Sorry, But I'm Gonna Be All Joshua-and-Caleb-ish About This.

"Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."   ---Numbers 14:24 

******

So who from the Bible do you wish to meet after arriving in Heaven? 

Ask me and I'd reply, "Take me to Joshua and Caleb!" Why? Because 10 of the spies Moses sent to scope out the Promised Land returned as big babies. Whiners.

"It's like the Land of the Giants over there!

If we go, they'll chew us up.

We felt like puny grasshoppers.

We'll never live in such a rich, fertile land.

The cities' walls are too thick to break through.

We cannot do this. We just can't."

But Caleb! He declared, "Knock it off! Hush. Let's go and take possession for we can certainly do this." Then that night Joshua joined him and together they tore their clothes and shouted to their thousands of fellow travelers--

“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”   ---Numbers 14:7-9.

Yet even so, still, the power of God meant nothing to the 10 whiner spies. And the huge crowd? They believed the spies' bad report. Repeated it aloud.

Yet to Joshua and Caleb, God's power was everything. Real, huge and so capable that they knew this, they believed God's perspective:

Impossible situations appeared like tiny grasshoppers to God.

But the crowd. Because they'd beheld God's wild(!) miracles, yet chose not to believe for this next one, they bore a heavy responsibility. They worried instead of believed, cried, spoke fear over their children and wished they could die before any new battle.

Well, they got their wish. Pretty much they all died. 

That is, except for Joshua and Caleb and a bunch of little kids, who, 40 years later--with God--marched into the Promised Land and took over.

They believed God, not the bad news. Not the whiners, dreaders.

They walked by faith, not by sight. Didn't base faith upon appearances.

They reminded themselves of God's miracles.

With Him, they knew they were mighty warriors on the side of truth.

Now, lately what I'm hearing? Too many Israelite echoes:

"Boo hoo. I can't do this anymore.

2020 is too hard. It's just too hard.

Sniff, sniff. The powers that be are too powerful. They'll always win.

I just want to die and go to Heaven. Now.

Jesus, come rescue your poor, tired people with the Rapture."

People, people! Jesus is returning for a glorious bride without spot or wrinkle, remember? 

Glorious:  glorious objects or persons have the quality which is described by the word "glory," that is, they are honorable, dignified, powerful, distinguished, splendid, beautiful or radiant.

Where's the glory in whining, doubting and fearing? Hmmm? And where's the excitement that we're alive during these historic times?

Anway, one last thing. 

I also refuse to just quietly accept any election that's now appearing more crooked than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

No, I'll not just go quietly into the night. No, I'll not accept what the media declares when it's not even their job to decide an election's outcome. And no, I'll not even post a single "If Biden wins" meme, either!

I'll not agree with--in any form--what appears to be mega cheating. It will have to be proven to me that this election was fair and above board, for already much scandal is being leaked. And it's only started.

So in the meantime? I'll choose a Joshua and Caleb attitude, one that insists God is huge and certainly well able to make things right. And this, always I'll remind myself of this--

******

This, below, is also from that portion with Joshua and Caleb-- 

"The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it."   --- Numbers 14:20-23

Looking back from the other side of eternity may we not be embarrassed by crybaby behavior when God hoped we'd be bold as lions. With God we are well able to live boldly in 2020!

"Delay doesn't mean defeat."   ---copied

******

If you've mostly just listened to the main stream news then it's likely you've not heard about the tons of terrific things President Trump has done for our Country.

Well, never fear! I've been keeping a sort of scrapbook. ツ

You've read the first portion, but I've added updates and if you'll also scroll down there? My, my, my... that long list will blow your socks off.

******

Any other enjoyers out there of vintage game show tv? I'm having a great time watching these--

Truth Or Consenquences (I loved this one at age 6!)

Let's Make a Deal

The Price Is Right

******

Nothing is impossible with God!   ---Matthew 19:26

“The more that a broken system tells you that you’re wrong, the more certain you must be that you must keep pushing ahead, you must keep pushing forward.. Nothing worth doing ever came easy. Treat the word impossible as nothing more than motivation.” - President Donald J. Trump

"At first, I was deeply concerned that the initial shock of the fraud night might drain the fight out of the millions who support Trump. Now I am seeing a giant with a terrible resolve rising. The masses are not going to let this go away no matter how arrogantly Biden is paraded as president by the fake news outlets.That is why there is hope and excitement in this situation."   ---Mario Murillo

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  ... Matthew 6:14,15

The Winner? He Who Has The Fewest Regrets.

"If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!"   ... Proverbs 24:10

******

An old (our age) musician came to check out an electric guitar Tom's got for sale. 

We three sat upon the porch in autumnal perfection while he played through a Fender amp. Oh, the soulful, echoey, mysterious bits of songs! Lovely stuff which swept me away to vintage jazz clubs of long ago and very far away from Today.

No one could've made that guitar sound sweeter, moodier. 

Yet although Tom came way down in price, they couldn't agree upon just the right one. But all was still friendly. 

The man unplugged the guitar while we reminisced about California towns he'd recently visited. Then I carried the guitar inside the house, considered staying there as Tom and he spoke, but no, the Holy Spirit nudged, "Don't let him go without thanking him for the music." 

So slipping through the door as the man neared his car, I called out, "And thank-you for the concert! That was such nice music." At first, he looked at my face, I think to make certain I was serious, not sarcastic. When he saw I was, he gave a smile of appreciation and thanked me.

Oh, People! I'm grateful I spoke those words. Regret feels so yucky.

Never allow regrets to pile up, you know, like a leaning stack of suitcases full and ready to topple. Nor let your emotions dictate your obedience level. Eternity is far too long a time to wish we'd have obeyed just as God asked us.

The smiles and waves we could've given.

The meals we could've bought so to support a restaurant (and our neighbors who work there).

The thank-you's we could've left at a blog's or video's end.

The pies we could've baked for new neighbors.

The money or food we could've handed to hungry families.

The congratulations we could've typed on social media.

The errands for others we could've run.

The encouraging phone call we could've made.

The invitations to cafes or concerts or fairgrounds we could've given.

The patience we could've extended rather than snapping.

The strength we could've shown brightly while others were panicking.

Everything matters, now and forever.

Why will I always remember 2020 as a remarkable year? (Yes, I said remarkable.)

This year-gone-wild showed me where I'd allowed God to make me strong--and where I'd ignored Him, remaining weak. Where I'd become bold--and where an annoying timidity still prevailes. Where I'd let Him remold me--and where I'd insisted upon staying just the same.

2020 was the year God passed out test papers to us all. 

You know, so we'd see how far we'd come and the miles we've left to go. What we'd learned and now practice, what we'd forgotten or closed our ears to, and where we still need much, much dying to self.

And whether we'd come to know God or mostly just about Him. (There's a difference. It's huge.)

Jesus' sheep hear His voice and will not follow another. And those who truly hear His voice do not panic and chuck their faith when Life turns their car into Ridiculous Lane and goes all wonky.

No, those who truly know God will welcome the challenges. Why? They know that--through wild, disappointing times--God will show Himself strong, mighty and very capable, indeed. In us and in this world who needs Him so badly.

And those who remain calm and most consistently obey Him will end this Life with only a miniscule stack of regrets.

May we remain brave and believing God has saved the best wine for last. And may our regret pile remain so insignificant that--from the other side of eternity--it'll only resemble a tiny spot amongst a long, long trail of awesome miracles.

"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." ---John 2:10

And yes, right about now the temptation to distance oneself from everyone and everything awful can be so strong. But remember, God says the most important thing is Love. Jesus died so to show that Love and He asked that we go into all the world to spread His Love to others.

Jesus also died so that He could now show Himself strong through us as we're faithful to go and give for the sake of others. Even in 2020.

And yes, God gives us vacations, time away from it all so we can regroup. But those isolation times were never meant to become our whole new alternative lifestyle.

******

Remember how I'd watched all the old Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies? I seriously felt sad to finish them and even insisted that never could there be another Sherlock and Dr. Watson to me. (Yes, yes. Never say never.) ツ

So, oh! An extremely grateful thanks to my friend, Susan, for mentioning at Facebook that her English hubby enjoyed both Basil's Sherlock as well as Benedict Cumberbatch's. 

"Really?" I thought. "Really?" Well, this modern Sherlock series would have to be pretty darn good.

Er hem. It was. 

My, my, my. Simply the perfect distraction I needed. Both Tom and I thoroughly enjoyed Sherlock via Netflix. 

Okay, though-- disclaimers: These episodes do contain occasional 'language', bits of violence and a third of the final episode became very dark (shiver). And all right, probably just half of you would love this series. It's not for everyone, but it was certainly for me.

Oh, and for those with memories like elephants, yes! Technically we've cancelled Netflix. Yet the moment I told them, they charged us for one more month, probably hoping we'd change our minds. 

We haven't. 

But color me eternally grateful we discovered Sherlock before our subscription expired. Yes, it truly was that good. To me. And Tom.  シ

******

Oh, and almost forgot: It's over only when God says it's over.  ッ

*****

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

THEY. Often They're Wrong.

"And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”   --- Jeremiah 1:8

******

So after Tom and I returned from our local Happy Days-type school this morning, I stuck my 'I Voted' sticker to my flyaway sweater then walked to the cafe.

For nearly an hour I sat there relaxing, dreaming, and only toward the end did 2 other customers appear. Only two! Not good.

Now, this was to be my only cafe visit this week because, hey! If Trump wins the election, THEY (who are THEY anyway?) have told us the crazies will freak-out. Burn, break, kick things. Scream, shake their fists, make threats.

And well, all along I've believed Trump will win. So yeah, Tom's and my chicken-like plan was to hunker down here at the old homeplace for a week or two or seven.

But do you know what THEY also said for months? That going to our voting place could be dangerous. We'd be standing in lines and thugs in long black coats and gator masks might surround us and make threats if we didn't swear we were voting for Biden. 

Yikes.

Yet Tom's and my voting experience was the opposite. No lines, for one thing. We just meandered down the indoor hallway past lockers (I smiled, recalling my own school days) then upon reaching a doorway we heard, "Come on in, Folks!" from 6 or 7 kind-eyed elderly men and ladies. "Step over here first to get started," they said. "Be sure to take an I Voted sticker home with you!"

Was it all smooth sailing? Nah, because of my mask, my reading glasses kept fogging up.  Oh, and the guy sitting near the door tried to give me a second I Voted sticker. シ

Anyway, back to the cafe. Before leaving the warmth and Nat King Cole songs, I gazed out the large window glass and decided this: "No, this will not be my only visit here this week. Unless it looks like Rome burning out there(!), I'm coming again. Amy will be here running her shop and I'll be here supporting her just as God has asked me to."

As for me, I'll not make decisions based on what THEY say might happen. Especially in this always-shifting 2020. Unless God whispers, "Stay home today," I'll go where He leads and expect the best while I'm out there in our crazy, confused world.

God leads with tons of wisdom and as long as I courageously follow Him? Everything's gonna be all right. 

"Be it unto you even as you have believed."  ---Matthew 8:13. 

Sometimes we must pause and ask ourseleves, "What are you believing for? Much more bad or much future good?"

The answer might surprise us, show us that our minds have wandered, become a little lost.

******

Do you ever watch the Somers In Alaska family at Youtube? I like to check in on them weekly to see how they're doing. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in North Pole, Alaska, now's your time to find out.  ツ

******

Well, I was gonna skip my yearly visit to Dollar Tree, especially since wearing masks there is mandatory (and the clerk is the only truly crabby one I've met in all of New York state), but I didn't want to spend an extra $15 dollars at Target (or Walmart) online. 

So although I pushed my cart along feeling like a sell-out, a defeated one in fact, I did come away with things I needed, plus, this hanging Believe whatchamacallit, below, which I knew would look perfect on our hutch, even year-around, I'm thinking. Love it and no, life at Hobbit Cottage is not as blurry as my camera insists upon making it appear.  ツ

******

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."   ---Isaiah 41:10

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15