I Will Arise

We’ve all heard that God protects his own. But then we see good people suffer. How do we tell the wicked deceivers that their day is coming?

We tell them to fear the words, “I will arise.”

When they feel the earth tremble and the hairs on their arms stand tall, they should listen for those words and worry. That is, if they have no intention of repenting.

Or we could read Psalm 12 to them, which would explain a lot.

Join me at Seek God With Me to see what Psalm 12 has to say about this.

Lost Horizon, 1937

After a plane crashes in the Himalayas, a group of survivors find their way to Shangri-La. There they are astonished to find a community living together under one rule: Be kind. There they wonder about these people who claim to be much older than they appear. There they must decide whether to risk the trip back to their old life or stay and enjoy the mysterious beauty hidden in the mountains.

Beloved British actor Ronald Colman gave a powerful performance as Robert Conway, the leader of the plane crash survivors. Jane Wyatt played Sondra Bizet and Edward Everett Horton was wonderful as Mr. Lovett.

Thomas Mitchell as Mr. Barnard was fun to watch. He was a highly-talented actor in a great variety of roles. Mitchell was in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), played Gerald O’Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939), played Uncle Billy in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), and was Mayor Jonas Henderson in High Noon (1952). He won his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Doc Boone in Stagecoach (1939).

H. B. Warner played Chang. Warner worked with James Stewart in both Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Senator Agnew) in 1939 and It’s A Wonderful Life (Mr. Gower) in 1946. Warner received an Academy Award nomination for his work in Lost Horizon.

This Frank Capra directed film won two Oscars: Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing. It was nominated for Oscars in five other categories, among them: Best Picture.

Throwing a Party

Do you need protection? Are you living in fear? Is your dangerous situation too much for you?

Then throw a party and send out only one invitation.

The unlikely truth is that even when you’re in the deepest, darkest pit, you can celebrate the presence of God. That party will cause darkness to flee. It will change the mountains to valleys and the hills to be laid low.

Inviting God into your home and taking him with you wherever you go changes the atmosphere of your life. God’s presence helps you stand up straight and breathe easier.

My devotional about protection is posted at Seek God With Me.

Romantic Roses: Wedding Day

In a perfect wedding, a bride would hold perfect flowers. Creamy white roses, right? But not with ugly, belligerent thorns on them. That would seem to contradict perfection. Even in their beauty, these roses thumb their noses at tradition.

Five petals of creamy white with puffs of yellow in the center will be the show-offs of the back yard. The clusters of simple blossoms may be lemony-white, fading into flushed pink.

Given adequate space to grow, this vigorous rose can easily conceal an ugly tool shed or other structure in the yard. Please be careful not to plant these too close to trees because of the rose’s incredible climbing ability. This shade-tolerant rambler can get up to thirty feet long.

Wedding Day roses were introduced in 1950, so they’ve been around a long time. They are quite beautiful, but their beauty is short-lived. Nevertheless, there’s good news. While they’re blooming, they are very fragrant.

Taste of Murder by Virginia Smith

A murder victim found by Jazzy, a young violin player, disturbs her customarily pleasant job of playing for a wedding and makes her slight nerves much more jagged.

A beauty pageant, a BBQ festival, and a wedding converge on the same weekend to make matters worse at the hotel where Jazzy and her friends are staying. The short overnight gig becomes a brutally long few days as Jazzy and her two friends find themselves surrounded by danger. She doesn’t know which of the several emotional people are off their rocker enough to commit murder. When she realizes the murderer isn’t about to stop, she appreciates the help she receives from the locals.

Derrick, brother of the bride, helps when he can. Who better than the man who hired her for the wedding to make sure she gets back and forth safely? His interest in Jazzy strengthens when her life is threatened. He must find her in time to keep her alive.

Virginia Smith is the author of 10 books, of which five are contemporary novels and five are Love Inspired Suspense novels. A Taste of Murder is Book 1 in the Classical Trio Series. This Love Inspired Suspense was a 2009 Daphne Award finalist. Her latest Love Inspired Suspense is Scent of Murder, Book 3 in the Classical Trio Series. Her latest contemporary novel is Third Time’s A Charm, Book 3 in the Sister-to Sister Series. Also in that series is Stuck in the Middle and Age before Beauty.

Love Him or Love Him Not

I can enjoy ice cream, and I can enjoy chocolate. I can enjoy them in the same bowl at the same time. They go together well.

However, I cannot enjoy sinning and not sinning at the same time. It’s either one or the other. I prefer the not sinning over the sinning.

I can aim to do something, but I haven’t figured out how to not aim at something. If I squeeze the trigger on a gun, I’m going to shoot at something. Whether my eyes are open or not, the gun is aiming at something. You can’t say you’re not shooting at anything. If you’re shooting, you’re shooting at something.

It would be silly for me to take a walk and focus on not driving my car. If I’m not near my car, I won’t be driving it.

The best way to not shoot yourself in the foot is to aim at the tree which is fifty feet away. The best way to not drive your car is to take a walk. The best way to not do something is to focus on doing something different.

On my devotional blog, Seek God With Me, I’m sharing Psalm 97:10 which is “Let those who love the Lord hate evil…”.

I don’t think you can love evil and love the Lord. If you don’t want to be around evil, let yourself be immersed in the presence of God. In Him is no evil at all.

Romantic Roses: Zepherine Drouhin

Winter isn't over, but Spring is on the way. You can begin planning now for a rose bed full of color. This summer you can reach for a fragrant, thornless rose whose vivid fuschia color begs for attention.

One of my favorite roses is the Zephirine Drouhin. Although I’ve seen rose petals served in salads, I don’t grow roses for food. But if this rose could taste as good as it looks, it would be 5-star-restaurant good. My husband planted this rose in an easily viewable corner of the backyard at our first house – and did it ever perform!

This highly fragrant, easy to grow, Bourbon climber is actually thornless, so it’s great on a porch or where children play. The canes can grow to twelve feet long in full sun and light shade.

Zephirine Drouhin has proven to be a repeat bloomer, and it grows well in zones 4-10. It’s disease resistant, but watch out for black spot. It may be a problem in damp conditions.

At my first house, our bush performed with spectacular color all over. And I’m not just talking about the vibrant blooms. The new leaves start out purple, but turn dark green. Again, this is one of my favorite roses.

This antique rose was bred by Bizot in France in 1868. It’s been turning heads for a long time.

Rear Window, 1954

James Stewart and Grace Kelly pair up in an unlikely love story. A photojournalist recovers from an injury incurred on the job and finds nothing more interesting to do than looking out the window. He doesn’t let his broken leg get in the way as he watches his neighbors in their daily rhythms. The woman who loves him comes to visit, provides meals for him, and helps him find out what’s happening on the other side of the courtyard.

Boredom, anonymity, a camera, binoculars, and a phone are what help him get closer to the mystery. His interest in the people he observes is stirred when things don’t look quite right to him.

Raymond Burr stars as the villain whose movements are being watched. Thelma Ritter is James Stewart’s nurse who comes to check on him and gets drawn into the secret observations.

According to IMDB.com, at the time Alfred Hitchcock directed this film, they were working in the largest indoor set built at Paramount Studios and brought the sun indoors using 1,000 lights. The apartments being watched had electricity, running water, and could be lived in.

Director Alfred Hitchcock found ways to draw out much suspense from his scenes. He once said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”

Blessing

While reading Psalm 24, I found a riddle of sorts. Verses five and six tell us that those who seek the Lord receive blessing from him. What’s the blessing?

Join me at Seek God With Me where today’s devotional carries a challenge and encouragement.