Grateful for the new babies in my life...

I run to the daycare center to frolic with cherubs daily. And I remember that there was a time when I wondered what was the purpose of this life. Many, warranted and unwarranted beatings can wear upon a soul. As the bible says it discourages the child. Great Expectations movie had that plate in the corner that caught my eye that there are angels who lurk on the side of the room when a whomping is underway. I found a frame with that theme to remind me that there is a day after the whompings. I put Addie-Grace to remind me that that face was with me 50 years ago in my joys and griefs and now she gets to enjoy the beauty that got me through my roughest and happiest days. Same for Charlotte and the other nieces and nephews, but Addie is the representative of them and the future grands, Lord willing.

Today is the day that I found RLS' Kidnapped reading on the Youtube.

I put it on the side of this page because I had already had the reading on the bottom of the page. So, a person can read along with the audioversion, by clicking on both of the gadgets and enjoying it. I enjoy the Kidnapped book, immensely.

It is my opinion that this book is a beautiful reproof of how family distances themselves from one-another for one reason or another. An aunt or uncle can guide your soul to heaven or to hell. God sees and defends the fatherless, here on earth and throughout eternity. Family should draw one to God and not away, if possible.

It is my imagination of this book that when Uncle sent the boy, David up to his expected demise to fall down the rickety stairs. I always imagine him having nearly fallen, fainting out and going unconscious. I see him as Ezekiel falling into the valley of drybones and Fred Hammond singing I Press to his semiconscious soul and him seeing himself marching to heaven with the true souls of the redeemed who come together in his sight. He starts to see the difference between the life, his father had carved out for him, apart from the covetousness of his natural family condition. He sees that his job is not to receive from his uncle, but to give, the only thing that he had and could give, prayer for his dear uncle's lost soul.

That poor uncle was truly the picture of the rich miser. He needed prayer and it is a question in my mind, why the name Ebenezer, seems always the contradiction of those days. The first reading was of the dear parson who gave the remembrance of a loved soul to a poor orphan. What did he give to the child? How was his remembrance always gifted to us? Chapter one we see that wonderful anticipation of living in great abundance with his rich distant family. His expectation is harshly dashed upon the rocks, as we will find out erlong. 1. Money- inheritance 2. Gifties gift money 3. the Bible 4. Medicinal Lily of the valley water-how to make infusion. Fear and second thoughts had come to him in chapter 2. He started to see the futility of his decision to attempt this change in his mean condition. Curses were upon that house. Curses were upon his distant family and he had not known of his mistake to pursue the mystery of family relations. {Perhaps the condition of the church in those days was thus. Perhaps there was no way to have money and holiness, for the deceptions of that day. Only the rich young ruler's proposal of our Lord's could draw a soul to heaven. I am sure that there must've been some rich who were saved, but RLS, warns us all of the deception of covetousness. Alexander, a Greek name and Ebenezer a Biblical name and they lived in antithesis of the expectation. Is the raising of my Ebenezer, the trusting of the law of Moses, which can never make the soul clean from your sins, only it can make you know that you are a sinner.} Will we either be part of the unity of the spirit in godly Alexander who pictured "Christian and pilgrim" in the Pilgrim's Progress or we will be part of the unsaved Ebenezer who holds to the reality of Moses and knows he is unsaved and happy to be thus.

Hither by Thy Help I'm come and I hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home, Did Jesus seek us when a stranger? Were we wandering from the fold of God? Did He rescue Thee from Danger? or... Are you still in the Danger of that "Ebenezer"?

Where are the Angels?

Where were the angels? Great Expectations. Pip, Abused children. Beaten, Scorned, Where are the angels?

"You are in trouble! She is out with a vengeance against you."

The words that terrorize! "She is crazy with anger. There is no recourse. No one can save you from the wrath." is the sense of confusion that comes when overwhelming fear is used to motivate children. Not all fear, but overintense use of authority...

Children see only the wall. {I have most certainly been there.}

The Plate on the wall when the brother in law got up had cherubs in a circle around, as if to say, someone did see. Seemed no one saw. Seemed no one intervened. But, someone did see. The angels carried news to God and God was most certainly involved in the need of that poor child who would greater take a chance with a strange savage than to trust his sister. Burdens notwithstanding. With what measure you meet is most certainly seen by the angels. Who saw this happened, you might ask? God did see and the angels were on that plate looking at the injustice of the severity that this lone child experienced.

In Great Expectations, it is as though the cinematographer knew that the angels were watching the whipping of that boy and placed that plate right there to signify the interaction of heaven with children's cries.

There was a crooked woman, it seems the movie cinematographer started the movie with. There was a woman whose heart could not be touched by the orphaned-ness of her brother. There was a woman who thought that her work of caring for her brother would be seen in heaven. Granted, that she didn’t send him into a work camp, somewhere and live her life in ignorance of his state. But, her condition of soul could not see the sad estate of this orphan. No maternal comforts to soften the life blows. No, she adds to his sore estate by severe punitive actions. Doesn’t the Bible say spare the rod? Oh dear. He was out in a grave yard. He took the spanking as though it was a usual situation.

Is it wrong to spank a youngun? Maybe not. But, this was unusual severity and the plate on the side with angels, said to me, that someone saw.

Fear that hardens your heart to life... Fear that discourages the soul from endurance is often inflicted by a loving intention of fear.

If you have ever seen your life flash before your eyes at the thought of facing the wrath of an elder person, you will see the flashes of God’s presence in Great Expectations. God nurtured hope out of hopelessness. God used a convict, escapee to raise the condition of a poor misfortunate soul. Who saw? Who could see the eyes of hopelessness? Only an escapee from the hellish condition of the prison could see the futility of the life of this poor child. He probably went to church every Sunday and people looked into this child’s eyes and no one saw the condition except this inmate. What a judgment. What is godliness. Visiting the fatherless and widows and keeping oneself unspotted by the world. Where was God when beatings and hopelessness abound? His eye is everywhere, but I love that picture of the angels on the plate as though they were the only spectators of this family’s abusive parent. What else can we do? Where else can we go? God made a way for this poor child.

Proverbs 9 Wisdom has hewn out pillars. The Foolish woman has her reasoning and hewing,also. The foolish woman and the crooked woman is very busy, as well. She is busy crushing the dreams of those who are around her/him. God sees and He has made a way for PIP. For His own glory.