Seeking Wisdom in Joseph's Story (3)

Remember from last time that Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, has just been betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery. He was purchased by Potiphar, the (Egyptian) captain of Pharaoh's guard.

Joseph's story continues in Genesis chapter 39. His life situation had just changed drastically. He went from being 'spoiled' as his father's favorite to being thrown away like trash by his own brothers. There must have been at least a brief period of fear and uncertainty for Joseph, right? Scripture doesn't specify. Whatever his feelings were, however, he proved to be virtuous and prudent from the very start.

"The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." Genesis 39:2

God was with him! He maintained virtuous character regardless of what his own family had done to him. The Lord gave him success in everything he did. Joseph's work ethic was so good that Potiphar put him in charge of his house and all he owned! Indirectly, Potiphar reaped benefit through God's favor on Joseph. 

Potiphar's wife soon begins to lust after and pursues Joseph, begging him to sleep with her. He refuses, stating in verse 9, "...How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"  It would have been easy enough, considering he had charge over the place but, again, he maintained his character and said no. So one day she catches Joseph alone. He still says no, even runs! She is angry and spiteful, and falsely accuses him so he is thrown into prison. 

Another drastic life change. What a rollercoaster! 

Thoughts for personal reflection: 

1. Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way." Proverbs 16;9 The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. 

Sometimes I think God must chuckle at how "in control" we think we are of our life. We can make all kinds of plans, but ultimately it is God who lays the path. 

2. Joseph suffered great losses! His life as favorite son in the palace, his favored position of watching over his brothers, his family--especially Jacob,  his position of authority in Potiphar's house. Yet in the face of each major loss, he persisted with virtue and prudence. God was with him! 

3. Gen 39:2 "God was with him so he was a successful man." We need to realize that if we are prospering in life, work, etc, it is only because our Lord is with us. It is Him who causes us to succeed. Regardless what people do to try to derail us--even our own family--if God is with us, we can not fail. God may even use us to bless others. (The world was blessed through Abraham! "...I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing." Genesis 12:2)  

We are blessed to be a blessing! 

4. Sometimes we have to get radical to avoid sin! I can't say with certainty whether I could run outside naked to flee a situation like the one Joseph was in. Especially if I was in such a position of power. That took a lot of grit and fortitude! Integrity is doing what's right, even when nobody is looking, right? Joseph knew God was present. His love for, and desire to serve God outweighed everything else! I aspire to that kind of faith and dedication to my Almighty!! 

Sleep Deprived....Again

November 2. Today I will be grateful for this blog. It's been here all these years, patiently waiting for me to come back to it. No rush, no pressure.  

The first day I ever posted here: March 12, 2010

What did I say? 

This: 

Sleep Deprived

So.....I worked last night from 7pm to 7am, then I went home, packed some stuff & drove to Spokane to visit Mom & Nanna. I have travelled that road SO many times in my youth...but I never appreciated the magnificence of it. It is truly amazing to see what God created with simply a word. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to explore the many wonders He placed here for all to see. How can anyone deny our powerful Creator?

Who could have imagined that in September of 2021, I would go to Spokane and visit my Nanna for the last time? 

Who could have imagined that on March 12, 2023 (12 years after that post), I would be living overseas & mom would travel here to visit me; The last time either of us would travel to be together this side of Heaven. 

Who could have imagined how much sadness one heart can hold. How deep that sorrow can burrow in. How much I could miss one tiny, precious woman. 

So, here I am. Sleep deprived again but for a whole different reason. And still proclaiming the glory and awe of our powerful Creator. 

Dearest Mom,

 

Dearest Mom, 

I sure do miss you. Guess where I went Friday...? Back to your favorite island. I didn't want to go without you, but God gave me the strength to push through it. He is such a good and faithful God. The way He changed several aspects of the trip made it less painful. We left from a different dock, arrived at a different spot, and took a totally different route back too. 

I did my best not to dwell on my sadness. Our friends there were sad too. They remember how strong you were. Whenever I see them, they talk about how strong you were to travel all the way here by yourself just to visit me. They were so tender with me. We talked about you fondly and remembered the short time they spent with you. They are going to be looking after me, mom.No one on earth could possibly do that as well as you, but they sure are going to try. The couple I stay with told me that since we have all lost our parents and since I'm older, I can be their mom now. 

You wouldn't believe it. They have a picture of me on their family wall! They greeted me at the ferry dock like my own little cheering squad. 

God is providing support to help hold me up mom. In the moments when I feel like I can't take one more step, the Comforter swoops in and carries me. It's still so, so hard to comprehend that I won't ever get to hold your hand, or hug you, or just look into your sweet face and tell you how much I love you again...

But I know the One who holds you is bringing you more joy and comfort than I ever could. 

He loves you most. 

I love you second most--Always. 

Your loving daughter, Ang

Learning Lessons (Joseph's Story 1)

I pray that I never reach a time that I think I know enough. That it's time to stop learning. That I'm the smartest one in the room. 

I love to learn. 

Learning requires listening. Hearing what is said and what is not said. Paying attention to the circumstances and taking context into account. Being curious. Realizing we may not understand what we see and having the humility to ask clarifying questions. 

I've always said that I don't believe in coincidence so, for me, part of learning is investigating what the Lord is trying to teach me through them. This week, He has made the story of Joseph (Genesis 37) part of four different devotional studies I'm taking part in. I apparently have lessons to learn from this story! 

I recently mentioned something I have heard before (unfortunately I don't remember where) about the way we tend to identify with the hero of the story. Whether it's a story from the Bible or a secular story, we want to be the hero.  David > Goliath, the son who humbly returned home > the proud brother, Job > his friends, and Joseph > his brothers. 

If we dig into Joseph's story from the beginning, we learn that his family life was definitely not perfect. In fact, they had a lot of issues. Jacob (his dad) has quite a story of his own! Scripture is full of stories about how God works in and through very dysfunctional families. Joseph's is no exception. 

A few things we're told about Joseph in the first 11 verses: 

1) He was Jacob's favorite, as evidenced by the gift Jacob gave him: his famous "coat of many colors." This was a bold statement that Joseph was to receive the birthright--he was the favored one, the one with clout. 

2) His brothers hated him and were mean to him. Joseph ran to tell Jacob when they mistreated him, which certainly would not have changed their minds! They hated him even more. Joseph's favor was a source of constant family conflict. 

3) God spoke to Joseph through dreams. 

Imagine, you already know you're the family favorite & that your brothers are bitter about it. Then you have a dream that will "rub it in" and you can't wait to share it with them. But wait!! You have another dream! As if telling the first one didn't cause enough termoil...you just have to tell them this one too; and this one not only rubs it in with your brothers-but your parents too. Your dad, who already shows favoritism toward you. 

4) To me, this indicates that perhaps Joseph was a little prideful and perhaps boastful about the favor Jacob showed him? 

I'm going to ponder, pray, and sleep on this section of the story...I can relate in some ways to each person in the story, and I am eager to learn the lessons He has for me. I'll be back! 

Family Love

 How beautiful is this woman...in her 90s?!

A special painting for a special woman. 

12x16 acrylic on canvas

Eye of the Storm

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
and in the middle of the war You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet...
Between the black skies, and my red eyes, I can barely see.
When I'm feelin' like I've been let down by my friends and my family,
I can feel the rain reminding me...

(chorus) In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
and in the middle of the war You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

When my hopes and dreams are far from me and I'm runnin' out of faith
I see the future I picture slowly fade away
and when the tears and pain and heartache are pouring down my face,
I find my peace in Jesus' name...

(chorus)

When the test comes in and the doctor says I've only got a few months left,
it's like a bitter pill I'm swallowing, I can barely catch my breath.
And when addiction steals my baby girl and there's nothing I can do,
my only hope is to trust in You......I trust you, LORD

(chorus)

When the storm is raging, and my hope is gone,
When my flesh is failing, You're still holding on...

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows.
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid.
For You are close beside me...

Written by: Bryan Fowler & Ryan Stevenson

https://youtu.be/-sx8wTnnfSc

Rainier Trip

Can I describe our Rainier trip this year?

In 20 photos or less?

I'll try!

Beavers are natures best dam builders!

The classic shot from the bridge at Myrtle Falls.

Randall Hodges, the professional, giving us a short macro lesson.

Not 100% sure what the names of all the wildflowers are

but they're pretty!

If you look closely, you can see the road in front of Rainier.

(The diagonal line)

Notice the bumper to bumper cars parked along the road?

The parking lot at Paradise was completely full!

The place was PACKED!

From the 'Sunrise' side.

A shot of me and Mom on the Sourdough Ridge trail at Sunrise.

Another shot from the Sourdough Ridge trail.

I call these "mopheads" and I've only seen them growing in

subalpine territory. Not sure what their true scientific name is.

A red Indian Paintbrush!

Sunrise was the place for wildflowers this year.

We had a lot of snow last winter and there were very few flowers on

the Paradise trails.

Mom's about to come across the suspension bridge in

"The Grove of the Patriarchs"

You have seen how incredibly wide I am...

So you KNOW these trees are pretty darn big!

...and TALL!

They were as tall as 300 feet according to the signs & flyers.

I don't know why this fallen trunk fascinated me so....

BAXTER!!

Yes! We saw 2 black black bears (yes, I said black 2X on purpose)

AND

One cinnamon black bear! It looked like a grizzly but it's face and legs were black,

hence the title, 'cinnamon black'.

They were wandering around in the "Paradise Valley" area.

We also saw 3 foxes. This black one with a white tipped tail,

(You can barely see through the weeds) this light tan/white one

and a solid gray one. They were not bashful, in fact they came up to

people and cars in the parking lot and on the road.

Signs explicitly tell you not to feed the wild animals, but obviously not

everyone heeds signs.

I can't remember the name of this little waterfall, but Mom and I vowed

to go back soon, hopefully before it snows us out, and hit all the waterfalls, making note of

their names. There are quite a few.

OOPS!! 22 Photos....I was close!

Another wonderful trip to my favorite place in Washington...possibly the country.

God's art is the very very best!

Learning From Children

Ok, so my child is going to be 20 years old in three days.

I learn something from him every time he visits.

There are lessons he probably doesn't even know he's teaching in most conversations!

Is it wrong to just beam with pride just looking at a picture like this one?

Well if it is, then I'm in trouble!

What is he doing here? Reading a "self help" book of some type.

Not an assignment for school. Not a required read.

A hobby.

A constant striving for improvement.

A continued willingness to stand up in front of congregations of people and preach Christ.

Yes, he taught Bible class and preached for us on Sunday morning.

Later, he asked me to recite one memorable thing from either class or the sermon.

My answer?  

When he discussed Jericho and how the Lord (The Commander of the army of the Lord) instructed Joshua to defeat the city. The instructions probably sounded pretty silly, don't you think? Yeah, march around the city for six days. Oh! Then on the seventh day? March around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets

and have all the people shout!

Really?

Then what?

That's all! God's in control so just do what He says and you will win.

PERIOD.

If God's in control and we do what He says, then we can not go wrong.

If we do not do what He says?

We LOSE.

Bottom line. No ifs ands or buts....the end.

He loves the ocean, so when he visits, we frequent the Pacific beaches.

You find solitary in watching, hearing...feeling the rhythm of the waves.

Ever curious as to what he is thinking...I pick his brain as we comb the beach.

As he looks out over the beauty of the Pacific he says,

"Can you imagine how incredible heaven will be? The beauty God has laid before us is impossible to describe with words, and yet He had to use words and images of things we are capable of relating to in an attempt to show it to us...."

To what does he attribute his intense passion for God and self improvement?

He wants to make a difference.

He does not want to be a mediocre human being.

I don't think there's much chance of that!!

I don't know how many 19 year old young men have this type of thing on their mind when they are at the beach, but I would venture to say that it is quite rare. Maybe I'm biased?

A deep discussion continued as we strolled along.

The sheer power of water.

He bent down to dip his fingers in the fluid & splashed me with it and said,

"This wetness should not be powerful enough to toss these massive logs around like twigs, but it is...and God just spoke it into existence."

It reminds me of how insignificant we truly are and yet...

 God send Christ here to be perfect and to die for me.

God gave me a wonderful child who has taught me valuable lessons through the years and continues to do so today. He is devoted to being a man after God's own heart.

I thank the Lord for blessing me so greatly. Especially because I know I am so undeserving.

What an awesome God we serve.



A Walk On The Ridge

Mount Angeles is the set of peaks on the left.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day with the sun beaming down

 creating temperatures in the 60s on the ridge. 

Me & Kory enjoying a nice hike.

The last time I ventured out toward Mount Angeles, I made it to the top.

Unfortunately I have not been out much this year. I did not realize how out of shape I was for hiking in high altitudes until we were fairly close to the top.

Yes, I wimped out.

I now have a goal to work toward :)

A view from the trail.

Kory enjoying the splendor.

A couple more shots along the trail.

We got of to a bit of a late start, so it was late afternoon/early evening

when we reached the highest point of the hike for the day.

Since we are in cougar country we made a point to remain watchful for any signs of wildlife. We saw several species, but (thankfully) no cougar!

We spied a large black bear about 75-100 yards away. I tried to get the camera out before he ducked into the pines, but wasn't quite fast enough.

Kory noticed a mountain goat wandering around in the woods nearby, but he did not show himself. Considering the fact that one of these goats actually killed a man last year, we were quite relieved that he chose to let us pass without a standoff.

We stopped & had a snack along the trail when this gal came along.

She was brave enough to get pretty darn close, but decided to walk behind us rather than continue on her trail route. She stopped and studied us for a few seconds, then sauntered off.

We had the pleasure of several different types of wildflowers in full bloom!

At first glance this looked like a family, however, the little brownish guy on the left didn't belong. The poor baby couldn't get any of the others to accept him. I watched him trot around, bleating the entire time as if he was looking for his Momma but none of the deer in the area wanted anything to do with him. They kept charging him & running him off. It was actually pretty sad :(

I am (obviously) still quite a novice when it comes to photography.

As the sun dropped and the moon rose, I set up and attempted to capture the glow of the sunset.

One day, I'll get the light balance right!!

A beautiful close to a marvelous day.

It's Who Ya Know

They start showing up around 2pm. Some run toward their cabins having just checked in they're excited to have exactly the counsellor they asked for. For some, it's their first time and they are a bit more skeptical...just a lil nervous to meet those they will be spending 24/7 with for then next week. Oblivious to the fact that they will leave a better person than they currently are as they stand in the doorway and choose their bunk.

It's HOT.

It's sticky.

Mosquitos, gnats, spiders, flies, beetles, bees, snakes...

CRITTERS galore!

Some bring buddies, some don't.

Each and every one will have at least one item they can't live without. A keepsake of sorts, a special pillow, a stuffed animal, a photograph.

Everyone will have their sword.

I didn't spend yesterday unpacking my things, setting up my cabin and my bunk, greeting my return campers, making my new campers feel welcomed.

No, I didn't spend months preparing devotionals that pertain to the 'topic' of the week, praying that all I do for the next week will bring at least just one soul closer to my Lord.

For the first time since 1996 I am not spending the entire week engulfed in prayer, laughter, songs of praise...

WHY?

It's who ya know.

Sounds a little contrary, huh? I mean it's Bible camp, right? Why does who you know matter? It's not like a communist community or some kind of dictatorship, is it?

Hmmmmm.

You wouldn't think that's how things work within the church, would ya?

Well guess what??

That's EXACTLY how it works.

Of course it does depend somewhat on the part of the US in which you live.

It would have been more understandable had it been due to the fact that I can't remain in the lives of my campers as closely...or because there REALLY wasn't enough room for another ADULT counsellor...but that is completely bogus.

What's the REAL reason I'm missing out on the one week I look forward to more than any other week of the year? The week where although I am 100% emotionally and quite physically spent by the end?

Seriously?

Someone I know.

That's it, you say?

Well....the someone I know (a grudge holder) is related to another someone who went to high school with the NEW boss' spouse...so in a roundabout way, yes, that's it.

Are we all Christians? Yes, supposedly we are.

Do we all behave as such? I believe we all try to. No one is perfect, so of course we don't succeed all the time, but I'm sure we do our best.

Can you find it in the Bible anywhere that if you offer to give your time to serve God doing something that you absolutely LOVE to do that another person can tell you, "No, I'm sorry you can't do that." ?? I looked and so far I have not been able to find it anywhere.

Well in THAT part of the country, it's all in who you know, who you're related to, who you went to high school with, etc etc etc.

It's sad when you have your excited campers asking you which cabin will be yours this year and you have to tell them,

"I'm sorry, I won't be there this year because they decided to put a teenager in my place, denying me the opportunity to love and serve you this week"...

OK, I didn't really SAY that, but I had to explain that I wouldn't be there :(

I can serve God where I am, and I will.

There is Bible Camp in this part of the country too...and I bet they don't function quite the same way. It matters not which family tree you show up on or who your friends from high school are. If you call yourself a Christian, that means you belong to the family of God and NO ONE can deny you the right to serve Him. Are we worthy? NO, not at all.

Luke 18:9-14 9 And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get. 13 But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner. 14 I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

It IS who you know...and I know my Lord, my Savior, my God.

What more could I ask for?

I pray that my sweet young campers have a wonderfully spiritual week. That they draw near to the Lord. I pray that souls may be opened and souls may be saved. I pray that He watch over all those involved this week and that He speak to each one in His own way. I pray all remain safe and well. I pray His great blessings on the efforts this week and that all come away with a more intimate knowledge of our loving and powerful Lord.