How big is this corona fire?  Is it a fire storm like some of the fires we've seen in California and Australia? In some ways it bigger because the spread is world wide.  In other ways it's so small we can't even see it and most of us haven't had to deal with it in our bodies either.  It isn't spreading in our neighborhood. 

A preacher lady once had a sermon topic, "Satan Is a Liar. Blow Out His Fire."  For an illustration she asked the congregation, "If someone suddenly yelled "FIRE!" what would you do?" And with a show of hands she found out that the majority would head for the nearest exit.  Then she pulled out a little candle that was burning from behind the pulpit and said, "If you saw this and I yelled "FIRE!" what would you do?  There was laughter in the crowd. Of course they wouldn't run. 

I feel like someone has yelled "FIRE!" for something that isn't worse than other influenza we've dealt with over the years and never shut down the entire world. Be that as it may, fire has a lot of advantages when controlled and used for specific purpose. 

Let's take fire for keeping warm and cooking.  We use "heat" every day for cooking, even if it isn't an open flame any more, except for barbecuing.  Fire will change the entire chemical composition of what it affects.  The one exception is water, but that's a different subject.  We love our fireplaces in our modern homes because we can still enjoy the warmth and appearance of flames, even if they are fake!  We still know that if we burn something in the fireplace, like a letter or document, it isn't going to be anything but ash when done.  That goes for cremation too. 

Fire is used for melting and shaping glass and I always admire artisans who learn how to work with it.  The end products, from bowls and goblets, to ornaments defy imagination in beauty and originality.  Here for sure, with glass blowers, no two are alike.  Fire used for hardening clay in ceramics is also part of an art and trade not done by many because of the expense of the kiln and the cost of the power. 

Fire for smelting is used to mix metals and alloys to produce a finished metal for specific use. Some metals need to be soft and pliable, others hard to withstand extreme weight and pressure in the end use.  Fire for precious metals is the process of purging and bringing the dross to the surface where it can be skimmed off so what remains is purer.

We are told that all our works will be tried by fire:   "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Corinthians 3:13  The list of works are represented by silver, gold, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble. 

I wonder if we aren't going through a fire right now to see what will remain that is really worth something to keep and do in the future.  Many who have never thought of anyone but themselves are reaching out and maybe upgrading their works from wood, hay and stubble, to gold, silver, and precious stones.  Some are putting a higher value on their family, the few material possessions they really need, and not missing all the other stuff.  We'll see if it's a lie and someone has yelled, "FIRE!" when it's just a little candle we can blow out!   

We are all hoping that the Corona confinement is fading in the distance as more time goes by and we are getting into summer proper.  Summer sun, more than any other, makes everything fade that is left in it too long.  I once had a turquoise linen suit and I not only wore the skirt more without the jacket, but sat in the sun for lunch at work.  The day came when I went to wear it as a suit and the jacket was several shades brighter than the skirt... what to do?  They became separates after that. 

Then there is the end of summer when fall approaches and everything in the garden begins to fade. The leaves fall off the trees, the blooms droop, and all the lush green begins to turn into monochromatic brown. 

In our home, as seniors, we have an expression that says we are running out of energy at the end of a long day of chores or physical endeavors.  "I'm fading." One of us will say and the other nods in agreement and empathy. When I'm drifting off and getting drowsy watching TV or reading I use the same expression to alert myself to get off to bed. 

When I took my fine art lessons, we were taught two things about landscape painting.  The further in the distance, something is, the more 'gray' or faded you needed to make it look.  The other thing we learned was that in order to make something look more 'gray' or faded you add the opposite color on the color wheel.  Orange to blue.  Green to red.  Violet to yellow.  This makes them look 'muddy' and could also be watered down, or thinned with the right medium.   

Fading is also what happens when light is gradually removed, as in the dusk, a dimmer switch turned down, or even candlelight. (the latter known to fade wrinkles)   If something is moving away from us, like a vehicle on land, or a plane in the air, it will eventually fade into the distance and disappear.  We are all hoping and praying that this virus will hurry up and disappear into the distance, never to reappear again.  

So extreme light will fade items, and extreme darkness will block them from view.  At both ends of the scale they fade.  So do we. So does our wealth. James 1:11 says, "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business." 

We may as well follow my Dad's advice before we fade away from life. 
                     Do your giving, while you're living.  So you're knowing, where it's going! 

FOUR
There are four things to know about the science of Coronavirus to look up if you are interested:
 https://www.breakthroughs.com/disease-decoded/4-things-know-about-science-coronavirus

Four is my favorite number because it represents so much stability.  If you look around you right now you will see a lot of things that are standing on four legs or that have four sides and four corners.  It's a basic. 

My domain name is visiQUAD.ca.  which means things seen in fours.  The name visiquad was invented by me in about 1989.  I had started a business of what we now call "staging" properties for re-sale.  It represented one quarter of what my long term goal was and the name for all four, when it came to pass, was "visiQUAD"!  2015 is when I brought the sum total of everything I do and secured the name. 

On your hand you say you have four fingers and a thumb.  If I ask, "Is your thumb a finger?" Well... you will hesitate.  It is a 'digit' but no one wants to call it a finger, so that leave four! Toes are a different story.  We have five of them and we don't have a special name for the big one.  I digress. 
The directions north, south, east, and west are a visiquad.  So is up, down, forward, and backwards a visiquad for movement. 

My library has 66 lineal feet of book shelves that all have four sides, and four corners, including each shelf, and each opening where the books are.  All the books have four sides when you look straight on at the cover, the back, or even the spine.  The tables, chairs, and footstools all have four legs, even the one that's oval shape. The windows, the doors, and even the house itself is mostly made of materials that are four sided.  And of course all our digital devices seem to have four sides and four corners. Go figure.  

A four leaf clover is considered good luck, because it's so rare to find one.  It's also rare to find good leaders do and here's an article listing the "4 Rare (and Brilliant) Things Smart Leaders Do to Get Respect. https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/4-rare-and-brilliant-things-smart-leaders-do-to-ge.html   

1. They look to front line employees for ideas.
2. They are curious.
3. They display the powerful attribute of vulnerability.
4. They are empathetic. 

WOW.  At least three of the four we can all do if we don't have employees. 

The number four shows up 30 times in the book of Revelation.  You may have heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.  My pastor Dad has an interesting interpretation of them which I'm wondering about right now.  He imagined that the Black Horse stood for oil.  The White Horse represented paper, printing, or information.  The Red Horse he postulated could stand for socialism and the Pale Horse for sickness, disease, and plagues.  All of them seem to be riding as a fast gallop around the world right now in one way or another.  So maybe Dad saw something and it's happening right now. 

Regardless, four is an important number and I'm sticking with that thought... fist pump anyone?   

In many ways this corona virus crisis is like an iceberg.  While we see it floating through our current history we all sense that there's more that we can't see.  More that's invisible but attached to what's visible, and very dangerous. This partly comes from the reports of the symptoms of the virus and how contagious it is.  The worst thing being that people can be infectious and not have any symptoms. That's one iceberg. 

The other is what's unseen.  No one knows where it's going and how much damage it may be doing to our liberties, lifestyles, and the economy. It feels like it's moving along based on the currents of the expert opinions and the charts.  An iceberg isn't steered and neither is this virus. All we can do is steer ourselves and keep away from the risks as much as possible.

The most common use of the word "berg" is as a suffix to "ice", as in "iceberg".  This refers to the large floating islands of ice that we all know are larger under the water than what we see above. They are resting places for some animals, like polar bears, but they are also dangerous to run into by sea going vessels.  (I'm not sure how this relates to "iceberg lettuce" and I"m not researching that.)  

The word "berg" has it's origins in northern Europe and refers to a mountainous region. This makes perfect sense since most icebergs do look like mountains floating in the ocean.  Their shape is taken on by the water melting the parameter and making the center even more pointed.  

This is different than the word "burg" that refers to an area that has a castle. Google says, "In the German language, Burg means castle or fortress, though so many towns grew up around castles that it almost came to mean city, and is incorporated into many place names, such as Hamburg, Flensburg and Strasburg." 

The only castle or fortress we have where the virus is concerned is that of our own making.  By social distancing, washing our hands, and following the guidelines we are told that this is the best we can do. We are all holed up in our castles as our fortresses against the risk of the virus and waiting for the iceberg to completely melt away, as they always do.  

I'm praying for this one to melt away very soon and go away completely!   

Well, COVID-19 is famous.  Famous for causing fear in more people on earth than the actual virus has caused the flu. So what about fame?  I believe everyone is famous for something and to someone.  We think of fame as well known people, places, or things.  But what is famous in one place, may not be in another. 

I'm always amused when a restaurant advertises, "World Famous Pizza"  Really?  It's like describing a self-centered, egotistical person as "...a legend in their own mind."  Famous to themselves. Hoping others will agree. Most fame comes from accomplishment that is tested and recorded like the things in my little sketch.  When the world is watching a competition, the one standing on the winner's box being handed the prize is now famous for that success.   

When fame comes with fortune, as it often does, when it is monetized and advertised, it can give an impression that it's a wonderful thing to desire. Everyone is looking for their "lucky break" on Sunset Boulevard. But there's a saying, " A life without fame can be a good life, but fame without a life is no life at all. Clive Jame

Claire Danes said, "People confuse fame with validation or love. But fame is not the reward. The reward is getting fulfillment out of doing the thing you love. " People who do things passionately with all their hearts are the ones whose fame you respect, admire, and enjoy. 

I said everyone is famous for something to someone.  My Dad was famous in his circle for being the preacher who also fixed watches and clocks. He was famous for his rendition of the poem "Albert and the Lion" by Marriott Edgar, told with a walking stick in his hand.  He was also famous for inviting people home for tea, and not telling my Mom.  She was famous for reacting by saying, "The gravy in the navy, you get used to it."

Everyone is famous for something to someone.  Jesus Christ is famous and each time we look at our calendar and see the year, it's because His fame has lasted 2,020 years... so far. He's promised us a home in his famous 'heaven' if we just believe in everything else he's famous for. Amen! 

​

During the corona confinement we’ve turned “high five” hand slapping into an elbow bump, but we aren’t even allowed to do that now.  We can only do what’s six feet apart.  Blow a kiss?  Smile? Talk? Wave?  Yes. We can still do those things. 

Five is a special number and we learn it very early in life.  Every parent counts the fingers and toes on a newborn to see if they are all there. My daughter, born full term, but just under six pounds had perfectly shaped and trimmed finger nails that weren’t even a quarter of an inch across! We teach our little children about fingers, thumbs and toes.  We have the little piggy going to market as we tickle them and make them giggle.
 
Many flowers have five petals.  I do face painting and the tutorials that show how to make petals and use several colors on a single brush to design more quickly always make five petals. It might not look botanically correct as a specific species, but it always looks like a flower and not an odd color four leaf clover! It’s like a minimum for a flower. 

I play the piano and have taught a few people.  I explain that every octave, series of white notes, has five black notes. They are called “sharps” and “flats”.  The same black note can have two different names depending on if you are moving up a half step or down a half step.  This can be confusing.  Imagine if your name changed because you were going up, or down.  Mind you a person can be called sharp, and a singer flat. 

Many things in life do better in groups of odd numbers than even ones.  If a board or committee has an even number of members than there can be a stalemate in a vote.  As long as you have an odd number the outcome of the vote will be clear. In the case of good design, especially in flower arranging the odd number of feature flowers makes the arrangement more interesting, as a cluster, with some higher and some lower. 
 
Pentagrams and five pointed stars have their own symbolism and are used by different people to represent specific ideologies, or identify adherents or brands.  The Pentagon in Washington is named for it’s shape and here’s one explanation for that: “The easiest solution, a tall building, was out because of pre-war restrictions on steel usage and the desire not to ruin Washington's skyline. The tract selected had a asymmetrical pentagon shape bound on five sides by roads or other divisions so the building was designed to conform to the tract of land.”  Google
 
For me, five is the number of GRACE. Grace is one of those words, like love and hope that can have a lot of meanings depending on the context and the one using it. The story is told of Saint Paul who prayed that a ‘thorn in his flesh’ would be taken away. God's answer was:  "...My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  2Co_12:9  

I need God's strength made perfect in my weakness to do anything about this corona confinement that's keeping me from what my plans were for this time of year.  Since His grace is sufficient, I"ll take it.  I didn't know what "grace" was until I cared for my senior parents 24/7 for five years. It was a very hard job but I had this sense of commitment and desire that no matter what it took, I wouldn't quit.  That to me was God's grace! 

That's how I feel right now about this time we are enduring. So give yourself a high five and clap your hands!  

Fear of getting or passing  the corona virus is so strong, so I’m going to attach the word love to fear.  A verse to ponder is the one that says, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”  I John 4:17&18   Wow. That's a lot to ponder.  Let's unpack it.  
 
This is a day of judgement, especially from the first Wikipedia definition. “the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. “ Our decisions right now are considered around what we can or can't do.  Go to work. Travel. Visit the relatives in the next province. Throw a big birthday party for someone turning fifty.  We come to sensible conclusions and compromise or do the best we can within the boundaries of the health regulations. Our love isn't diminished, it's just directed and expressed differently.  

The word "perfect" is used three times and attached to love in every case. First, our love is made perfect so we have this courage to consider our decisions and come to sensible conclusions. Second, perfect love casts out fear, because there's no fear in love. And third, if you fear you can't be made perfect in love. Perfect doesn't mean no flaws or mistakes.  It means you choose to see, be and do love to replace fear. It's what's perfect for you. What fits. This seems to be saying that you can’t mix fear and love.  There’s one or the other.

Have you noticed how the fear of the virus subsides when we show our love towards others. Whether it's finding out if a senior neighbor needs something, or being patient in the long line ups on the sidewalk outside the stores.  Fear also subsides when someone is caring, like medical people caring for the sick, and merchants in grocery stores caring by working so hard to keep everything sanitary and safe? And the shelves stocked,  (with toilet paper!!!) 

My old grandmother used to say there were only three things to avoid in life: "Debt. Dirt. and the Devil." With the corona virus we are tempted to fear death, debt, and the devil who's behind all things evil. ( in my opinion )  I put them on one side of the fear versus love scale in the illustration.  On the other side I have nothing but love.  Some coming from the hands of others, and some coming from God.  Times like these call for more mercy, forgiveness, and patience. All are acts of love.  Giving to those in need and sharing from any abundance will help someone else to have less fear.  That way your love casts our some of their fear.  The verse also says, "as He is, so are we in the world."  He (God) is love. So fear doesn't come from Him if love casts out fear.  Let Him shine through us in all the love we can manage! 

Much is being exposed in the world and true colors of both the good and the evil are showing up. We will see in the end where the love really is because of when and where fear is cast out.  If no one is doing that, then we have to reach in ourselves and decide to act and react with love, even if no one else is. We have to do that daily as we face this “unseen enemy” and trust the judgement of our government leaders and medical experts to bring this to an end. Amen.


 

 

 

The best is yet to come.  A saying that keeps some of us anticipating a future with more or better than what we have right now.  Right now we have a fear of the corona virus and the best we can hope for is that we do all the right things right and don't get it.  The best to come for most of us is being able to make some plans and move forward with the life we've planned.   

When we watch most shows, whether it's the news, or interviews, a concert, or televised event we are used to the "best foot forward' with staging, lights, perfect sound, and great picture quality. Now the best is someone's home video or laptop, the camera, mic, and lighting as is, and terrible sound.  With all the props gone, we can see what 'best' really is and it's ok, but we have been conditioned to see and hear everything with all the trappings.  So what? 

We become that best friend that has more time than ever to talk, and figure out a face-time app to get as close as possible. We have time to make and bake our best recipes since we are still allowed to go to the store and get the ingredients.  With summer around the corner, some of us may have the best gardens we've ever had because we will have the time to putter more. 

Best is five stars for reviews and classifications of properties. Best is the top spot on the podium and the gold medal from competition.  Best is the cup at the end of the season.  Surveys come though and our opinions are calculated based on one to ten.  Ten is usually the very best.  Over the top. Excellent.  Bette Midler was once asked on a scale of one to ten, what she thought she was.  She didn't miss a beat and immediately said, "Eleven".  Good self esteem there! 

But how about a best man at a wedding.  That’s the man who stands up with the groom, even at the smallest wedding. What makes him “best”?  The bride’s matron of honor isn’t called “best woman”!  First of all the attendants at a wedding are there to assist and encourage their friend or family member in the planning and preparations.  Most of all, the best man is there as the one assigned to endorse the marriage certificate as a witness.  He’s also there to represent the groom’s side of the family and give explanations to the bride’s family, helping the new family being formed to come together in more unity and understanding. 

The “best man” in my life is the Christ, Jesus, or Yeshua as He was called by His parents. He’s not only more than the best, He helps me to be my best in everything I do.  I know that if I follow His “best practices” I stay in peace and enjoy life more even in all this corona confinement.   We are offered gifts by God that list His “best practices”. “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet I show you a more excellent way.” I Corinthians 12:31.  And what's that way?  LOVE. When we find ways to love, regardless of the corona thing, the best really is yet to come.   
 

Walking is the favorite activity allowed during the corona confinement.  We all know the rules. Stay six feet apart and stay in your neighborhood.  We walk up to the mail box and hope we aren't meeting a neighbor that we have to consciously stay away from.  As the days get longer and warmer here in Northwestern Canada more children play on their driveways or in their back yards.  I'm wondering what families who live in apartments are doing.  Some don't even have balconies and letting them run in the halls may not be allowed. 

Most of the parks and playgrounds in our city are closed or have yellow police tape wrapped around the playground equipment.  Some bike paths have been closed down too especially if they go through a public park.  Walking is what's left and is especially okay if you walk a dog.  My illustration for this blog is a kid's school crosswalk where they learn to cross safely, at the right time, and with the permission of the trained crossing guards.  They are learning to obey authority and follow rules and they walk in the 'light' of that. 

Jay walking or crossing a busy street between legal crosswalks is illegal in many cities and you risk injury as well as a ticket and a fine.  Contrast that with some cities that design an entire intersection downtown to be free for pedestrians to cross any direction until the light changes.   Here in Calgary we have Stephens Avenue Mall which is three city blocks closed to vehicle traffic from 10 to 5.   
     
In order to walk safely we need light.  By day we have the sun and at night we have street lights or flashlights.  I recently shared with a fellow Missionary Kid that even as a child I had learned some scriptures that were comforting to me to remember.  Carrying a lantern to light my walk from one end of our compound to the other, even as jackals were howling in the distance and I was watching for snakes and scorpions, I remembered the verse, "Thy word is a lamp unto my path and a light unto my way."  I had no theological understanding of it, but I felt protected and safe.  

Jesus called himself the light and paired that label with walking in it.  John, one of His diciples quoted him: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. ​" John 8:12 Then later in one of John's letters he says, " But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." I John 1:7 Wow!  That looks like it comes with two advantages. First we walk together in more peace and harmony,  and second, our "sins" are taken care of by the sacrifice Jesus made. 

Some of our most difficult sins to resolve are from what we have done, or had done to us by people we walk with in life.  After a school reunion sharing time I came to the conclusion that victims never forget and abusers never remember.  We all had vivid memories of someone at boarding school that hurt or offended us.  None of us remember doing anything to someone else, unless we were caught and got into trouble for it.  Maybe the punishment took away the guilt? I like it that  we can repent for what we've done and forgive for what's been done to us. And there's a way for us to have our hearts clean and walk in a path of light.

Enjoy your walk! Stay six feet apart from people and really close to the Light! 

In some places there's a Corona confinement curfew. Most curfews restrict evening and night time activities outside.  My favorite time of day has been made darker by the corona confinement and the number of businesses that are closed.  You can’t even see the closed signs on the doors and maybe to save power the outside lights aren’t on. Dark and depressing for them, it makes the businesses that are still open few and far between, like islands or big ships at sea. 
 
You used to drive around looking for a parking stall and now all you see is a few cars driving through for food or doing curb-side pick up. The worst sight is shoppers standing down the sidewalks six feet apart waiting to get into the store when a customer comes out. If it’s getting chilly as the night draws on and there are children shivering outside the stores, it makes me angry about it all.  It makes my favorite time of day feel mean and menacing even though we don't have a curfew here. 

Back at our house,  I look down into neighbors' homes that we see into because we live on the hill above them. The lights in their homes reveal them going about their routines. It's comforting to know they are still here.  They are well.  They are doing what they've always done.  Like us. Out front we can still see neighbors out walking their dogs and that's comforting too.  A bit of "normal" for our neighborhood.

Dusk reminds me of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith where the day begins at sun down. They charge up with rest before they work. The Greco-Roman mind set is more like work first then fall exhausted into bed and call it a day! Maybe we do have it backwards.  Maybe we should begin to see the day beginning at dusk and embrace the refreshment of rest and sleep.  “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5   "Another day, another dollar?"  Right now, another day of home-stay!    
 
It's still one of my favorite times of day. Dusk.  It's well after sunset when it’s still light enough to see details of the landscape but dark enough for lights to come on.  The traffic lights are now bright red, yellow, and green instead of the faded colors in daylight.  Driving through neighborhoods I see windows lit up as people have come home from "essential" work or a quick drive to a grocery store or pharmacy. I imagine them preparing meals, helping kids with homework from their "virtual schools", and settling down to watch TV.  
 
If you live near large expanses of water like rivers, lakes, or ocean front coves, you can also see the reflection of lights that doubles the delight of this time of day.  It’s magical and mysterious at the same time. Shadows aren’t deep enough to cause the darkness to cover little details of familiar land marks if your heading home, stopping to shop or heading to an allowable evening event or activity.  I'm jealous of you if you have a home where you can see lights reflected on water.  
 
I have a strong desire to see store fronts with their night time neon lights glowing and shop windows showing off seasonal products.  I want to be free to go INTO my favorite coffee shops, and restaurants that reveal the activity inside that looks and feels cosy and comforting.  Dusk is still safe because when you get out of your car you aren’t stumbling in the dark because the light is bright enough to see a safe path or step.

Dusk will soon be the time of day when we can sit out on our deck or enjoy the covered patio. I can call a friend and meet for a coffee after dinner, or plan a dinner party at our favorite restaurant.  It's going to be glorious.  And I can't wait! 


 
 
 
 
    

Without names we don’t have language. Language in it’s most basic form is the naming of things and actions. Names allow us to communicate verbally or in writing to come to common ground and understanding.  It only works when we know the name and agree on its meaning. COVID-19 is a name we just learned and will never forget. 
 
I love watching shows on Egypt and how experts and archeologists can actually read the hieroglyphics as a language.  As soon as they read three horizontal squiggly lines as "water" or "river" I can see it and it makes sense.  When we learned French in school I found out that you don’t have any words that express possession.  In English, we say, “Jack’s house.”  In French you have to say, “The house of Jack.” I’m sure that if I was stuck and only knew the words for Jack and house, and put them together, I would be understood. 
 
More than that though, the name by which you are called or known is VERY important.  First there’s the meaning of your name, if it was thought out.  My first name Linda is after a love song that was popular when my parents were courting.  My dad would sing it to my mother and substitute her name, Lydia. So my first name represents the love my father expressed to my mother when I was just a ‘twinkle in my Dad’s eye’.  My middle name Ruth, was after my mother’s only younger sister whom she loved. 
 
It turns out that Linda means “pretty” in Spanish and Ruth means “companion, friend, vision of beauty” in Hebrew.  I was visiting my Brazilian neighbors in Toronto and they were going through pictures of a recent wedding and kept saying, “Ah, Linda!” which was referring to the bride as being pretty or beautiful. My mother kept me humble by sending me a name book mark embroidered with the words, “LINDA He will beautify the meek.”
 
Whole product lines exist to personalize items, from initialized mugs, to custom printed T-shirts, embroidered logos, and engraved memorabilia. You can have your name on just about anything. Inside my wedding band are the letters: NMGBIPL which means, “no more good byes in parking lots.” We got married to live together not just meet up and have to say good bye every time. It’s not my name, but I could sure identify that ring if it was ever lost or stolen. It’s as good as my name while I’m alive, but if the ring ended up in a second hand store, it’s anyone’s guess what a prospect might think the letters mean!
 
Whenever we log in or make a purchase on line, the first thing they want is our name.  If we use our credit card they want the name on the card.  We put our name on our stuff to identify it as ours and hopefully keep anyone else from taking it. We go to a wedding, conference, or banquet and we look for our name as we register, or find our place at a table.  Tagging our luggage when we travel helps identical brands of luggage not get mixed up, and if ours gets lost the airline can forward it without making us identify the contents.   
  
Our name is also our signature that certifies legal transactions.  When a woman marries and her name changes to “Mrs. So and so” her last name represents a new family line that will be her children’s sir name.  In my Rose Bush blog about community, I begin with the saying, “A rose by any other name is still a rose.” And both you and I by any other name, or number, are still who we are.  Even graduates with degrees who have “doctor” as part of their name, are still who they are. 
 
The name of the top person of a corporation is the most important name in that organization. That name is behind the products, services, and guarantees as long as that signature exists to represent the bottom line of that business.  Forgiveness of our sins, and especially the sin nature we are born with, has only one name, only one top person responsible for giving us forgiveness of our sins in exchange for our total allegiance.  We then follow His ‘best practices’ because, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”Acts 4:12

The Bible states that after all is said and done there's one name that will stand above all others even in the entire universe..."That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth..." Phillipians 2:10   That's pretty much anything and everything that can be namedl 

We are also told that there is a Book of Life and our name can be in it if we are Christ followers.  It's our pass into heaven and eternity.  It's like pre-registering for a conference and believing your name will be on the list of registrants when you check in.  

COVID in some circles has had it's name changed to mean: "Christ Over Viruses, Infections, and Death."  That's a name change worth believing in. 

A full tank of gas is wonderful, except during the Corona confinement when we have to stay home. A full box of cookies or bag of chips stirs the appetite and lets us know we have lots to share so we aren’t tempted to eat the whole thing by ourselves. A fridge or pantry that's full is always better than empty.  Are we feeling full mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?  Or do we need some filling up a little of ideas and inspiration that is encouraging, positive, and even fun? 
 
You’ve heard the saying about testing attitude with a half glass of water.  The pessimist sees the glass half empty and the optimist sees it as half full. Same level. Different perception. No wrong and no right, just different, but not full.  You couldn’t do this test with a full glass of water because both the pessimist and the optimist would see it full.  So maybe seeing our lives as full is more positive over all. And we are in agreement. 
 
If the glass is over full… if I’m pouring and not paying attention and it begins to get so near the top that it’s threatening to spill over, the response is usually anxiety and a spontaneous shout… “Stop. It’s going to run over.”  Overflow causes a mess, possible damage to a surface, and definitely a waste.  It’s also very difficult to raise an overfull glass to your lips to drink a bit out without spilling on the way, which is why this is done bending over the glass and just taking little sips until the level goes down.

However, there is a full to overflowing that is necessary and that’s with gravity fountains and water falls. Unless there is an overflow, neither of them are possible. The key is the level and the opening that makes way for the water to fall.  The table top fountain will make a gentle splashing sound as the water artificially recirculates to maintain the effect.  The waterfall however, depending on the height of the drop will roar and cause a mist of sorts at the base where some water is already evaporating. Some waterfalls create a curtain over a crevice that people can stand behind if the power of the water doesn’t injure them as they try to get through. 
 
When water overflows with no strong or secure boundaries that’s called a flood and can create a lot of damage. So we want our local water source to be full, and only over flowing if it’s directed and controlled.  That’s what damns are designed to do even as the rushing water turns turbines and produces electricity.
 
A science teacher once wanted to demonstrate that what appears to be full sometimes still has room you aren’t seeing.  He took a mason jar and some small stones and asked a student to put them into the jar until he decided it was full.  When the stones were sticking out of the top a bit the student stopped, stepped back and showed it to the class. 

The teacher then got a bag of sand and invited another student to come up and pour the sand into the jar. By tapping the jar gently on the table, the sand began to sift it’s way down into cracks and crevaces between the stones and soon the sand was all but covering the stones in the top.  He asked the students if they believed the jar was now completely full.  They all said yes.

Then he got a pitcher of water and invited another student to pour the water into the jar.  The sand began to get wet and even sink in the jar as the water filled all the spaces which weren't visible until you saw where the water was going.  Once the jar was almost overflowing, the student stopped, stepped back and waited. The teacher said, “Now is the jar full?” The students were afraid to say yes and wondered what might be added to it next.  The teacher announced that the jar was indeed full now.

There's a saying: “If you want someone to do something, ask a busy person.”  Busy people have learned to fill their jars and find room for what needs to be added without overflowing!   Jesus, the Christ said, “Before now, you haven’t asked anything in my name: ask, and you will receive, you’re your joy may be full.”  John 16:24 Our inner man can be full of joy even if we aren't happy with the circumstances.  May your joy be full today!  
 
 
 
   

Don't you love it when you ask someone to do something and they immediately say, "Sure." Compare that to asking how someone is feeling and they answer, "I'm not sure."  And your natural instinct is to ask, "What do you mean, you aren't sure?"  Being certain about things makes us feel a lot better.  Covid-19 is trying to undermine all that.  ​

Being sure of something is to have confidence to move forward in faith in life. Right now we aren’t so sure of the future of our health or economy, or of the freedoms we’ve volunteered to give up to keep the virus at bay.  What makes us sure of anything?

The answer is sure foundations. What’s under anything to support what’s on top?  In the physical realm this is what we are rely on for support. In it’ simplist form we are sure that our legs can help us stand and walk safely.  We are sure that the chair will support us and that our house will remain standing, even in a pretty bad storm because of the foundation. 

In the economic realm we can only access the funds we are sure of. With many suddenly having no source of income they might not be sure of how they will survive in the short term or the long term. In our house, one benefit of the corona confinement is that we aren’t spending much on gas, impulse buying, entertainment, or even eating out, since we have more time to make meals from scratch.

In times of risk we adopt the safety nets like washing, wiping surfaces, keeping the “social” distance, to be as sure as possible we aren’t being infected or infecting others.  My illustration of the dock and the water represents the dangers of water if you aren't prepared. Every encounter with water as a leisure activity other than in a private swimming pool, recommends life jackets. This helps make every parent sure that even if their child falls overboard, whether a good swimmer or not, they will not drown.

In the case of the dock, if you’ve ever experienced trying to walk on a rotten one that’s unstable, you know what it feels like to be unsure.  It’s worse for someone trying to tie up a boat to a dock that isn’t stable. The boat in my drawing is sturdy and well built for a little row boat, but without oars we can be sure no one will be taking it out. Lacking the simplest propelling and  guidance system is too risky and too much work to steer. 

The boat reminds me of a story one of my friends told me last year.  Her pre-teen daughter was being mistreated by some of the other girls at school and came home to share that with her mother.  It so happened that her mother had read in her morning devotional meditation that as long as you are in the boat in the water, nothing can harm you.  All you have to do is keep the water out.  She shared this with her daughter.
 
The next day her daughter came home all content and happy and said, “Those girls were mean again today, but I just looked at them as the water and decided not to let them into my boat.” Her mom was  amazed that she had found practical application that made her sure of herself and feel secure, even at school.  Imagine how she will do when she gets out into the world of work and relationship building.
 
My only sure foundation is that of being a Christ follower.  Many years of living and working in the real world, of making big decisions both good and bad, have shown me what I can be sure of including this verse. “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows those that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (sin)  2 Timothy 2:19  I feel sure that through all this Corona confinement "...he will never leave me or forsake me. Hebrews 13:5 What are you sure of?