Fire, Good and Bad

Winter moved over and spring is catching up again. I walked out to our Peggy Sue (trailer) and it was so pleasant; calm air, sunshine and warmer temps. Good deal.

Last night we spent with my dad and his wife playing cards. We haven't done that with them and have noticed that when they are in Florida they do it weekly with friends or my sister and her husband. I decided that spending quality time with them is a good idea so called to see if we were welcomed to come to play some cards. "Well, what cards do you want to play?" "Whatever you enjoy, Dad." "Do you know how to play Pinocle?" "We used to play about thirty years ago so I suppose we could relearn." Relearn we did and had a very good time doing it. Mary and I won three out of four games. It was so entertaining to see the guys bid out of sight....they have more of a gambling personality or should I say, the guys in my life take bigger risks. Some they won, others they didn't. I would say the same about the things they risked in life. I think women are more play it safe kind of people....at least this one is.

I wish I could say we have made a lot of progress in Peggy Sue. We have and we haven't. Perhaps the truth is that I would like it to go faster. Ken is kind of putsing along with this project. I know better than to nag. I see that he is enjoying the process so I'll attempt to be patient. He has the front booth out and is pulling up the flooring. He found rotted plywood under the flooring...which we expected to find. In his time, he will pull out the wood and replace it. My job is to take the table whose top is scratched and rather unsightly to the place where they will put on a new piece of formica. The fun will be choosing something to go with the pink appliances. I'm looking forward to that.

Yesterday afternoon, I got out in the yard and cleaned up some leaf residue left from this windy spring. We have a wooded area next to us so the leaves never cease their falling and or blowing. It is so amazing to me what cleaning fire can do. What was unsightly is suddenly gone and the area cleaned up. We fear fire because of its destructive powers but it can be our friend as well. We find ourselves in a pilgrimage of conflicting forces. The good and the bad; the just and the unjust...God tells us what he will do with the opposite force in Isaiah;

Isaiah 5:24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, So their (people with evil intent) root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Often in the Word, God speaks of consuming evil with fire. Just as the dry grass and leaves was consumed at my laying of a match to it...so the Lord will consume all those that do not bend their knee in obedience to Him. All injustice and perversion will be thrown into the pit of fire. It will be destructive but will be a friend to those that put their trust in Him. May all who read these words of God take thought to how they live.