Praise The Lord!

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
    stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Psalm 148:7-8 NRSV

Let everyone praise the Lord!

I went for a ride with my camera yesterday. The winter scenes are beautiful. They are breathtaking. But, steps outside of the vehicle and the cold will also take your breath away. We adjust to the seasons. They all bring something beautiful to remind us of God, the creator of heaven and earth. Each season also brings various hazards: freezing ice storms, snow storms, hurricanes, tornadoes. But, between those hazards to life we thank God and praise Him for the beauty of the earth and the life we have been given on it and in His Kingdom.

Let all God's children praise the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Standing Inside The Fire

Cassie Standing Inside The Fire
Photo by Uncle "John Arthur Photography"

"And I will put this third into the fire,
    refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people';
    and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'” Zech 13:9

When she was younger, I called her Sassy Cassie. She can still be a bit sassy. She, as most of us do, has fought the refining process as well as she could. Thankfully, God is patient and loves all of his children continuing always to soften our hearts toward Him that we might live abundant lives in Him. The refining is not easy on the person that is being refined or on anyone around them. But, it is better to withstand the fiery ordeal of refining then never to step inside those refining fires. It is better to withstand the refining process while young so that as we grow old, we can joyfully say, "The Lord is my God."

For most of her life, I have reminded Cassie to "live life." Life is much more pleasant when we get up and actually experience the awesome life and all the gifts that God has given us. Focus on truly living life in Christ and you will know joy and peace.

Garth Brooks reminds us in his song:
     Standing outside the fire 
     Standing outside the fire 
     Life is not tried it is merely survived 
     If you're standing outside the fire

Do not fear the refining fires. God is with you even in those fires. Live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rev 20 Fear of Death or Love of God?

Rev 20 NIV
Chapter 20 has brought about a lot of surmising among people regarding who will be raised and when; about what the first and second resurrections and deaths might be. There are whole sects built almost exclusively around all of this surmising. They are built on fear of death rather than the love of God.

It is difficult (impossible) to tell what exactly chapter 20 means in spite of the fact that are the many theories and teachings regarding it. Beware of false teachings and those who would use this and surrounding chapters to incite fear of death rather than the love of God. We will probably not know the specifics or even some of the generalities until the day we all stand at the judgment seat of God. This, though, I am quite sure of: we will all stand before God on that day and everyone will know that He is God. Every knee will bow before the Lord God Almighty who loves us and reconciles us to Himself through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. On the road today so no photos.

Rev 9:13-21 Sixth Trumpet; Fiery Plagues

Rev 9:13-21 NIV

The sixth trumpet sounds and what is this army that God sends that it would have no impact on the hearts of humankind? John sees a powerful image of hundreds of thousands mounted troops to destroy one third of mankind by three plagues of fire that come out of the mouths of the horses. What a fearsome site that would be! My husband, who as a young man was a "tanker" in the U.S.M.C., always surmised that these horses would actually be something like tanks.

Now, most people have a little fear of fire or at least a little respect of it. If we or someone we know has been burned by fire, we usually figure out that fire is not to be played with. We change the way we do things so that we do not get burned. But, not the people in John's vision. The plagues of fire that God sends do not change the hearts or minds of any of those who were not believers before the great army of mounted riders came. Those who are not killed still cannot comprehend that God is Almighty; that He is God, and He alone is to be worshipped. They do not repent. They continue to worship demons and all sorts of false man-made idols. They do not repent of any of that things they have been doing against God or man.

May God have mercy on humankind and soften our hearts so that all might follow in the way He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 4 Fights, Quarrels, Injustice

James 4 NIV
I watched the news, the unpeaceful protests in Baltimore, late into the night last night. Sadly, that is just a tiny fraction of the unrest in the world these days. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people will use the excuse that they seek justice to commit more injustice. Breaking the law and throwing rocks and bottles at cops is not going to promote anyone's agenda for the good. How can looting and setting other people's property on fire be justice in anyone's mind? Yet, there are quite a few who think that it is.

There is so much dissension in this world. St. James asks: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (vs 1-3)

We are taught by scripture that we are to love our neighbors and that doesn't mean just the people in the church. We are to love even our enemies. We are to care for them. To unjustly attack our neighbors or even our enemies is sin. To cause harm to them whether it be intentional or unintentional is sin. What we do or what we ask God for should not be for our benefit alone; because it might be pleasing to us; but, for the good of all people. 

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." (vs 17) "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (vs 7,8)

May God help us to learn to better trust that His will is for the good of all of His children.. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hebrews 12:14-29 - Mountains of Fear and Joy

Hebrews 12:14-29 NIV
One of my facebook friends posted that she was a bit tired of the nit picky complaints of people this morning (and it was only 5 am!) I often hear "nit picky" complaints and, in wonder, muse, "That's it! That's all they have going wrong in their lives?" Humankind tends to make mountains out of molehills. We fear things that ought not be worthy of fear. It is as though we love to live lives filled with negative drama. We search out reasons to be angry with or blame others for our problems. We search out reasons to fear.

We are sojourners on the mountain of fear even while our home is the mountain of joy. We live amidst fear in the world. Yet, we are not of this world and do not have to live in fear for our lives; for our futures. We are of the unshakeable mountain of God, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

The mountain of fear and sorrow will be destroyed; but, the mountain of joy, the city of the living God cannot be destroyed. As residents of the Holy City, rejoice. Hear God's voice and follow so that you may know everlasting peace and joy. Do not cast aside His Word; but, follow. Do not turn away from the path which leads to the mountain of joy.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" (vs 28-29)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Colossians 1 Life In This World Is Short

Colossians 1 NIV

From my Community of Saints file (2012)... Some of our
awesome young people, for whom I am always thankful,
on a multi-generational 4-wheel trip into the mountains.

Yesterday was a very sad day. I had no sooner walked through the doors to officiate at the funeral of one friend and follower of Jesus when I heard that another had just died. I have given thanks and prayed for both of them often over the years. I will miss the fellowship and partnership in the gospel of both. I am consoled only in the knowledge that according to their individual gifts they were both vessels of Christ's love and truth. I am consoled that they were rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Son, through the Son. It was and is a sad day to lose such friends and fellow servants of God. But, even while I grieve, I am most thankful for having had the opportunity to share their lives in Christ; to walk with them on their journey, for a time. 

Yesterday was a sure reminder to me that our time on earth is not permanent. We are temporary residents of this place. We have only a short time to do what we are called to do and then we are called home. When I woke up yesterday morning, the power was off in my home. I reset the breaker switch not knowing what set it off. Following the funeral, my husband and I came home to figure out why the breaker had tripped and why the kitchen light was not working (the bulb was not burned). Close examination revealed scorched areas on paneling and ceiling. What had tripped the breaker switch had been an electrical fire within the wall and ceiling of my kitchen. Somehow the fire had gone out on its own. It burned only a small area; but, there was enough damage that one wall had to be torn out in order to replace wires that had melted. I had slept soundly through the night. It was yet another reminder that life in this world can come to an end when we least expect it and then we go home. But, while we are here we ought to be using our time wisely, doing what God has called us to do; bearing fruit in Christ so that others may know God's grace and also enter into the Kingdom of the Son.

Paul appreciates and is thankful for the work of Epaphras, his fellow servant in Christ, to the Thessalonians. God does not work through Paul alone. He does not work through any of us alone. We serve together faithfully and joyfully, giving thanks for the partnership of all the saints who would reveal the mysteries of God; proclaiming the good news of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, whose doors have been opened for us through His own Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I give thanks for having been partners in Christ with both Richard and Alta. Let us not neglect to give thanks always for the faithful partnership we have with others in Christ Jesus. May God grant us the time to let them know that we appreciate their walk in the way of the Lord with us.

Life is short - live it well for the sake of the gospel - live it in such a way that others may come to know Christ - live it to the glory of God

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Through The Wilderness

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NIV
The Israelites wandered through the wilderness for many years. God led them in a pillar of fire. According to St. Paul, the rock who is Jesus the Christ was with them. But, not all of them made it through to the promised land. There were those who were idolaters; those who indulged in revelry. Some testes Christ and were killed by snakes. Others grumbled and were killed by the destroying angel. Not all of them made it through. Although, they followed that pillar of fire through the wilderness; there were those who turned their back on Christ and lived according to their own desires.

St. Paul tells us this to remind us that these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as we journey through our own wilderness. There will be temptations; but, God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.

The wilderness can be a rough place; but, Christ is with us. May God grant us the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to follow in His Way to the promised land, the Heavenly Kingdom.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 3:1-20 - Repent!

Luke 3:1-20 NIV
Now John baptized people for the forgiveness of sins. According to Luke, he admonished people to repent of their sins. It does not appear that he was a light-hearted jokester. His words were not meant to please the itching ears of humankind. He appears to be a pretty serious character and an unafraid character, as well. The people who came to him to be baptized, he called a "brood of vipers." He rebuked Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife and marrying his brother's wife. He was not afraid to be a truth teller. He was thrown into prison for it.


People flocked out to be baptized by John; yet, he was hated by many.  And, so goes the way of the those who strive to speak the truth. It and the purveyor of truth will be accepted by some. Others will do all they can to destroy the truth sayer in hopes of destroying the truth with him.

Repent and receive forgiveness. Let your sins be washed away. Repentance is not as easy as some may think. Because, before we can repent of our sins, we must first acknowledge them. If we cannot recognize our sin, our brokenness, then what is it that we think we are going to repent of? How are we going to change if we refuse to acknowledge that maybe there is room for change in our lives?


John's words may sound harsh to our ears at times. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (3:7-9)

It sounds harsh to those who refuse to repent; to change their lives and follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 3 - Brood of Vipers; God's Children

John the Baptist is one of my favorite characters. Can you imagine if I went around saying to people, "...You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance..." (Matt 3:7-8 NIV) Well, actually I do say things similar to this at times, I just don't recall actually calling anyone a viper. Oops, I take that back, too. I do recall an occasion or two when I've let someone know that they were acting like a snake.

Here is John, baptizing with water for repentance and along comes Jesus, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, to be baptized by John.
     "But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
     Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
     As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:14-17)

Anointed by the Spirit of God at baptism, we hear from that same Spirit, that same God, welcome us into His family with these reconciling words, "You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased."

A brood of vipers, we are. Yet, by His grace, we are His children.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Daniel 3 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Standing Inside The Fire

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is read during every Vigil of Easter at Zion. After the first year of me stumbling over their names, others now volunteer to read that story. Every time I hear the story I cannot help but think of Garth Brooks song "Standing Outside the Fire." There are very few country songs that I actually enjoy, but this is one of them.

"There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire

Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren't into merely surviving. They knew there was something more and because of their desire to love and serve God, they were willing to literally stand inside the fire. They did so without a hair of their head being burned.

Humankind has a tendency to want to take the easy route to nowhere. Christians actually have a goal in mind as we journey in and toward that heavenly kingdom where we live in the light and love of God's eternal presence.

The journey sometimes takes us through some pretty fiery trials. Remember, though, that when your journey takes you through the fire, just as precious metals are refined with fire, so are we.

Live life... don't be standing outside the fire!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 15 - Useless Branches Burned

Ezekiel continues to warn Israel. They, as a whole, no longer worship God. They are likened to a dead vine that ends up being burned in the fire. It is good for nothing except to be used for fuel.

We have just finished a small remodeling job in our home. A lot of old wood that ended up as starter for evening camp fires. It was no good for anything else.

We spent last evening cleaning out our son's shed of old tin and other metals. We dropped a truck load off at the church's recycling bin. It will all be hauled to the recycling center soon. Not sure where it goes from there or the exact steps that will be taken in the recycling process. This much, I know, in order for old metals to be made into something useful, they will have to put into the fire for refining. They will be melted down so that what was, no longer exists and something new and fruitful can be created.

Faithless = Fruitless = Useless = Heading for the recycling bin and will someplace along the line enter into the fire.

The useful and fruitful branch stays connected to the vine, who is Jesus, the Christ. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:5-8 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Ezekiel 10 - In God's Glory

"Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim." (Ezekiel 10:18 NIV)

Ezekiel describes the movement of God's glory to the outside of the temple. This movement occurs in concert with the cherubim, the four living creatures, of Ezekiel's visions. These cherubim were amazing creatures. "Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle." (Ezekiel 10:15) Four faces, wheels whirring in multitudes of directions beneath the; yet, amazingly, they all move in one direction. They all move in the same direction at the same time. They do not deviate from the course. They leave the temple with the glory of God in unison - together.

They leave the temple in order for the man clothed in linen that sits above them can scatter burning coals over the city. "The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in." (Ezekiel 10:2)

He went in among the wheels and one of the cherubim handed him the fire. They worked in unison, they went straight ahead, all with one mission, according to God's will, in the glory of God.

May it be so for the church on earth, that whatever God wills for His people, it is done, for His glory.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 48 - Moab To Fall and Rise Again

Moab is under fire... The cause of their impending destruction:

“We have heard of Moab’s pride—
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
    and the haughtiness of her heart.
I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord." (Jer 48:29-30 NIV)

Moab, like so many others, had turned their backs on God, worship false idols, worshipping themselves, and they were proud of it. They could do it without God.

Real stinking thinking going on there. And, they will suffer the consequences. They will be punished; yet, the LORD has good news for them, as well. After all this, He says:

“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab." (Jer 48:47)

The LORD works in such mysterious way. Sometimes those ways seem harsh; but, in the end it is for the good of His people. After we have trod through the refining fires, we will know God and we will desire to worship and serve Him.

May God grant each of us the desire to love and serve Him with our whole hearts and minds and souls.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Jeremiah 28 - Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

Liar, Liar, pants on fire!

No, that is not what Jeremiah said in response to the prophet Hananiah's prophecy that the LORD will break the yoke of Babylon in two years. "He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon." (Jer 28:6 NIV) Jeremiah would have liked that prophecy to occur, but he knew better. He knew because he, himself, had heard the word of God concerning the exile.

Hananiah tries to convince the people that Jeremiah is the one who is wrong. He takes the wooden yoke, that Jeremiah has been wearing as a warning to the people of their bondage to Babylon, and breaks it. Hananiah says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” (Jer 28:11)

Bad news... Lying about what God says is not a good thing, for sure!

"Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”
In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died." (Jer 28:15-17)

It's really not a good idea to be saying "Thus says the LORD" if the LORD hasn't said it.

"Every word of God is flawless;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." (Prov 30:5-6)

God's Peace be with you! Pr. J

Jeremiah 18 - God Answers According to His Will

A few chapters back, Jeremiah was praying for the people and God told him not to. It was useless. The people were simply hard-hearted and would not change. They would continue to do everything according to their own wills and to persecute Jeremiah for speaking the word of God.

Today, Jeremiah is asking God for relief from these same people. Apparently, he's about had it with being persecuted for trying to save them. His conversation with God:

"They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”

Listen to me, Lord;
    hear what my accusers are saying!
Should good be repaid with evil?
    Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood before you
    and spoke in their behalf
    to turn your wrath away from them." 
So give their children over to famine;
    hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives be made childless and widows;
    let their men be put to death,
    their young men slain by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses
    when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me    and have hidden snares for my feet." (Jer 18:18-22 NIV)

 

I've known more than a few pastors in my life who have been verbally attacked by their councils and congregations. The slander goes out into the community and attendance starts falling and then the people go into full attack mode. Apparently, it is the pastor's fault that this gossip about him/her amongst the congregants in the community has somehow damaged the reputation of the congregation. Go figure!

 

When a congregation goes through a new pastor every two or three years because the Bishop or whomever sent them a "bad" or "ill-fitting" pastor to them; maybe it's time to take a look at the congregation. It's not that the whole congregation attacks the pastor. It usually one takes one or two antagonists to start the stampede. But, once it is started, it is almost impossible to change the downward slide. It takes divine intervention. That divine intervention usually comes in lessons to learn. Hopefully, they learn better than Israel did. The children of God had to go into captivity to turn their lives around so that they were better in line with the LORD's will for them.

 

In the reading today, God tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house and learn what God would have him know. The potter will work the clay. He will do what it takes to make the work of his hand most beautiful in his eyes. Sometimes, like pottery, God needs to fire up the kiln. Sometimes, we need to be fired up in order to be completed. Sometimes, God has to completely destroy the work of His hand so He can start it from scratch once again.

 

Jeremiah is tired. He is tired of being persecuted for not pleasing the "itching ears" of the people. The time has come to listen as we hear the prophecy in 2 Timothy 4:3: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." That time is here. Just as the people, whom Jeremiah spoke to, only wanted to hear what was pleasing to their ears, so do many today. The truth of which God would have us speak has not changed. It must be spoken. And... those who speak it will be persecuted.

 

The pastors continue to proclaim the kingdom even as they pray for the people. God answers according to His own will and not ours. He is the potter. We are the clay.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 140 - Pray For Your Enemy

We find the author of Psalms a little more than upset this morning. That person wants vengeance in a big way.... "May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise." (Psalm 140:10 NIV)

I'm not saying that I've never thought this way. But, I'm thinking there is a more excellent way.  According to Jesus, we are to "...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5:43-45)

It is undeniable that there are many who persecute those who love the LORD. The arrogant lay out snares for the innocent seeking to damage or utterly destroy them. But, anger and vengeance only propagates the enmity. Pray for peace. Pray for protection, pray for mercy, pray that the LORD will be your strong deliverer, but pray for your enemy. as well. Pray that those who hate and persecute you will come to know the LORD and you will have lost an enemy and gained a brother or sister.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net
2. Psalm 140:8 Heb adds they are exalted
3. Psalm 140:9 Cn Compare Gk: Heb those who surround me are uplifted in head; Heb divides verses 8 and 9 differently

 

2 Chronicles 7 - Fire Came Down and the Wind Blew

I'm running a bit late this morning...  Fire came down from heaven last night or maybe it was the wind and split my apple tree in two, with half of it laying on the ground.  The power has been out since 1:30 a.m..  Since, I still had stuff left in the church basement to haul to St. Vincent DePaul's from the youth rummage sale, figured I'd come to the church and work for a bit. 

Before I went to bed last night, I said a prayer:  thanking God for my little home that He gave to me out in the middle of the woods and at the mouth of a river.  (You will hear a lot about this place from me - I love it and thank God everyday for it!) Thing about the location is that when it rains real hard the water comes right up to the back door.  That's not necessarily all that bad.  When the power goes out and we have no water, because the pump on the well won't work without electricity, I can step off the back deck and take a bath.  The lightning was flashing so steady last night, I didn't even need a flashlight to get around the house.  Each bang and boom from the thunder was joined with the sound of may other thunderous claps - made for quite a concert.

The rain and lightning don't bother me much.  I suppose if the lightning struck something I was about to cook (as in the reading today) that might bother me and yeah I'd probably fall on my face and start praising God pretty quick, too.  What bothered me a little more than it usually does, were the high winds.  I really do live in the woods.  I have huge cedar, pine, oak trees (to name just a few) surrounding my little yard.  I mean "really big" as in 70 to 80 feet tall. So tall the eagles like to sit in them and watch out over the bay.  Well, if one of these come down and my little home, it and I would be smooshed.  So, before I fell asleep, as I watched them swaying in the wind, I thanked God for the home that He has blessed me with and asked Him to keep it intact throughout the night. 

When I woke up this morning, the water was up to the back step, but the roof of my house was still on.  No huge trees down.  The only thing on the ground, beside for a few branches, was half of the apple tree which I just asked my husband last week to prune :)

God is good.  He is very, very good.  His steadfast loves endures forever!

P.S. I pray that God has kept your home and you safe throughout these storms we've had of late.