those words he spoke. Things can shake this ol’ body vessel. It can be shaken so hard that all the liquid within it starts roiling around like a rollicking wave, slushing back and forth until it is tilting all that equilibrium into chaos – equilibrium which has no place to go except squirt out from the eyes. However, if it’s one of those really, really bad storms – deep moanings that defy vocalizations – burst the vessel entirely.

• A distinct rattling sound of a diesel truck at a traffic light. 
• A kidlet goat reel.
• A stump grinder spinning dirt and wood into the air around it.
• A chainsaw echoing between homes.
• A red convertible in the gym parking lot.
• A cement stone waiting to find its place in the retaining wall.
• A stranger helping me through another legal process saying, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Grief seems to have been a presence in my life since I was little. During the days between Dad’s death and his funeral, Mom tried to explain how Dad’s death was so much harder than the death of any of the others that she had experienced with her family.  In her fifty-two years of life, she had already suffered the loss of a father, sister, brother, extended family members – not to mention WWII. Instead of sounds, her voice cracked, then faded, as the words drifted into nothingness. She ended up looking away and sitting in silence with tears dripping down her face. 

I rarely – if ever – had seen my mother cry.  She was the strong one – the elder sister of her family that everyone called for help – the daughter that ran her mother to various errands or doctor appoints – the mother that held it together…got a job…guided two struggling teenagers as she watched – as they all watched – the family patriarch grow weaker from heart failure.   But – during those hard times, the knowledge that Dad would be sitting beside her after everyone else left gave her strength instead of tears.  As a teenager, I wasn’t much comfort to Mom back in those early days of her widowhood. In my mind, how could her sorrow compare with losing MY Daddy?

The subject didn’t come up again until a decade later. On the eve of my wedding to Farmboy and after our wedding rehearsal gathering, we were winding down the night with quiet time conversation before the excitement of the new day to come (we might have eaten some shrimp cocktail which was our favorite celebration meal).  It was late as Mom’s eyes drifted to the picture of Dad that often sat on beside her chair. When she looked back at me, she basically said she had an idea why Dad had to die and leave us behind. She quoted Genesis 2:24 because she knew Farmboy and I had chosen that Bible verse for the ceremony. Dad had always been the one who did Bible studies with me, so when Mom started quoting Bible, I sat down beside her. Needless to say, I didn’t write down her exact words, but I never forgot her voice imprinting her wisdom on my heart.

She said that a covenant made before GOD is just like the Bible says it is. When Dad died and the pain from the shredding of that one flesh was unbearable, she grabbed onto GOD, forced me to return to college, and learned to stand on Our Father’s promises. She said that leaning into Jesus steadied her feet, and she could feel the closeness of her Mike through Him.  Their faith became her faith to a depth that she had never envisioned.  She reached over to pick up the picture and began to trace his features. When she looked back up at me, her tears dripping down her cheeks, there was a wide, peaceful smile on her face, “I finally learned what Mike knew all along. One flesh standing with Jesus continues to be both of us standing with Jesus, just on different planes of the Rock.”

“The memory of the righteous is a blessing.”

~ Proverbs 10:7

Getting back to a normal schedule has been complicated, but it is slowly evolving.  Gym amd pool buddies keep me laughing and in on all the local gossip.  Teaching my one student gives me new things to learn since I haven’t taught high school English for more years that I want to remember. Laughing and praying with the Bible Study around my kitchen table brings peace and – of course – always lots of new questions to pursue scripturally. 

I think ABBA GOD loves to dangle a carrot in front of my face so that He can lead me in a new direction – especially when my heart is hurting and my vessel seems broken beyond compare. He did it in college after my daddy died.  In 2019 when my marriage was falling apart, and a year later in 2020, when my brother got to go home to see the parents and Jesus before me.  When my matron of honor/best friend/adopted sister of my heart died on Farmboy’s October birthday last year, I had no clue that in 2025, both of them would be celebrating his birthday with Jesus AND all those family members that are living with Jesus.

Treasure chest memories are special.  The WORD of GOD is indispensable.  So when I found this prayer by Martin Luther in one of my devotionals, it felt like the ending I needed to this quiet time of not writing.  Our Father is filling this mortal vessel with words again, and I’m just waiting to see how He wants me to occupy this time until I get to go home and see those loved ones smile, hear their voices and enjoy the place Our Savior has built just for us…and I certainly wouldn’t mind if I was able to get my new body first, grab that original carrot that He called “rapture”, a carrot which He has been dangling in front of my face since before I can remember, so I can meet Jesus and do a dance like King David. 

“Behold, Lord, I am an empty vessel that needs to be filled. Oh Lord, fill me. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me to the point of zeal so that my love may reach my neighbor… I am a sinner; you are just. With me is an abundance of sin, but with you is the fullness of justice. And thus, I will say, ‘I want to have You from whom I can receive everything, but to whom I can give nothing.’”

~Martin Luther (1483-1546)

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh

Not the best picture of the bride or the son who wanted to be playing with his cousins, but certainly the best picture of all the family

LIGHTEDPATH 7.13.2025: Blooming Bush Lessons

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and would say, ‘I used everything You gave me’.”

~ Erma Bombeck

Had a couple of friends remind me this week that I haven’t been writing, and then…in my cryptogram puzzle of the morning…this Erma Bombeck quote got me a Gibbs’ slap alongside the head; a knock that rocked me back on my heels a bit in confirmation.  Talents are blessings and blessings are meant to be spread far and wide as often as possible.

There are times in this world when His Light dims and His blessings are hard to see.

Then there was a this in a small quote used in a reflection column printed in our local newspaper – yes, I still read local, small county papers.  A man born 400 years before me.  A teacher who hadn’t wanted to be a teacher. A man who, when called to be a professor at Heidelberg College in Germany, is quoted to have said: “Oh that I could remain hidden in a corner!”

Don’t we all?

“In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul, and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this life of sorrow.”

~ Zacharias Ursinus, 1563

When ABBA GOD wants to open my eyes, He knows to send multiple messages through multiple messengers because I am just liable to ignore the first, more subtle, ones.  I like to believe there is nothing there for me to see or perhaps, I just don’t have the right lens in my eyes when I see them. In truth, I probably ignore them because I really hope – like Ursinus – that I can just crawl back in the corner of my comfortable routine and not be about His business that usually takes me where I don’t want to go and put the time into things I don’t want to do – at all.

Saying an earthly goodbye to my covenant partner for a second time, has been a little harder than the first.  The first one was by idiotic choices by both of us.  We actually said goodbye that time. The second was not a choice by either of us.  But as always, Our Father has a purpose in mind when He allows these things to happen in our lives.  So me, being me, switched out the lens in my eyes and sought His WORD and His SPIRIT to comfort and provide wisdom as we walked this new journey separately and then together. 

When the covenant partner began this walk, a small plant had just begun growing in one of my enamel tubs; tubs in which I used to bathe tiny, tiny kidlets who squirmed and giggled.  The plant was squirrel planted, so I thought I would wait and see what it would grow into as the Spring season bloomed into our world, but things with the covenant partner were not blooming. The respect was still there.  The love was still there, but the communication was stilted.  So, I stayed home while he battled this affliction with the kidlets at a hospital.  None of us wanted to add any more stress to his situation by me being there.  But when the issues grew more complicated, and a stroke diagnosis turned into cancer, I joined my kidlets at the daughter’s house to sit with him.

• 12 days to hold hands
• 12 days to talk about those memories that made us family
• 12 days to hear each other’s voice in real life instead of our heads
• 12 days to experience the things we loved in each other
• 12 days to say ‘thank you’
• 12 days to say ‘I love you’
• 12 days to sit quietly next to each other or look at a photo album
• 12 days to pray
• 12 days to enter the next covenant of life

Things don’t always go the way one thinks they ought to go.  I had the autoimmune diseases; he didn’t.  He was always exercising; I didn’t. When we were first married, I reminded him that my dad died early in life, and I probably would as well.  He laughed and said, “Fine with me”.  I laughed, too. Years later, when we went to the granddaughter’s wedding last September, we went separately.  While there, we talked only a few words to each other, and stood apart for all the family pictures, and yet – when he got up to go, he turned around at the door of the restaurant, looked right at me and blew me a kiss.  A throwback to all the times we left each other in our courting days – those days when we promised never to say goodbye – but blew a kiss and said, “See you soon – See you later – See you as soon as possible – See you…”.

On June 9^th, the small plant in the babies’ play tub bloomed. 2 small peach-colored flowers at the end of two branches.  On the 10^th there were more flowers. On the 11^th when I whispered, “I’ll see you soon”, the tiny bush had more flowers at the end of each bough. On this day in July, it is filled with blooms.  Blooms that last only a day, but bring a smile to my face every time I pass them. On June 11th, I thought of those blooms as I whispered to him, “Go ahead and start changing the house that Jesus has built for us because I know you will – and I will love it. I have the perfect bush that Our Father has given us for the yard of our new covenant home; a covenant home in a world that I can’t wait to see and explore with you by my side and Yeshua Ha’ Mashiach leading us forward.” 

”I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“  

~ Philippians 4:12-13, 19-20

#CovenantMilkandHoney #CovenantRidge #CovenantWoods #CovenantRiverWalk #CovenantEli #rapture #Hedrawethnigh

PATH of LIGHT 6.8.2025: Peace Song

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
From whence cometh my help…”

v.1

A Psalm of Ascent.  Recited by pilgrims as they walked to up the hills to worship in Jerusalem. A song that was sung as the Jewish people returned to their land after years of bondage.  A Psalm that was – perhaps – first created by an individual in distress. A song of finding peace in a world of chaos.

I can’t remember when this statement in Psalm 121 became a touchstone in my life, but it has been a stronghold that has held my heart over the decades.  Singing it in choral works – reciting it in church – reading it in the Bible – the words have been a cleft in the rock where I rest my faith and build upon it, and somehow, it became the lead-in verse to whenever I recited my statement of faith as part of my prayers. Words echo in my spirit whenever the “worst” outcome becomes a reality, and I want to hide deep within myself.  Tonight was the 7^th day since the one I loved in covenant left this world; and this verse surfaced again. A God-Wink to wisdom from over the decades. A Rock of promise that I know well, but – in a slightly different format…a question – not a statement.

“If I raise my eyes to the hills,
From where will my help come?”

v.1

This Psalm, that I have known for so long, bounced around my head as I pondered the perceptional change from a statement to a question. I have read commentaries on Psalm 121 a few times.  Debates that were focused just on the first sentence.  Debates over each word.  Debates over the historical references. Debates on the difference of travel in the past and travel in the world today.  And yet – even with the change from a statement to a question – the foundational stone that follows remains the same.

“My help comes from Adonai,
The Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip –
Your Guardian is not asleep.”

v.2-3

Last week at this time, I was reciting v.2 throughout the evening hours.  “My help cometh from the LORD – the Maker of Heaven and Earth…”  It is often the way I keep my feet stationary on His Rocks of Promise. It is through praying His words back to Him, that I remind myself that He doesn’t sleep. Then, as the tears dried on my cheeks, I felt His peace surround me just as my comforter does on a cold night, and slowly, my eyes closed, and I got my first full night’s sleep in 80 days. 

I am still looking at each word of this different translation of Psalm 121. Guardian vs Protector. Small differences in literal meaning and yet – at least for tonight – the figurative, connotative, conceptual difference strikes me again – just as the change in the first verse struck me.  I wonder and I ponder some more.

“No, the Guardian of Yisra’el
Never slumbers or sleeps.
Adonai is your Guardian. At your right hand
Adonai provides you with shade –
The sun can’t strike you during the day
Or even the moon at night.”

v.4-6

It becomes more than a song to be recited in a mindless repetition of words. Instead, it takes on that deeper, personal relationship with a Father who stands watch during any time of distress  – the death of a spouse, child, pet – an illness that defies medical intervention –  natures’s destructive forces – fire destroying years of work – anger raging across the nations of the world…. An answer to Jonah when he complained about the worm eating the plant that gave him shade.  An answer to Jacob as he set out on his own fear-filled journey. An answer Yeshua Ha’Mashiach echoed, “I am a Light unto the world.” [John 8:12]

My eyes are growing heavy again.  It has been a long day of laughing and splashing with the pool buddies. A day of pulling some young saplings out of the garden.  A day of trying to capture the last 80 days in a word/picture format that will document the last few days of a family standing around the head of their family.  A day of cards in the mail.  A day of phone calls missed or received.  A day of tears as I touch the gifts of a plant and the first fruits flowers from a friend’s garden.  A day of remembering that all things work to the peace of those that love Adonai.

“Adonai will guard you against all harm.
He will guard your life.
Adonai will guard your coming and going
From now and forever.”

v.7-8 ~ Tehillim (Psalm) 121

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

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RESURRECTION LIGHT 5.25.2025: Knee Lessons

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think to enjoy, to love.”

~ Marcus Aurelius

• Breathe in – YAH.
• Turn on morning prayer time.
• Switch channels to first church service.
• Strip bed.
• Flip mattress.
• Thank ABBA GOD for giving strength one more time.
• Flip mattress topper.
• Switch channel to second church service.
• Make bed.
• Wash windowsills and let the Breath of GOD clean the air.
• A whisper within a storm of life.
• Wash sheets.
• Switch out spring comforter for summer comforter.
• Three loads of laundry.
• Inversion board/PT table…just to make sure back is still back.
• Comforter on back deck to dry.
• Switch channel again – third service
• Sit – write notes – soak in the WORD.
• Breathe out – WEH.

I love Sunday mornings (I think I say that everytime I write on a Sunday) although…not usually when I am this crazy busy.  Most Sundays, I’d rather concentrate on the Bible lessons of the day – Bible study on the solar porch – Myrrh Kitty on my lap – and the old hymns playing in the background, but for whatever reason, ABBA GOD woke me up with a picture in my mind of how to flip that well-built Amish mattress without twisting my back. I knew then a Sunday morning workout was the path I needed to take. Today’s worship music does circle a ton of energy around me when I am singing, so flipping a mattress? No problem.  I do try to flip it once a year and swivel it on the six-month mark. AND – when GOD downloads a plan there is no doubt that it will be accomplished. A year from now, we will see if He does it again. 

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”

President Abraham Lincoln

In 1994 our family didn’t have a traditional Memorial Day.  Back then, our normal tradition was to have a family/friends pigroast on Sunday and then parades and memorial treks on Monday. In 1994, there was a car accident that derailed ‘normal’. In this year of 2025, there was a stroke that has derailed ‘normal’ once again.

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

‘Trust’ is about as hard to find as ‘normal’ in these latter days. Even so, trust and love has surfaced once again as family and friends have circled the wagons to support the healing of the head of our family as he struggles to regain strength and vitality from this huge storm in his lake of life.  His natal brothers and sister have made the cross states journey to lay hands on him. High school classmates have sent cards, text messages, and prayers. Friends have care for his dog, mowed his lawn, and visited often.  Newly married granddaughter who is a medical professional, often calms the waters with suggestions when research is in doubt. Our kidlets have put in lots of job remote time, travel time, medical research, family life disruptions, motivational pushes, 24-hour watches – not the least to mention, prayers, tears, and love.

The roller coast waves of this stroke storm still tilt the family boat every which way day by day. Good days. Bad days.  The family continues to work together and carry the stress together as much as possible. Life has never been easy or ‘normal’ in any age.  But after all I have seen the past couple of couple of months, I understand Emerson’s quote a little deeper in my soul. I can’t see above the rollicking waves to see the shore – and yet – I know the One who sits in the stern of the boat with us.

Last week I was reading a loud the history of the prairie schooners as they traveled Westward.  They painted mottos on their wagons to keep them focused on what they wanted to achieve. When I asked the kids’ father what motto he wanted to focus on for this journey, he stated his favorite motto from our 1994 accident journey:

“DAY BY DAY IN EVERY WAY THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.” Napoleon Hill

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

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RESURRECTION LIGHT 4.28.2025: Messy Life Lessons

“What a mysterious, magnificent mess life can be.”

Oliver O’Toole in Signed, Sealed, Delivered series.

I don’t like a lot of the things on Hallmark channel anymore, but there is one series that I love.  It is a strong mixture of faith, love, and the mysteries of life.  Last night, they released the latest in the series, and I was glad I recorded it to watch later. Sometimes, after all my Sunday hopping across country to catch my favorite preachers’ weekly wisdom, I need an easier moment or two as my brain digests the notes I have taken.  Often, I pull out the old DVD’s or turn on those really old series that I watched in my early days of life. Days when life didn’t seem as messy – even though it was. 

31 years ago, life got messy fast when my kids and father-in-law were in a car accident at 511 and US 30. I called it my year without spring.  I missed the garden waking up.  The leaves blossoming on bare limbs. Finishing out the school year with my students.  The dogs under my feet at night. The laughter of my family all together.  Days – weeks – months in the hospital.  Driving to Cleveland – then Ashland.  Messy times. Mysterious times. Times that left me questioning the road that was unfolding under my feet and the feet of my loved ones.

It was my mom who reminded me that in those messy times, ABBA GOD gives the most precious of His gifts to them that seek – faith to stand on His Rocks of Promise.

When my dad had his first heart attack, I was ten and the big brother was college bound.  Mom had always had some kind of part-time job, but had no real training to take over if Dad didn’t recover.  Yet, I never really saw that worry in her or him.  I saw her and Dad pray together as I watched through a hospital window.  I saw them read the Bible together when Dad returned home.  I listened to them talk to the brother and I about faith in the storm, and that GOD had a plan to get our family through all of it. I watched that plan unfold, and eventually, I held my Mom’s hand that day my dad died 10 years later.

“For we know that if our earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens… Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge.”

2 Corinthians 5:1,5

I was reminded of one the verses that was highlighted in Mom’s Bible this past month. I love how The Holy Spirit brings forth Our Father’s Rock Promises exactly when my knees feel feeble and wobbly.  It has been month when I have watched the temporal bodies of loved ones being shaken and broken in ways I never acknowledged that I might see.  We logically know that bodies age and break down. I’ve known it since I was 10 and 16 as I watched my father have heart attacks. We also know that younger bodies can break down in illnesses.  And yet – there is that camouflage that covers our eyes most of the time, so we can ignore what could or might happen to these temporal homes in which we reside.

The good news (in our mortal way of thinking) is that during this past month those weary, weakened bodies have not been torn down. They are continuing to struggle to find the right patch to cover has been broken, and my heart rejoices for them. I have watched a new generation come together; supporting those loved ones in the battle of their lives. I have, like others in my generation, have been praying in the Holy Spirit for those on the battle lines and behind the battle lines. 

This year – there has been an abundant spring for me unlike back in 1994.  I have watched the flowers I planted last year take root to produce bright colors earlier than I ever remember – even here in NC.  Yellows, purples, reds, pinks, whites, and all shades of green now cover a yard that was almost barren last year. Of course, the sinuses continue to let me know that all that beauty brings a few allergies – and therein – lies one of the magnificent mysteries of a messy mortal life.

“Metaphors reign where mysteries reside.”

I love this quote by Dr. Chuck Missler because of the wisdom it contains. YAH always seems to bring those mysteries that make us ponder and wonder as we travel through a swirling rapids portion of this sea life. As hard as it is for us to remember, as we cling to the rocking boat, Yeshua modeled for us how we should react during such times. He slept soundly in the boat that the disciples were positive was about to sink and kill them all.  He slept soundly on the Rock of His Father’s presence within Him.  Mysteries do not exist for Him since He is one with the Father. He knows the wisdom behind the metaphors. He knows the magnificent plans that exists within the messy mortal lives we live.

And so, I wait.  Keeping my eyes upon the Rock of my life.  The Rock of refuge.  The Rock of Promises.  The Rock the hides me in the cleft of Himself until the mess is over, and I see the magnificent plan of the mystery revealed. The mess is cleaned up once again.  The mess may or may not go the way I want or think, but I trust My Father’s plan more than my own.  I am learning to be his bondservant in the boat where Yeshua calms the wind and the seas once more.

Be STil by Yongsung Kim

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

LENTEN LIGHT 4.16.2025: Welp Lessons

Welp – here it is Holy Wednesday and nothing – I repeat – NOTHING has gone – even in the tiniest way – according to my schedule or the way I thought it would go. Gym/pool schedule – nope!  The ingestion of food at the regular times – nope!! Teaching/Bible study schedule – nope!!! Kitty sleeping in her usual spot on the bed – nope!!!! Not even be able to write every day in honor my LORD’s sacrifice was accomplished.

Welp Wednesdays – Welp weeks – are – welp – just that.

There are two words that claim the same pronounciation.  Welp and Whelp. If you go back to your elementary school, the teachers will remind you that they taught you about these tricky words. The technical term in the English language states that they are homophones. Words that are spelled differently, mean different things, but are pronounced the same way. To, two, too.  They’re, their, there.  You get the drift.

Welp and whelp! One is an interjection and one is a verb.  Interjections are basically just an emotion put into some mixture of letters to grab the listener’s attention and in all reality is not necessary to a sentence. The other is a middle English verb – an action, necessary to a sentence, and means to – give birth (generally in reference to carnivores).  Now the quiz – which part of speech is in the title of this blog? 

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

Isaiah 54:10 NIV

As I started to write tonight, I was pondering the juxtaposition of the peace and holiness that I always feel during Passion week, and the chaos that has been swirling around my family and extended family for the past few weeks. Letting my fingers type, I used the other “whelp” as I began to type.  I used it more than once, even though I know the difference in the two words.  Then it dawned on me that my fingers were hearing a whisper in a ‘peace’ of my soul that was louder than the storms.

I may debate with my loved ones, friends, and even the weeds in my garden when they are not doing what I think they should do (not to mention a certain kitty when she keeps trying to curl into my neck and whacking my face with her tail). It is the way I learn where my lines are drawn in my faith and wisdom. However, I don’t debate with ABBA GOD – much – anymore.  I may whine and complain. I may drag my feet when I don’t get my way. Yet, I have proven to myself over and over, that my way – no matter how much I want it to be – is never the best way to love, to work, to serve others; it is only His way that cushions my feet and supports each step I take forward in this life.

Holy Wednesday of Passion week was a quiet day for Jesus and His disciples.  Nothing is recorded except that He stayed in Bethany until the Passover Meal. Yesterday was my “quiet” day. I didn’t record anything in writing at all. Whether it was me just not listening well, or whether it was the chaotic noise all around me, I don’t know.  What I know is that today – I kept saying – “Welp! That blows that plan for the next hour.” Then came that familiar sound in the deepest part of me that stops me in my tracks every time.

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

1 Kings 19:12

During Passion Week, Rabbi Yeshua felt the earthquakes the shook the world’s rocks under His feet and the feet of His sheep. He felt the heat of the fires that threatened to destroy Him and His sheep. But over all the chaotic earthly storms, abided the other spiritual parts of Him – His ABBA and the deep whisper of the Rauch Ha’Kodesh. He heard and knew what His sheep did not – He had come to “whelp” a part of Himself into the world – to give birth to something new. His gift to the world. His treasure that would sustain His sheep until His Father said, “Go – get Your Bride.”

Holy Wednesday was not so quiet for me.  It was a “whelping” moment when I felt the whisperer speak louder than the chaos around me – when I saw the miracle of answered prayers – when I walked into my bedroom and “fell” (more like carefully lowered) myself on my knees in gratitude. For me, His will is most generally made clear in hindsight, but the wisdom that He  “whelps” during the storm, is always more powerful than I ever imagined and the lens adjustment clears away a little more of the astigmatism that distorts my vision. 

Perhaps, this day during Passion week was like that for the disciples. The day before, they had learned from their rabbi a hard lesson on faith through a fig tree.  They later heard the Olivet Discourse which probably was circling deep within them as to wisdom of what He said and what He described that was to come. The “whelping” process had begun and grew proportionately for the rest of their lives.

“I lay down My life so that I may take it back. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own.”  

John 16:17-18

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

Light of the World by Michael Dudash

LENTEN LIGHT 4.14.2025: Weeding Out Lessons

When did getting bit by a tiny brown ant start irritating the body?  Seems like it wasn’t all that long ago, I was sitting in the middle of ant hills letting them crawl all over me. Okay – so it probably was a little bit of a while ago, but still…

Been stretching the budget a lot, however, spreading mulch is therapy time for me, and the perfect time to pray without ceasing. Fingers pulling out small roots (or big ones) of weeds; then continue pulling last years’ dead debris until they begin to ache in a more serious manner. Sometimes the hands complain with some cramps, but not enough to deter me from trying over and over (gee, they complains when I play piano, and I can’t give that up – even if fingers don’t stretch and nimbly dance across the keys anymore).  Holes are a little harder to dig especially since NC ground that hasn’t been nurtured for a long time tends to be rocky and hard-packed red clay.  Then the knees and back start to complain. Overall – the body needs more frequent breaks for mint choc chip ice cream and naps.

“Where you tend a rose, my lad, A thistle cannot grow.”

– Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

The good news is when I play in the garden, I feel closer to Our Father than anywhere else on earth. Perhaps it is because there are birds singing in the trees, a slight breeze blowing the sweat off my face, and tiny insects that I rarely notice – unless – they are those little brown ants that start climbing up my leg because I stood on their hill as I dug up a weed.  Those little guys are fast and managed to get a couple bites in before I located the source.  Good thing I have lots of Frankincense oil on hand and can swim in a salt water pool. 

Wisdom learned? When an affliction in life occurs: “Keep track of where I plant my feet when I spread mulch.”

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from YHWH? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore, honor YHWH with your bodies.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Jewish Wisdom says that when something is mention twice in close succession within scripture, YHWH is drawing the eyes of the body to impart something important so that the eyes of the soul will open to see.  As I have gotten a tiny bit wiser in my old age, and I don’t give in to one or more of those distracting miniscule happenstances that seem to always occur when I am reading my devotions…….chances are……maybe….. perhaps…..I will go back and re-read. Think about those words. Write those words on an index card. Pay closer attention. Try on my own to the figure out the wisdom hidden within the mystery of the words written so long ago. But – that only pries open my soul eyes just a little. I only find the My Father’s wisdom when I pray that verse back to Him with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

This morning as I waited for a family member to arrive, I was praying Bible verses and thinking about the craziness of this last week of Lent in 2025. Different and yet – marching forward as usual. Bunnies. Candy. Flowers. It is still Holy Monday of Passion Week.  There are biting ants. There are sprouting weeds that grow faster than I can dig or pull. Jesus is cleansing the “garden” where He worshiped as He grew into the man He had designed for this specific week. A righteous man with righteous anger. A Good Shepherd who had cried the night before over His sheep then formed a cord of ropes the next day to rescue them. Physical bodies  – synagogues – gardens – all built by physical people that need healing from a Shepherd who cries as He tries to cleanse and heal them of the diseases that destroy.

“My plan will be established, and I will accomplish My good pleasure.”

Isaiah 46:9

Jesus cleaned the body of a building established for the Holy Presence of YHWH. During all the business of sacrifices being done that week, did it last longer than a day? An hour? Would he look at His church today – the one established for the presence of Himself and what He accomplished during this Holy Week – to find something other than what He found in 32 A.D.? The Pharisees nipped on the sidelines and their anger burned within them. Yet, Jesus forced their hand.  Prophecies had to be fulfilled.  Daniel.  Jeremiah, Isaiah. Zechariah. David.  The garden of worship that mankind had built needed to be cleansed. The body need to honor the Creator.

Tonight, as I looked one more time over the garden before the street lights came on, I thought back on the scripture absorbed. What can I do tomorrow that will honor what Rabbi Yeshua did on Holy Monday? My sins were bought with such a steep price that I caused my Saviour to cry more than once during this Holy Week.  Can I do any less? Can I pull one more weed?  Endure one more bite?  Cry and pray unceasingly, as He did, over the sheep given to me? Can I honor Him more tomorrow than I did today?

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

Father Bob Reflections – The Cleansing of the Temple

LENTEN LIGHT 4.13.2025: Passover Lessons

“I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die…”

It is one of those rare years when the full moon dictates the alignment of the Christian Holy Week with the Jewish Passover. The dates are less important than the tie between the Jewish Son of Man who rode that donkey into Jerusalem on the day of His Father’s choice.  A rabbi whom, after teaching for 3 years couldn’t believe He had to re-teach his disciples something that he thought was obvious – “…whomever has seen me has seen the Father” [John 14:9].

That day, that colt that had never been ridden, that throng of people who had seen or heard of Rabbi Yeshua’s miracles and teachings, that one year out of all the others that had passed by or those yet to come, the LORD of Angel Armies [Jeremiah 31:35] rode past the fuming Pharisees to the psalms, dancing and waving palm branches of those who – at least for this one day – recognized Daniel’s prophecy in actions – if not their hearts.

“For poor on’ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.”

The past week was chilly and rainy, but today was warm enough to dry the soggy earth and allow me some time to stretch those unused muscles. All the spring flowers and trees are blooming, so the sinuses are still thick in my head, but being outside makes it so much easier to endure.  The gardens are a year and a half old now.  The plants that I brought from the old house have found a place to rest and grow their roots.  I have a few plants that will need to be moved, and I have found even more weeds that I have pulled or shoveled out of the way before I lay more mulch.  Moved a couple large stones…and wondered as I wander the garden.

Jesus knew before Genesis 3:15 was written in scripture that He was the Passover Lamb for the world.  He knew He was held separate for a purpose that only He could accomplish for all humankind… “plans to give a hope and a future” [Jeremiah 29:11] A baby, a boy, a teen, an adult man who laughed, sang, danced, smiled, cried, taught, preached but always knew He was not of this world as others are…“The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” [Luke 9:58] An innocent lamb, tested in all the ways as humans are tested, but without the blemish of sin until the day He was nailed on a cross and all the sins of all time and space separated Him from the One He loved most. The One He called, ABBA.

“Or all of God’s Angels in heaven to sing.

He surely could have it, ‘cause He was the King.”

There are many things on my heart in this Holy Week of 2025. The struggles of those I love dealing with things that they had no idea that they would ever have to face. I wonder as I wander the gardens, if it is easier not to know or to know what lies ahead in our journeys on this earth. Jesus knew everything that came to Him in this life, and yet – 4 days later in the Garden of Gethsemane – Yeshua struggled as He prayed – even though He knew – even though He trusted the Father’s will above His own will.

Passover lessons are hard.

The Jewish people struggled to get their freedom which resulted in YHWH declaring that the Jewish people should yearly gather to celebrate the Passover Festival. A celebration that would  honor their struggles, and how YAH helped them find His Rocks of Promise to walk on whenever they remembered that they were “called by His Name, sought His face, prayed, and repented of their wicked ways.” [2 Chronicles 2:14]  

“If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing,
I wonder as I wander out under the sky….”
Written John Jacob Niles in 1933, based on an Appalachian folk song he heard sung by Annie Morgan in Murphy, North Carolina.

#Hedrawethnigh #rapture #Passover #HolyWeek

LENTEN LIGHT 3.31.2025: Storm Lessons

There are just seasons of storms in this life. Period. Exclamation point! And we all want to cry out just as Peter did in the midst of the storm…

“LORD, save me!”

Stormy times are when I use every one of the lessons this Retirement Aliyah has been trying to teach me – Rock Promises, Gratitude Attitude, Relationship, Affirmation, Stillness, Rejoice, YAH – WEH, Light in the Darkness. And yet…it is still a struggle.  Spiritual warfare is real, and every step forward brings attacks from that once “anointed cherub” who has been trying to disrupt Our Father’s plan since the day he chose rebellion instead of the love of the One who created him.

In my early life, when storms came up, I would pull out my life vest, gun the engine into action, and pull out all the oars, line up all the buckets incase they were needed to control the storm. Seismos is the Greek word used in the Bible for earthquakes, up-heaving storms, and things that just shake any life with its chaos.  Earthquaking storms that – seemingly – come out of nowhere to knock lives out of sync, to scramble those comfortable schedules, to crumble the physical surroundings back into the dust from which they were formed. And yet – therein – lies the mystery that only YAH can weave out of the “seismos”.  There is not one storm in this world that ABBA GOD has not already known but will use to teach, to reach, to preach the fulfillment of His eternal plan for each of His children and for the salvation of the world He created.

“With age comes wisdom.”

In these stormy days, I like to think I am a tiny bit smarter.  In these stormy days, I pick up the Bible first, cry a bunch, sing a little louder in praise, as I try to figure out where those Rock of Promises are under the dark waves of fear – Rocks that I need to trust to hold my foot secure as I walk forward. With my feet standing firm, I can begin to look for that blessed lesson ABBA GOD places in every storm for me to find. Promises to give peace and confirmation that His hand is, indeed, holding the rocks on which my feet rest. YAH – WEH…breathe in and out. Comforted by a peace beyond human understanding.  Still crying.  Still fearful. Still whining. But – praying…praying without ceasing…praying not my will, but Thine…praying as His Son taught use to pray…praying…which makes all the difference.

I’ve found in my storms that the physical body needs to keep occupied, so I pray those promises He just placed under my feet, back up to my LORD. I rearrange the furniture. I move (carefully) a few heavy blocks to reform the steps under the carport, haul a few bags of mulch, spread said mulch, go to gym/pool, read, listen to my Bible teachers, or old hymns from my childhood as I close my eyes and pray some more. Although the storm still rages around me and the tears still fall … there is a peace that passeth all understanding because His Hand has already reached down to grab me before I even thought to speak over the roar of the raging waters.

Thus saith the LORD, who maketh a way in the sea,
And a path in the mighty waters…
Remember ye not the former things,
Neither consider the things of old.

Isaiah 43:16-17

Thundering storms have just passed over the house tonight. The fresh damp air that always follows seems all the sweeter since the thick, yellow pollen has been pushed down for a short time. The stormy clouds have not cleared out, so they serve as one sign that the storm is not over yet. It could even increase its intensity. Yet, the peeper frogs are singing. The various species of birds flocked around the feeders before the darkness of night descended. Myrrh kitty is curled up in her chair by the open window and enjoying the freshness invading our home.

 I have no clue where this new mystery that Father GOD is weaving in my life right now will lead, but I know this…He is doing a new thing in me and the life of my family.  For that…I am forever awed, grateful, and singing in praise because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that His plans for my life are always a zillion, trillion times better than any plan that I have ever made in this life. “Just a closer walk with Thee…”

Behold, I will do a new thing;
Now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness,
And rivers in the desert.
The beasts of the field shall honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches;
Because I give waters in the wilderness,
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My elect;
The people whom I formed for Myself,
Will declare My praise.

Isaiah 43:16-21

#rapture #Hedrawethnigh #choice

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  biiiigggg blocks

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  first to bloom iris 2025

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  mulch and more mulch

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  violets and purple yard

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  door of entry