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Gorse

11/8/2020

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 "Gorse." My first introduction to this spectacular prickly shrub came courtesy of C.S. Lewis in his describing what it was like to ride on Aslan's back:
"That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia.  Have you ever had a gallop on a horse?  Think of that; then take away the heavy noise of the hoofs...imagine you are going about twice as fast as the fastest racehorse...right across Narnia in Spring, down solemn avenues of beech and across sunny glades of oak, through wild orchards of snow-white cherry trees, past roaring waterfalls and mossy rocks and echoing caverns, up windy slopes alight with gorse bushes..."
Mind you, I had never actually seen gorse until we moved to Scotland!  It was winter.  We were making our pilgrimage from Orkney to Kiltarlity to visit Kate when I noticted unseasonably BRIGHT YELLOW BLOSSOMS gracing the prickly shrubs along the verge.  Astounded that ANYTHING could bloom under such conditions, I set out to identify this wonder!  I discovered a 19th century English proverb:

"When the gorse is out of bloom, kissing's out of fashion."

Evidently gorse can be found blooming here and there year-round in Britain!  The following summer we were headed north on the A-9 after another visit with Kate and her family.  The sun shone and the air was quite warm by Highland standards.  I rolled down the window just as we drove past a hillside fairly glowing with bright yellow gorse blossoms.  Suddenly we were enveloped by a most delicate, intoxicating fragrance!  Who knew that gorse smelled and tasted of coconut?

I have since discovered a myriad of mysterious characteristics of this strange and alluring shrub:

Gorse grows ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE, along motorways and in wasteland
It flourishes where soil is shallow and nutrients scarce
The flowers are a valuable source of pollen and nectar during gap months
Its blossoms are high in protein, delicious in salads, tea and liqueurs
The seeds can be soaked in water and the liquid used as flea repellent
The flowers and bark produce brilliant yellow and green dyes
Gorse are "noisy, exploding self-seeders"
One might wonder, "Why all this fuss about Gorse??? God has designed His creation to reflect His glory.  Even gorse has a lesson or two for me!  These are difficult times.  I have not always "flourished in the wasteland."  Gorse has given me a bit of inspiration to:
Persevere when growing conditions are challenging
Provide a bit of sweetness for all I meet
Help others taste and see that the Lord is good
Soak myself in the water of the Word to ward off pests
Live a colorful life and avoid drabness at all costs
Eagerly (noisily?) plant seeds, sharing the reason for the HOPE I have in Jesus

Soli Deo Gloria!
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Rise Up!

11/1/2020

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Twelve years ago today, and 4,087 miles away
I stood on one of a thousand sun-bleached hills in Rosebud County, Montana.  The day was exceptionally mild. The sun shone and shadows were long. I had arrived in the wee hours of the morning, with my son Drew and my brother Steve.  We found ourselves in the middle of a real-life nightmare.

At noon the day before we had received word from the local sheriff that my father had "gone missing" while hunting with his "friend."  Today finding him in this vast, almost featureless terrain seemed an impossible task.  The nights since his disappearance had been frosty, and he might easily have died of exposure having survived an injury.  The uncertainty was torturous.  We spent the morning bouncing across the countryside in a jeep, frantically scouting the landscape for any sign of my father.  It was entirely possible our searching would prove futile.  We were hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack.  I prayed, "Lord, please let us find him!"

Around noon we noticed the search helicopter silhouetted against the bright mid-day sun.  As it drew closer, landing in the adjacent field, my heart pounded wildly.  Bill, a friend helping with the search jumped out, jogging toward us:  "We found Doc...he's didn't make it."

The THIEF had struck, stealing a faithful husband, loving father, doting grandfather and beloved veterinarian. 
I had wanted to protect my firstborn from the agony of this moment, but Drew had insisted on traveling with me to Montana for the search and hoped for rescue.  Drew was "Papa's boy."  Now, in gut-wrenching shock, we stood next to my father's uninhabited body. Despite the sinister circumstances and unanswered questions surrounding his death, I was grateful to have found him.  The gift of closure is denied to many in similar circumstances.  We prayed together, giving thanks for the indescribable gift of Dad's life...and the assurance of his unwavering faith in Jesus.

Yesterday I was overcome by the sudden realization that the THIEF has struck again.  This time the scope of his theft is almost immeasurable!
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Henry and I have been attending this small, local church for the past few weeks.  We commend the pastor and the leadership for their courage.  It is the only church in the area that has made the decision to resume gathering! We are grateful.

The official government requirements for meeting border on the absurd.  We are obliged to book ahead.  As we arrive a friendly greeter stands at the door offering, not a handshake, but a generous dollop of hand sanitizer.  I reluctantly don my disposable mask, knowing I may not enter without it.  The floor is marked with directional arrows to ensure "social distancing."  We are shown a map of the seating arrangement and choose our socially distanced seats.

As the service begins we are reminded that those of us in attendance may not sing with the prerecorded worship music, but must confine ourselves to meditating on the words as they are displayed on the screen.  I find myself singing beneath the mask. If I don't sing, surely the rocks will cry out!

The scene is strangely redolent of a poorly written pantomime. The reluctantly masked actors are silent.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, I am CONSUMED with a perfect storm of GRIEF and OUTRAGE!  Where is the Church Militant?  Where are the soldiers of the Cross? I want to stand up and scream: 


         *What has happened to the Church?
         *When did we allow the enemy to consume us with fear? 
         *When did our allegiance shift from our Captain to the unwitting 
           servants of that cunning conniver, the devil of hell?


      The Bride has been bound and gagged
And we are worshiping the devil by default!


In his book "Worship As David Lived It" Judson Cornwall reminds us that: 

                                 FEAR AND FAITH
                       ARE EXACTLY THE SAME ENERGY
                     RUNNING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.


Faith says, "I believe God."  
Fear say, "I believe the enemy."



In August of 1527 the Bubonic Plague reached the small village of Wittenberg, the home of Martin Luther.  Eighteen villagers died in the first seventeen days of the plague.  Luther, married with a small son and a pregnant wife was encouraged to flee.  Luther was not immune to fear, but chose faith, remaining in the village throughout the plague to serve the people.  He wrote the following in a letter to a friend:
"I am concerned about the delivery of my wife...but He who is mighty has done great things for me; and so the endurance of great things is required of me.  May Christ, whom I have purely taught and confessed, be my Rock and my Fortress.  Amen."
It is thought that he wrote "A Mighty Fortress," his best loved hymn during this time,  After having recovered from the plague himself, Luther wrote that the desire to flee death is a "natural tendency."  He also wrote that "No neighbor can live alongside another without risk to his safety, property, wife, or child..."  LIFE IS RISKY!
​

                      Friends, let us choose FAITH over FEAR!
                                          Perfect love CASTS OUT FEAR!
   Jesus' resurrection has removed the sting of death and the grave's victory!
                 To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!

        Let us worship the Lord our God and serve HIM only! 
​
Held captive in Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, reserving their worship for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Their faith had them cast into a fiery furnace, but the Lord delivered them! 

It is high time that we too take a stand, refusing to  bow to the idol called Covid. Let us entrust ourselves in worshipful obedience to the Lord.  He is perfectly sovereign and GOOD in ALL His ways!  We are precious in His sight and we have been bought by the blood of the Lamb!
                          He is WORTHY of our praise!

​"Oh Church Arise and put your armour on

Hear the call of Christ our Captain
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies
An army bold whose battle cry is love
Reaching out to those in darkness!"

(by Keith Getty)

​Soli Deo Gloria!
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    Anne Reitzug

    Sojourner.  Servant.  Recipient of undeserved  Grace.  Worshiper.

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