Disciple

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, 2021. Boy am I glad our nation has one.

Today I spent some time praying and weeding in the backyard.

Bamboo shoots were starting to pop up! 

Bermuda grass in the "woodchip areas" is bad enough, but now bamboo?! Have I sown the wind and am now reaping the whirlwind?

The Bamboo tops pull off real easy, but the roots remain.

I have before me some serious digging to get this "invasive" plant under control.

"Nip it Andy, Nip it in the bud!" great words from Barney Fife. 

I remember.

I remember the lights.

Red,

Rotating,

Shining through the lowered window shade

At night.

No siren.

I heard

Through the wall

My top bunk

His queen-sized headboard

Separated only by the wall.

I remember his breathing,

A repetitive pain,

In sync

With the rhythm

Of his heartbeat.

His breathing shallow.

I remember his sound

An enduring-through-suffering expression.

No complaint.

No “why me?”

No words.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

The Lord asked Elijah this question twice (1 Kings 19:9, 13). Both times Elijah’s answer was the same, which revealed his heart. 

Now Elijah had just experienced one of the greatest show downs of good vs. evil in the Old Testament. This was after the test with the prophets of Baal, dealing with Jezebel and Ahab, and praying for rain after a very long drought.