July 16th

Well, I was in Montana for a few days! Now we have arrived in Casper, Wyoming for a couple of weeks. Fred’s sister is getting married on Saturday and we will be celebrating Fred’s 60th high school class reunion the following Saturday, before we turn for home. And back again to Montana.

There is so much going on in my heart and mind…I’m excited at how well “Signposts” is being received. I’ve nearly sold out of my second shipment, thank You God!! I am filled to the brim with sweet moments of family time and memories that erupt around every bend in the road! If I were to coalesce my thoughts in any way I would want to talk about water. Maybe next week I can talk about mountains! But as we drove the hundreds of miles to get here I was mesmerized, as usual, by the many rivers, ponds, lakes and streams we passed. I love the sound of a rushing river; the sight of sunlight on the frothy sprays that occur when the water meets an obstruction like a rock or log. Placid, slow-moving sometimes; rushing headlong at others. How alive they make me feel! But the next curve may bring us to a separate pond. A pond that sits away from the river, scummy with slimy growth, and looking dead and still. I mused at the contrast. With no apparent inlet or outlet, the pond has very little, if any, life. The rivers and streams however, pulse with energy, constant movement…life.

My spiritual life often contains the same contrast. And I think it’s true of all of us. When we are drenched with the water of the Word, it enters us, flows through us and out in love and service. But just as water can become stagnant with no fresh water, so can we. Water’s freshness or staleness depends on the circumstances surrounding it. I want to be a conduit of fresh water to those whom God places in my path. It is so vital, then, that I allow the Word of God, the Living Water Jesus says He is, to be my Source. John 4 and 7?

I can hardly take my eyes off the beautiful rivers of Montana, pushing through canyons, racing along the farmlands, watering the earth. After many years of traveling the same roads, I know where to look! And prepare myself for a jolt of excitement, as I always say to Fred, “Look at the river, how it glistens in the sun!” My prayer is that I never look inside myself and see a stagnant pool, covered with algae!

Thanks, as always , for accompanying me on this journey we call life. Let’s splash in the river of Joy in Jesus this week!

Sending my love, Lois