Darkness; Darkness

(Exodus 10:21-29) This is where God causes darkness to cover Egypt for three days. Only where the Israelites lived, in Goshen, was there light. It was pitch darkness, in which none of the Egyptians could see one another, and nobody moved, or rose from their place during those three days.

The three key things here are what happens when our minds and hearts are darkened. As we get further and further into disobedience to the LORD, and into sinning, our minds become more and more darkened by the sin. One of the definitions of darkness, from Oxford Languages, is: The partial or total absence of light. (John 8:12) “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Matt. 5:14) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (John 9:5) (Eph. 5:8, 11)

Another definition of darkness, according to Oxford Languages, is wickedness or evil. (John 3:19) “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (2Cor. 6:14) “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Finally, we see that God will let you have your way, if you insist, and want to continue in your disobedience and sin. But, the law of Heaven is that man will reap what he sows, If we sow to sin and darkness, that’s what we will reap. (Romans 1:20-32)

The scriptures tell us that both the absence of light (enlightened mind, upright living/righteous-ness), and darkness, or evil, are spiritual conditions. They both begin in the heart. They both come from/with choices that we make. Jesus spoke often about the heart. So did God. (Mark 7:18-23) (Proverbs 22:15) (Proverbs 24:9) (Ezekiel 28:17) (Psalm 119:36) (Luke 21:34) (Deut. 10:16) (Jeremiah 4:4) We get an amazing picture of the importance of having the right mind, which is the mind of Christ, by the way. (1Cor. 2:16) And, of the importance of having the right heart. (Psalm 24:3-6) (Psalm 65:4)

When we allow the darkness to overtake us, whether it be in our mind, or our heart, we do lose sight. We lose sight of the truth; first, about ourselves, then, the sin, and others. Pretty soon, we don’t move. We’re bound by that thing, and stuck in that place. And, usually by this time, that place is our choice. Can you picture the alcoholic or drug addict on that curb, or in that corner? That place/temple of sin becomes our abode. Finally, we can’t get up. That inability to get up represented death. It means that now YOU NEED JESUS, who is the resurrection and the light, because you’re dead-either physically, or spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Everything’s gone, and you’re unable to get up without some serious help. Isn’t that word interesting? -Unable…Not Abel…Cain was a murderer…You’ve murdered yourself, your dream(s), accomplishments, future, etc. –Just a thought.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Saturday Silly-January 28, 2023

So sorry, folks…I’ve had a very busy week, and just didn’t have the energy to post Saturday Silly until just now.

Let me tell you, it was a grueling week! Everything that could go wrong, tried to. Then, I’m having to deal with buses that are rerouted, packed to the max, and I think we have some Nascar drivers moonlighting as bus drivers. It’s a good thing I haven’t lost all the weight I put on yet; because one bus driver swerved to line up with the stop, and I almost flew into the seat across the aisle. I would have ended up in the lap of some poor woman who was sitting there.

And here’s another thing. I don’t know who was in charge when those walk sign buttons were installed, but some of them yell at you when you push them; really LOUD too. “WAIT!” Seriously. Scared me so badly, I whacked that pole a good one with my bag! Then there are those ones where the machine gun sound goes off when it’s time to walk. Must have been put in when Bugsy Siegel was running Las Vegas, huh? That’ll get you going. Oh my god! I’m Just running errands and doing my daily post. You don’t need to shoot at me! I’m a helpless little old lady just trying to get around town to do my business, for crying out loud! I almost had three coronaries just trying to get coffee the other day!

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Oh, No! Not The Locusts…

(Exodus 10:1-20) (ESV) Tells us the locusts have arrived. The LORD warned Pharaoh that he would cover the land with locusts if Pharaoh didn’t let the people go. In Verse 5 God says, “And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail.” Pharaoh refused to let them all go, wanting to only let the men go. Moses and Aaron were then driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

The LORD did as he said He would. Locusts covered the entire land, eating everything that was left after the hail. Not a green thing was left; everything was gone. The locusts filled the houses of all the Egypt-ians, and those of the servants of the Egyptians. Again, Pharaoh was sorry, and asked Moses and Aaron to plead with the LORD to get rid of the locusts. Once they were gone, of course, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he refused to let the people go.

Locusts have been feared since the times of Ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs. The damage they cause to agriculture can cause famine and starvation, according to National Geographic . I’ve posted the link so you can read the article for yourselves. God help us all if there’s ever a worldwide event of Locust Swarms. We will really be in big trouble!

When I think of locusts, I think of the battered, tattered, frayed and frazzled ruins of the hell(s) we go through mentally, emotionally, and physically. This is when we feel the devastation of the sin in our lives. Keep in mind that to sin means to miss the mark. When we’re off target with our choices, or when we just plain choose to ignore truth and every warning, we can really miss that mark. That mark would be alignment with God’s will and word; with His way. Do you get the feeling, by now, that God might just be the one who’s trying to get our attention?

I remember tears, shuddering sobs, being racked with the pain of loss, and hearing this: “Didn’t you get my hailstones? No? How about the other six messages?” Of course, I didn’t realize that’s what He was saying then. I was too busy having my pity parties. Later, unfortunately, much later, I remembered that “still small voice.” Finally, I understood. And, when I think of that stuff, I have to thank God for His mercy, grace, and patience. Those locusts are a good reason to stop, drop that stuff, and roll back to the LORD and to our Lord, Jesus Christ-who, by the way, is the first one we see in the judgments of God. Remember the water turning to blood?

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Oh, Hail!

(Exodus 9:13-35) (ESV) Here we have the story of the hail. The LORD warned Pharaoh, through Moses and Aaron, that if he didn’t let the people go, He would cause great hailstones to fall on all of Egypt, except for in Goshen. We find something interesting in Verse 17. The LORD says to Pharaoh, “You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.” There’s a warning here, for every one of us. Most especially, there’s a warning about oppressing God’s people. This makes me think of the rich man and Lazarus, as well. Even in Hell, the rich man couldn’t see that he was no better than poor Lazarus. We are all God’s people, because we are all His creation. And, we’re all created in the same image, and after the same likeness; God’s.

God also warned Pharaoh to send all his livestock and servants from the fields into safe shelter. He warned him that any who were left out in the field would die. In Verses 20-21, we find out what happened. “Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.” Now, we can see why God judges each individual, and why He looks at each one’s heart. The hail struck down everything in the field; plants, livestock, and men. It struck down event the trees. Only the wheat and emmer were not affected, because they hadn’t come up yet. And, only in the land of Goshen was everything and everyone safe and sound. We can see, again, God’s compassion here. He could have destroyed the wheat and emmer too. But, He slowed it’s growth down to provide for those who would be left alive in Egypt. Pharaoh, of course, called on Moses to pray to God and stop the hail, and promised to let the people go. As soon as the thunder and hail stopped, he hardened his heart once more. He refused to let the people go.

When I read this, I think of those red flags going up at the beginning of a big mistake. Then, pretty soon, the bells go off. That’s an alarm, by the way. And, if we go a little further into the thing, we’ll get hail. At first, it might be small hailstones. You know; the doctor tells you you’re 30 pounds overweight and your blood pressure is high. If you don’t stop and let those bad eating habits go, and put some good ones into place, the weight gets to be more and more, and the blood pressure gets higher. These are bigger hailstones. If we continue on this path, we’re going to get hit, and very probably killed, by those great hailstones. That would be a heart attack or stroke. The same thing happens with smoking, alcohol, and drugs when we hold fast to them.

Now, take a look at your relationships. Can you see the red flags, hear the bells, feel the hailstones? There are many women, and men, who went to early graves because the great hailstones killed them. That jealous husband or wife took a gun and fired it with the intent to kill; and it did. We can do the same in our relationship with self; and we must do it in our relation-ship with God. The greatest commandments are Love the LORD with all your heart, soul, and might. And, love your neighbor as yourself. Those self-checks really aren’t as bad as you might think they are. It’s a matter of questioning your routine (are you sleeping right, eating right, taking on too much, putting up with too much), and checking your choices. Then, making the necessary corrections to put things back into balance again. We’re faced with choices every day, all day long. When we strive to keep things in the right order, and in balance, we’re sure to make better choices, and can avoid those big hailstones.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Oh, The Boils

(Exodus 9:8-12) (ESV) “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.”

Boils are painful bumps, pus filled, under the skin, and usually caused by bacteria and infection in a hair follicle. A carbuncle is a collection of boils connected to the infected area. People who have these usually don’t feel well and may even have chills and fever. This would be called Malaise; a general feeling of being unwell. It is often accompanied by fatigue, lack of interest in activities, and diffuse pain.

I said that, to say this: Spiritually, when we’re infected by sin, we get boils within. Of course, the more sin, the more boils, until we’re riddled with carbuncles from head to toe in our soul. It may start with a little white lie; and the thing progresses until now you’re sneaking everywhere, afraid to be seen by people, and paranoid that any minute the truth will come out. In the meantime, you can’t eat because your stomach is upset, you don’t feel well and are fatigued because you can’t eat; nor can you sleep. You’re not getting any rest. This affects your mood and attitude, your concentration and thought processes. Before you know it, you just go right over the edge to whatever sin it is, and are lost in it. You may even become despondent and suicidal. I wrote a story once, titled “Suicide By Way Of A Pebble.” A person kicked a little pebble up on top of a mountain. By the time the person got back to the bottom, the pebble had set off a landslide, which ended up taking the person’s life. We really do have to be careful about what we allow into our hearts and minds, because what goes in comes out. You will bow to what you worship. The good news is that there is a God who loves us and wants us healed and whole. He’s faithful to forgive us when we confess to Him. And, He’s with us every step of the way through the healing process. All you have to do is ask. His promises are all “yes” and “amen.” (Psalm 139:2) (Matt.12:25) (Psalm 44:21) (Matt. 9:4) (Mark 1:41) (Matt. 9:36) (Luke 7:12-13) (1John 1:9)

Love you from Café du Mondieu

How’s Your Livestock?

(Exodus 9:1-7) brings us to the fifth judgment, or plague. God demanded that Pharaoh let the people go, or he would strike down all the livestock belonging to the Egyptians. But, God would make a distinction between the livestock of the Egyptians and the livestock of the people of Israel. This was so that no harm would come to the livestock of the people of Israel. Of course, Pharaoh refused to let them go, and God did as He said He would do. When Pharaoh checked things out, all the livestock belonging to the Israelites was fine, but all that of the Egyptians were dead.

Livestock is defined in wickipedia.com as domesticated animals raised to provide labor and produce products for consumption. There would have been cattle, goats, sheep, camels, pigs, and domesticated ducks and geese; according to Britannica.com. Also, donkeys and horses. Livestock was wealth; an asset.

Spiritually and mentally, we need things like knowledge, creativity, wisdom, peace, positive attitudes, etc. Physically, we need things that aid us in our daily tasks, as well. For instance, Wilma Flintstone had a little elephant to vacuum the house. We have Dirt Devil electric vacuums today. LOL When we’re trying to become a doctor, we need training, so we go to school to learn what we need to. Some people don’t often really think about these things as being assets, but they are.

The Bible tells us to honor the LORD with our substance. (Proverbs 3:9) I’m sure the livestock increased under the care of the Israelite shepherds. Our substance includes, not only material wealth and physical ability. It includes our heart, mind, and soul. (Deut. 6:5) God says, “You shall love the LORD, your God with all your heart and soul, and with all your might.” (Matt. 22:36-38) (Psalm 103) (Proverbs 14:21) tells us: “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” But, Pharaoh did not honor the LORD. Neither, did he obey Him. As a result, all the Egyptians lost their livestock; their wealth, their substance.

We can make choices that result in our losing wealth, substance, and even our lives. Have you ever seen someone lose their home to alcoholism or drug addiction? I lost mine several times. Have you ever watched someone’s health decline as a result of alcoholism or drug addiction? These can actually causes chemical changes in a person’s brain which can damage it permanently. Cognition is then permanently impaired. Even smoking cigarettes, or chronic overeating can destroy your physical health. In all these things, as things fall apart, our peace goes out the window, our positive attitudes turn negative, and our personality can be changed completely. Then, you’re living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. or Ms. Hyde. That’s why it’s important to make good choices. It’s important to teach our children to make good choices. We do this by being and giving them good examples. (Deut. 4:9) (Deut. 5:29) (Psalm 40:4) (1John 3:21-23) (Matt. 7:24-25)

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Mindful Moment Monday

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. As a thyroid and parathyroid patient, I’d like to share a little bit of my story with you. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It is actually caused by an auto-immune disorder, in which my immune system attacked my thyroid gland. Your thyroid gland regulates literally, almost everything.

It took months to get a diagnosis. One doctor told me I was hysterical because of my divorce, and that I needed anti-depressants. I went to a psychiatrist to get the anti-depressants. The psychiatrist asked me if I’d had a complete physical. My answer was no. He told me to have my doctor first give me a complete physical, and then come back if it was normal. Of course, I didn’t get the physical done because the blood-work is extensive and expensive. The doctor didn’t see any reason for us to do that, being that everything looked and sounded good to him.

Within a short time, I was having menstrual problems. I was on my period all month long. I’d also lost so much weight I looked like a prisoner in a Nazi war camp. I was extremely fatigued all the time, felt weak, and thought I was losing my mind; or at least, my memory. The menstrual problem warranted my seeing my OBGYN doctor. The morning of my appointment with him, I was dropping my daughter off with a friend who was sitting for me. My friend happened to just have seen a show earlier that morning. They topic they discussed was female reproductive issues. She said that thyroid problems can cause female reproductive issues.

I mentioned this to my OBGYN. When I told him that thyroid problems ran in my family, he decided to do the tests. There are two tests that need to be done in conjunction. The first is a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test. The second is a T4 test, which measures the amount of thyroxin in your blood. I was referred to an endocrinologist, who told me that if they hadn’t done the two tests together, they would be sending me home without medication. That’s how they missed the disorder in two previous tests that were done earlier in my life; both times, in my early twenties. The doctor suspected that I’d begun to have thyroid issues in my early to mid-teen years. I was put on thyroid replacement therapy, and began to get better.

In October of last year, I had parathyroid surgery done. The parathyroid gland regulates calcium and phosphorous levels in the blood. Two of the four glands needed to come out. I was back on my feet within a couple of days, and doing great ever since.

I’m posting some links where you can get information, and check symptoms, should you have any. Please, please, please, take your thyroid and parathyroid health seriously. Your life is important, and problems with these two glands, can be fatal if left untreated.

New Life Ticket Mayo Clinic Health Direct

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Speaking Of Flies…

(Exodus 8:20-30) (ESV) brings us to the next judgment, which is the swarms of flies. Interestingly, Beelzebub, one of the seven princes of Hell, is also called the lord of the flies. He represents gluttony and envy; overindulgence. The ancient Egyptians believed wore fly amulets, believing they had power to protect them from diseases. Soldiers were awarded golden flies by Pharaoh, for their persistence and heroic efforts in battle. The fly was a symbol of military prowess. You can read more about them at Nile Scribes and at UCL Culture Blog . God sent swarms of flies upon the whole land of Egypt, because Pharaoh wouldn’t let the people go. Even the ground was full of them.

Pharaoh gave Moses leave to take the people and go worship in the land of Egypt. Here is something that teaches us about respect of other cultures, faiths, etc. Moses, in Verse 26, replies, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?” Pharaoh agreed to let them go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD, and asked Moses to plead with God for him. Moses prayed, God got rid of the flies, and Pharaoh hardened his heart again. He refused to let the people go.

When I think of these flies, what comes to mind spiritually, is Satan’s arrogance and persistence. He’s also very wily. We read in Genesis 3:1 that the serpent was more crafty than any of the beasts in the field. His arrogance is evident in his encounter with Jesus in the wilderness, and also when he was in conversation with the LORD about Job.

The second thing that comes to mind is how often something small as a fly can be so irritating, time and time again. That thing will come back to us in different ways or forms, too. You know, first there’s the friendly neighbor lady who’s always needing some help from your hubby. Then there’s the co-worker of his; she’s just “in awe” over his creativity and skill at handling clients, etc. That’s a fly trying to mess up your syrup. That insecurity and/or jealousy thing can be deadly to a relationship. That’s one of the most common “flies” we see. It works when the shoe’s on the other foot, too. It isn’t really the people; it’s the insecurity and the unraveling of that relationship (your marriage), that are the flies. There are all kinds of flies. Some of them include the frustration that makes you throw your New Year’s resolution to take better care of yourself right out the window when your boss gives that promotion to someone else. So, instead of a healthy lunch, you opt for a triple-cheese pizza, and eat six slices before you even know what’s happening. That’s a habit that keeps coming back at you to trip you up. It’s called self-sabotage. This is one of the reasons it is so important to stay on target with whatever you’re trying to achieve; whatever changes you’re trying to make. We’re developing new habits; good ones. It’s also the reason that we listen to our heart and decipher those feelings before they turn into flies.

Finally, flies represent sin. If we’re not careful, it will swarm over our lives; be it sin that we commit, sin that others commit against us, or just the sin that’s in the world and we can’t handle it emotionally and mentally.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Saturday Silly-January 21, 2023

January is National Poverty Awareness Month. I became aware of my poverty when I looked at my checkbook. It’s also National Hobby Month. That went right out the window when I saw that checkbook. I cannot afford a ski trip to Aspen! I was going there for inspiration for when I crochet my scarves and hats. It’s National Stalking Awareness Month, too. I kid you not. I swear I saw that pair from that movie Dumb and Dumber following me in to the store when I bought my yarn. If those two aren’t the epitome of codependent, I don’t know who is. It’s National Codependency Awareness Month, by the way. This last week was No-Name Calling Week…I think I said, “Hey, you,” about a million times. Today is National hugging day, and own your own home day. If I could afford to own my own home, I’d be right in one. I can’t yet, so I’ll put off that Celebration of my life thing for a while. It’s Celebration of Life Month, too, by the way. Hmm, it’s also Mental Wellness and Self-love Month. Yeah, okay, I think I’ll give myself that hug today, anyway! So there! BLLLPPTTTHHH!

PS –January 29^th is World Leprosy day this year. You all better be good, or God’ll getcha! Remember Miriam? Yeah…

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Those Little Things Can Sting Big

(Exodus 8:16-19) (ESV) God had Aaron strike the dust of the earth and turn it into swarms of gnats. They swarmed and came upon man and beast throughout the land of Egypt. Pharaoh’s magicians tried to turn the dust in to gnats; but, this time they were not successful. The magicians told Pharaoh, “this is the finger of God.” Pharaoh heart remained hardened, and the gnats remained on man and beast.

What’s interesting about this story is that gnats are tiny, tiny animals. They are attracted to water and salt. This is one of the reasons we’re so attractive to them. Remember Jesus saying, “you are the salt of the earth.” (Matt. 5:13) Then, we have that scripture in (John 7:38) “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (James 3:12) “Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” (Matt. 7:16)

In (1Kings 12:11) we read about scourging. “And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” I believe this is what the gnats represent. A swarm of them biting and feasting on your blood would sting, and leave welts that sting. Perhaps this was, in part, retribution for the scourging the Hebrew slaves endured under Pharaoh’s taskmasters. It may also have pointed to Jesus Christ, who was scourged before he was crucified. I can almost see Satan whispering to Jesus…”your daddy’s making you go through this, but I’m going to make it a living hell for you.” (Mark 15:15) (Isaiah 53:5)

Have you ever made a decision, a choice that was the wrong one? I have; only to feel the sting of failure, or betrayal, or disappointment. Can you remember being laughed at by the other kids at school? It stings. I remember blinking back tears and fighting my way through the pain in my heart, many times after my divorce. Those disappointments, betrayals, rejections, and the disillusionment that comes with them sting like something other-worldly. I think that’s an appropriate description, because you know who was up in there helping you go down that path, don’t you? Yeah, I did too. But, I finally got it. Rebuke that sucker and send him packing right away. When we listen to and obey the LORD, and our Lord Jesus, we can withstand the pressures. We can make the right choices. We can stand with courage, conviction, and strength.

Love you from Café du Mondieu