Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

Sheep have strength in numbers; when one wanders off and is separated from the flock it becomes an easy target for predators. In the same way, we think we know better and wind up in all kinds of situations God never intended for us! Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away”. 

Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep to show that the Kingdom of God is accessible to all, even those who were sinners or strayed from God’s path. He uses the example of a shepherd (God) who has 100 sheep and one goes missing. (Luke15:4-7)

Psalm 23:1–3 tells us that the shepherd meets the sheep’s every need: food, water, rest, safety, and direction. When we as believers follow our Shepherd, we, too, know that we will have all we need. We will not lack the necessities of life, for He knows exactly what we need (Luke 12:22–30).

In Psalm 23:3, the Hebrew word translated “paths” means “well-worn paths or ruts.” In other words, when sheep wander onto a new path, they start to explore it, which invariably leads them into trouble. This passage is closely akin to the warning in Hebrews 13:9: “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” The apostle Paul also alludes to this idea in Ephesians 4:14.

My painting of a sheep is done in pastels of many colors. I use all different colors to illustrate the different ways, we as sheep, can stray off course from the path God leads.  In our world today there are so many temptation alluring us that the choices we take lead us wrongly.  We need a shepherd to use his staff to turn us back on the path of righteousness.  Following are some of the sins God detests:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

My prayer is that my Shepherd, Jesus, will use His staff and guide my life away from the wrong choices I might/and have taken in life,  and will restore my soul with His love, joy, and peace.  These are definitely some of the bright colors reflected in my painting. 

Just a thought by coppi

  Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

“Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭ 1

Years ago, to be truthful, I forgot where I was at that time, but I remember seeing a post  saying visit the “City of Refuge”.   I definitely wanted to go there. I went and there was nothing there, but barren land.  I was disappointed, but figured “Maybe God wanted me not to be entangled with all the activities of the world, but to be with Him in solitude.”  It took years of pain and hurt before I could calm my running here and there before I could be ‘Mary not Maratha’ ([John 11:1] Martha had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching.  So many years ago, and I now find myself anxious to meet with “Jesus – read the Bible, sit still and listen, write my “Just a thought” and be calm in “My City of Refuge”.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭4

I love nature – always have. I feel the presence of God when I am out in His creation.  I have said this many times, but will reiterate:    I grew up on small farm in Fredericksburg, Tx.  There was no TV, phones, etc, to divert my life therefore hiking around through fields, mountains, and the Pedernales river and was always a joy for me.  Creation spoke to me through the rivers, trees, mountains, rocks, etc – I heard no sounds, but yet the resounding beauty of being in God’s creation spoke to me a resounding message – “I love you”.

“The children of Zion can be glad and rejoice because rain has returned to nourish the ground.” (Joel 2:23). All this leads up to its climax in verse 25: “I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.” What this meant for these people was that God would give back the harvests that had been destroyed.

The above scripture has great meaning to me.  I can remember standing in my twin sister’s home totally devastated, crying most of the time.  I knew my twin had all she needed on her plate and did not need me with all my pain and grief.  My dear friend, Dean, would call me and encourage me with the above scripture.  Hang in there Coppi, God loves you and He will restore your loses to you – not only worldly goods but love, friends, peace, etc.  At that moment in time my mind could not grab hold of what she was saying, but she never let up on calling me and encouraging me.  My friend is in heaven now.  I still miss her.  When we are passing through the storms of life, we need someone like Dean to remind us of God’s faithfulness.  No, my life did not “ bloom” over night.  I went through years of leaning heavily on Jesus and the scriptures.  But, in those years of training, I also learned things about me that needed to be corrected.  It was indeed a very long and painful time, but Jesus is faithful.  Grateful is a word that is imbedded in my heart.  Today, I have love, friends, joy, peace, and all the worldly “things” again – but what I am so very grateful for is what Jesus did inside me.  I feel like I am not the same person I was those long years ago – I think the “locusts” ate some of the uglies out of me. 

 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in m 

 e will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6.

Just a thought by coppi

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ((Is 40:31)

When you choose to hope in the Lord, the lens through which you view your circumstances shifts. Instead of looking around, you redirect your attention from the challenges you face onto God’s boundless power and his unwavering love for you. Hoping in the Lord is really an act of surrender, where you recognize the Lord is greater than any situation, any worry, or any anxiety you may experience.

Yesterday I went to have a blood draw and after having that done, I went over to the imaging clinic to have my chest x-rayed.  As I looked over the venue of people, I could not help noticing how many were in wheelchairs, helped by a partner, etc – all here to find out what tests results will find.  I felt like a punching bag myself hanging onto a weakened string of hope this past week.  Firstly, since I have dry macular degeneration, my ophthalmologist suggested I take a relatively new eye shot to slow it down .  First shot was great.  For the second shot the tec did not have enough numbing ingredient so my eye was not numb when shot was given.  I cannot express the pain I went through for two days (thank goodness my husband had some old narcotic pain pills in the fridge). Secondly, I caught some kind of a bug and felt crummy;  I went to a walk in clinic that did nothing for me, but did say if I felt worse in three days to come back.  I felt worse in three days, but went to  my primary care doctor, and that is how I ended up at test clinics. 

Today is Thanksgiving and I am so grateful for everything around me.  My husband, my friends, my family of nieces, nephews, who live far from me, our home, etc.  I have so much to be thankful for;  there is no way I can express the “all”.    I never want to forget “Jesus”, who has carried me through all my years here on earth.  Yes, there were storms, earthquakes, and  tsunamis, but my hope was/is in the Lord who is my strength.   I am thankful to the guidance, protection, and love of the God of my childhood, Jesus, who has helped me soar on the wings of angels and not become weary, walk and not faint 

ust a thought by coppi

Stretcher friends…

Mark 2:4 – They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head.  Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus…….when Jesus saw their faith….after a confrontation with the scribes, He said to the man “arise & take up thy bed & walk…..he did and was healed!

Whenever I visit my friend in Vero Beach, we have a time of gathering on their back porch.  One time we were privilege to have her uncle visiting, who is a Methodist minister, speak on different topics of interest, I would jot down any that pulled my heart strings.  One in particular really jolted my being….”stretcher friends”.  He said they were your friends who stood by you no matter what debris the winds of life blew in.  They prayed, encouraged, listened & extended a helping hand.  He said if you have five or less, you are mightily blessed.  Yes, I do.  These friends have been with me through many storms & also rejoiced with me in the brightness of the sun.  I would label them “the hands, feet, ears, mouth, etc of Jesus” – God is a spirit & the body of Christ is his way of spreading his unconditional love. 

Written years ago, but still a memory tucked in my heart.   Coppi

“We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace.” — Oswald Chambers

There are times in my life that I like to return to – remember and write about. This is one of those times:  I was born in San Antonio, Tx, but grew up in Fredericksburg, Tx.  I spent most of my life after graduation in Dallas, Tx.  I have mentioned before in my thoughts that I volunteered at the V.A. Hospital as an undercover person working for the chaplain, The lady that worked in our locker room at the Club I belonged to knew I was a volunteer at the V.A.  One day when I was there to play golf and was putting on my golf shoes, she came to me and told me one of our member’s husband was in the V. A. Hospital and would I pay him a visit when I was there.  I said sure I would.  The next time I was there, I looked up where his room was and went to see him.  His son was standing by his bedside.  I went to Al’s bedside and started a conversation with him. (I had played golf with Al and his wife at the Country Club).  Our conversation eventually turned to Jesus and His grace, love, and salvation plan.  I prayed with him and bid he and his son goodbye.  Years later, I was having a problem with my toe and went to a podiatrist not knowing it was Al’s son, to have him check it.  When I enter his office, his first words were “Coppi I want to thank you for talking to my father at the V.A.  I was the son in the room when you were there.  “I wanted to have this conversation with my father, but did not know how to begin.”  My father died not too long after your visit”.  You know, life is a journey and if we are connected to our Shepherd, Jesus, He will lead us to a pasture that one of his sheep is needing His love, grace, and help.  In Luke 15:1-7 – “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”.

We serve a Shepherd, Jesus, who has great love for his sheep, us, – He will carry us through the tsunami’s of our life; we will know we are being carried by “The Foot Prints in the Sand”……there will be only one foot print in the sand, because we will be carried on His shoulder’s.  I speak from my own life – I know I was being carried; His love ad  grace carried me. 

”Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I love to read the Psalms.  King David was so vulnerable in them. He would cry out in his anguish and be very joyful in praise and song when happy. He knew where his hope came from.  “Hope is commonly used to mean a wish: its strength is the strength of the person’s desire. But in the Bible hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.”  A song I have sung many times in my life is:  “I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest, I’ll sail the wide seas no more; the tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep seas. Jesus I’m safe evermore …”  “Being anchored in Him is my refuge, rock, and fortress…” and truly “He is my HOPE!”

Just a thought by coppi

Take time in guided prayer to assess your own heart. In what ways are you still hiding from God as Adam and Eve did? In what ways have you veiled your heart as if God didn’t already rip the veil separating him from us in two?

The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the Tabernacle and Temple in Jerusalem was a thick, embroidered curtain that symbolized the boundary between heaven and earth, and between man and God:  

Years ago I did a painting of the Tabernacle.  I wish I had it, but when everything in my life fell in the pit, I left Dallas and moved to Oklahoma;   The painting was lost.  The painting was gone, but my study of the Tabernacle in the wilderness remains in my heart.  The tearing of the temple curtain could symbolize “the end of the old covenant of atonement through animal sacrifice and the beginning of a ‘’new covenant”.  Everything in the sacrifice of animals had to meet high standards to what was to be sacrificed.  The Law and the Tabernacle would accomplish similar goals: not to place a burden on the Israelites, but to show the absolute authority of God. To make known that the only way for man to come to God was on His terms and none other. God would accept no excuses as He expected complete obedience. Both the Law and the Tabernacle revealed sin to mankind and looked forward to a future solution that would be brought into the world through the Messiah. 

The Tabernacle in the wilderness was portable.   In the day, God’s presence would be seen as a cloud; at night, it would be seen as a fire. When the cloud or fire moved to a new place, the people could pack up the Tabernacle tent and furniture and move them to the new place. The Lord said that Moses’ and Aaron’s family or tribe were to take care of the Tabernacle .

I am glad we don’t have to go through all the rules etc to meet with God.  God through His son, Jesus, became the lamb sacrifice before the foundation of the world, and now we can meet with God through Jesus, the sacrificial lamb. 

I wrote this when I lived in Seminole Heights years ago. 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.“

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬

”See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.“

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On one of my walks around the Hillsborough river in Seminole Heights Fl, I saw a person whose job was to take care of and protect a park.  He was tucked away in the corner of the park weeping.  I stopped and said “May I help you and why are you crying”?   He responded “I am going to kill myself – I have nothing to live for anymore.  My wife left me and is filing for divorce.  I have two children and she will be awarded them because she is the mother. She is leaving me not for a man, but another woman”.  On and on, he empty himself of all the pain he was experiencing.  Finally, I said “Why kill yourself over something that is causing you excess pain at this time.  Time heals.  You have two children that I am sure loves you and they are not divorcing you, and you really don’t know what the future holds.    

If you kill yourself, you will never know what God can do in any situation.” Are you a believer in God.?  “Oh, yes I am,” he said.  “Okay, great, now why don’t you call upon Him to help you”.   “I said, “Do you mind if I pray for you now”?  We held hands and I prayed that Jesus would guide him through this trial; that he would experience the love of God that passes all understanding, and I prayed every encouraging word along with a few scriptures that would give him hope.  I also encouraged him to go to the church he attended, and talk to the minister or a trusted friend. When I left, I said “Please  don’t kill yourself.  You will get through this.  Trust and believe that the God who created you, will help you”.  I would like to end with I saw him again and everything was fine, but I didn’t.  I could not solve his problem, but I left him in the hands of someone, Jesus, who could. 

Just a thought by coppi