My Dad's Devotions #4

Dial-a-Devotion #4 - 14 Oct 1969

Psalm 121:1,2

“I will lift up mine eyes to the hills; from whom cometh my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Many times the ups and downs of everyday life, obstacles that appear at every turn in our path, seem to sap our strength and destroy our enthusiasm for life. Here on the plains, every hill in our path seems a huge barrier that must be surmounted. Yet if we ascend the mountains nearby, the hills on the plain look very small; the higher we rise, the more insignificant they seem. We can climb spiritual mountains as well. Go to the mountain of God, and hold fellowship with him, and the obstacles and foes of our everyday life will soon be seen in their true perspective. They really aren’t so formidable as they seemed from down on low ground.

There is another way to place life’s problems in their proper perspective. On a gray, cloudy day in Boulder, when the sky hangs low, the foothills loom black and foreboding, and seem close at hand. But when the clouds lift and the sun comes out, our eyes are drawn to the white peaks of the high mountains, and we hardly notice the lower hills in the foreground. So it is in life. When we let the low clouds of gloom limit our vision, we see life’s problems looming dark and large. But when we let God’s sunlight illumine our lives, our everyday problems are suddenly dwarfed by the lofty summits of God’s glory and grace.

Signs of Spring!

After weeks of cold and snow, what a joy it has been to have a week of warmth!  A trip around the yard revealed signs of spring!  The snowdrop is blooming once again and it looks like it has spread into two plants!  I'm so excited to see them!  There is something so pure and innocent about snowdrops that belies their strength and toughness.  

Not too far away, the tulips are sending up the first tips of leaves.  To me, they almost look like little crab claws reaching up through the soil.  

Then I spied this lovely clump of green shoots bursting forth!  I have no idea what they are, but hoping for some little daffodils!  What fun to have the anticipation of watching and waiting to see what they become! 

As I walked around the house, I discovered that along the front walk, where it is sheltered and warm, the daffodils and tulips are already well above the ground!  Signs of so much beauty to come!    Isn't it lovely to know that winter, which seems endless when we are in the midst of it, doesn't last forever?  

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

At last I have a bit of stitching to show you!  With the popularity of embroidery framed in hoops lately, I decided to give it a go with a piece of lovely coarse linen as the fabric.  I've been intrigued by the idea of negative space lately and this was a great opportunity to play!  

I started with framing the heart in embroidered white lace to make a lacy valentine, then surrounded it with flowers  Unlike crazy quilting, where I usually use pearl cotton to make the threads stand up off the fabric, I opted to use embroidery floss for this piece.  Most of it uses 3 strands, but the roses are 6 strands.  Love how it turned out!  

A lot of the stitchers I've seen don't really finish the backs, but just run a thread around the fabric and pull tight. I did do that, but then I opted to back it with a circle of felt buttonhole stitched to the linen.  Then I added  my usual embroidered signature and added a buttonhole loop to facilitate hanging it on the wall!  It gives it a nice finished look and it hangs nicely against the wall! 

Wishing all my readers a lovely Valentine's day and prayers that you be surrounded with love!  

Daddy's Devotion #3

Dial-a-Devotion #3

by Myron Plooster

Luke 12:34

Psalm 51:15

The Lord told his disciples, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

It does not take long to find out where most people’s treasures are. In just a few minutes of conversation, their words and responses will expose it. Talk to a patriot about his country, and his eyes will light up. Tell a businessman where he can make a profit, and watch his interest rise. Talk to a fashion-conscious woman about clothing styles, and there will be no doubt as to her chief interest. And talk to a child of God, who is really laying up eternal treasures, about his heavenly Father and his future home, and he will respond at once.

But it is sad how many of God’s children are dumb. Any parent would consider it a calamity to have a speechless child. Yet have you ever thought of the numbers of God’s children who are silent? Even our churches are full of them. They can talk at great length about country, business, fashion, politics, or science. But they do not speak of their God.

If Jesus Christ is your savior and mine, let us resolve not to be silent for him. Every one of his followers should bear testimony to him. And how many times we have this opportunity! “Oh Lord, open though my lips, and my mouth shall show forth they praise!”

My Dad's Devotions: #2

Dial-a-Devotion #2

by Myron Plooster, 1969

Numbers 6:22-26

John 14:27

In these days of unrest, both in our own life and in the affairs of the world, we often wonder if anyone can find peace. But we as Christians know we can. In the Old Testament, the Lord said to Moses, “Speak unto Aaron and his sons, say “On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them: The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” And Jesus said to all his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Think of it – eternal peace; that is what the Lord offers us, merely for the taking. Our president has recently expressed hopes for a generation of peace, something that we have not known in our lifetimes. But we have the promise of eternal peace, not just for a generation,. I am sure this is what Christ had in mind when he said, “Not as the world gives, give I unto you.” And he said in addition, “let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” I recall when John Glenn, one of our early astronauts, was asked, “Were you afraid when you were waiting to start your space trip? Did you pray?” And he answered, “I was too busy to pray right then. I had made my peace with the Lord before I started.” Each of us can have this confidence, this peace, this freedom from trouble and fear. For we have the promise of eternal peace, which passes all understanding.

My Dad's Devotions

I've been hard at work compiling my Dad's memoirs.  It has involved searching through endless boxes of stuff; sorting through all the photos in the house; assembling papers and memorabilia;  scanning, scanning, and more scanning; and a lot of time at the computer.  

In going through all his writings, I came across a folder of about a dozen Devotions that my Dad wrote over 40 years ago.  Most of them were written for the "Dial-a-Devotion" program through our church.  Each day you could call the number and listen to a short recorded devotion.  Others were done for the Mariner's group (a group of adults that met for fellowship, music and devotions through the church) that my parents belonged to and were presented at their monthly meetings.  I have found them very uplifting and still pertinent to today, so I would like to share them here over the coming weeks in hopes that some of you will also appreciate them.  

Devotion #1 

by Myron Plooster, written late 1960s

  Matthew 5:16

There is a story told about a blind man who never walked the city streets, day or night, unless he was carrying a lighted lantern.  Passers-by would occasionally stop him to ask why he carried a light, since light and darkness were all the same to him.  And his reply was always the same: “I carry the light so that no one might stumble over me.” 

Does not this have something to say to you and me?  We are all blind; we walk through our life in darkness, for none of us knows where it will lead us.  But we must carry the light.  So people come to God seemingly on their own, by reading the Bible, perhaps.  But most people come to Him through other Christians.  They see the light that the true Christian carries, and it illuminates their life and shows them the way.  We should all carry that light, day and night.  Just stop and think what it would mean if you or I should also be walking in darkness, and cause someone else to stumble.  There is nothing that we can do which can have more disastrous results.  We are called to be a living testimony to Christ in such a way that all men may see it.  All the good works done through the church come to very little, if we do not also show our Christian faith outside the church.  If we do not commend the Gospel to people by our walk and our conversation, we will not win them to the Lord.  Remember what he said: “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”