Mary Cantell

Aug

09

A new song

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With the past several months a blur due to the imposed constraints of quarantine and restrictions taking precedence because of a global pandemic, it’s amazing to realize that spring slipped right by and now the calendar says…yikes, August?

While the new breed of “cancel” culture is thriving, so, too, is the Lord thriving. Our local government may mandate closings, but there’s more liberty in the oracles of God than any man can thwart. As believers, nothing has changed for us, only the culture around us. We remain steady in Christ despite our circumstances.

So, with the government’s restrictions slowly being lifted and most of Pennsylvania now in the green zone, we have double the reason to rejoice. May we sing a new song unto the Lord for delivering us from everything—most importantly, our sins through Christ.

Aug

03

What Path are you on?

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Walking down the right path, we can rest assured of our security and safety. Despite the winds of defeat or the storms that buffet, no other anchor is needed to keep a believer’s head above water than holding onto the blessed rock of our salvation, our savior, Jesus.

In Psalm 16, David seeks the Lord and flees to him for protection from the threats of Saul. “You are my Lord,” he says. “Apart from you, I have no good thing.” David’s desire to cling to the Lord through his adversity is an example for believers today. “I will set the Lord continually before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

David, like all believers, knew that God was his security and would never leave him. When we walk with the Lord and place our trust in his hands, we can rest knowing that he’s got our backs. “Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave (Sheol) nor will you let your holy one see decay.”

On earth, there will be trials but by abiding in God’s word, we will not fall into the pit of destruction nor will we be shaken with every wind of trouble. If we stay on the path he ordains, we can rest in knowing he’s there.

Like David, we, too can say, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Jul

26

Looking to Jesus

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The world has been— from the beginning of time—a place where man seeks his own predominance. Love of one’s self began in the Garden when the serpent tempted Eve to become a self-seeker and deny God’s commandment. The battle continues today to gain ground when we take our eyes off of Jesus.

Cultural clashing of one group over another is more than ideologies butting up against each other. It’s not just about civil unrest vs. civility, racial fairness vs. inequality. It’s more about man’s idea that he wants to take the reins of power upon himself to live, rule, and dictate toward these same ends. It’s all about domination and dictating as man sees fit and not seeking God in the process. Unless the Lord builds the house, our labors are in vain.

In the midst of cultural warfare, there is but one weapon that needs to be used. It’s God’s truth shared in love. If man were to take his cues from the Almighty and keep his eyes focused on him, there would be no necessity for war, rioting, or societal upheaval.

Jul

19

The right kind of hope

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What do you hope in? To what do you ascribe your faith? Most would say they have faith in things that make them secure. The Hebrew word for faithfulness literally means “firmness”; figuratively, it means “security,” and “fidelity” is the moral definition.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Apostle Paul appeals to the believers and reminds them the Lord is faithful. His promise to us is that he will strengthen and protect his children from the evil one because he is faithful.  He demonstrates this to us in several ways. Through his faithfulness, God not only protects us from evil, he sets limits on our temptations, forgives our sins, and sanctifies us.

While God is faithful to us in various way, our faith in him has different facets as well. There are different ways to ascribe our faith to God:  Faith as belief, faith as commitment, faith in our waiting on God, and faith in him as our refuge. Our whole world can fall apart, but Jesus has said that he will never leave us or forsake us.

God’s faithfulness is the pivot upon which turns his whole purpose for humanity. God calls and then through his goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 1 John 1:9). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The better we truly know God, the more we will want to put our complete hope and trust in him. God’s children walk by faith and not by sight.

 

 

 

Jul

14

A Quilting of Love

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The magnificent works of the Lord are above and beyond amazing. Can mere words do them justice?

Take a look at nature, the sky, or a flower and marvel at the handiwork of our Lord. If he can be concerned for such things, how much more for you? Remember what the Lord has done for you in the past and his promises for the future. Call back the trials you’ve hurdled, the wounds he’s healed, and the way he’s pardoned all of your iniquities—all because of his loving desire for you. Meditate on how much he loves you and is as close to you as bone is to marrow.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. ~ Psalm 19:1

He weaves a new dawn in the stillness of morning, and prompts the sun to melt the night’s shadows.

He uncovers the buds cut finer than satin, sprouting fresh life in splashes of dew.

His presence is sewn in a sparrow’s song, a trickling riverbed, the hush of a mountain top, while the rocks and hills proclaim His name.

Each moment, His glory enrobes the landscape, a tapestry bountiful as grains of sand.

Jul

06

Different but equal

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All men are created equally by our God. One only has to look at the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights to see that. There will always be racists. But they are ignorant, sad and misguided. One should not be defined by another’s prejudice.

This country has bent over backwards to bring equality to the people. They’ve been a little slow IMHO. Though, sadly, some conflate equal opportunity with equal OUTCOMES. That would be COMMUNISM. Having a better outcome–however you define better–requires personal responsibility here in America. It’s not something the government hands out.

There was a time when equal opportunity was not a factor for all citizens as we all know. That was abominable. But it is no longer. Actually, the scales have been tipped for a long time in favor of minorities. Also wrong. Meritocracy would serve us better as a nation.

One can keep this victimhood alive by promoting this kind of division but it only fuels the fire of racial divide, and the race baiting will continue to exploit and encourage the situation while some folks earn a living from it.

Is there racism in the world? Sure. But should anyone allow another’s ignorance to define them? Bound by injustice or oppression? That is where Jesus should enter the picture and, sadly, people would rather promoted their oppression rather than the healing that comes from Christ.

Bob Woodson of the Woodson Institute, a grassroots effort to bring about healing of races, clearly states that until people stop dividing the races, no healing will ever come about.

Jun

29

Masks: to wear or not to wear?

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Wear a mask! Don’t wear a mask! COVID-19 is a virus; no, it’s a bacteria!

Between the CDC, WHO, OSHA and the word on the street, COVID-19 is the scariest contagion that has come down the pike–ever.  Is it really? Even above SARS, H1N1, and the Spanish flu of 1918?  Enough to stop an economy even? Does an election season in the U.S. have anything to do with the new cultural enemy?

There have been a lot of poignant statements and interesting perspectives recently conveyed about COVID-19, including the  concern regarding the safety and efficacy of masks. Studies on the efficacy vary from clinical trial to outside the laboratory, and much more information is needed to come to any considerable consensus. But one thing has been brought to light.  Now, even mask WEARING has been recognized as having a down side. Breathing in one’s own CO2 is not healthy. While many wish to convince or even convict one to wear a mask, some are unable to; namely, asthmatics, the overweight, and those with breathing issues. The top American organization for occupational safety and hazard (OSHA) cites the following about masks:

• N95 masks: are designed for CONTAMINATED environments. That means when you exhale through N95, the design is that you are exhaling into contamination. The exhale from N95 masks are vented to breathe straight out without filtration. They don’t filter the air on the way out. They don’t need to. Conclusion: if you’re in Target and the guy with Covid has an N95 mask, his Covid breath is unfiltered, being exhaled into Target because it was designed for already contaminated environments, it’s not filtering your air on the way out.

• Surgical Masks: These masks were designed and approved for STERILE environments. The amount of particles and contaminants in the outside and indoor environments are CLOGGING these masks very, VERY quickly. The moisture from your breath combined with the clogged mask will render it useless. IF you come in contact with Covid and your mask traps it, YOU become a walking virus dispenser. Every time you put your mask on, you are breathing the germs from EVERYWHERE you went. They need changing often. The surgical mask is not designed for the outside world and will not filter the virus upon inhaling through it. It’s filtration works on the EXHALE. Like a vacuum bag, it only works one way, but likely stops after 20 minutes, rendering it useless outside of a STERILE ENVIRONMENT.

• CLOTH masks do not filter anything. You mean the American flag one my grandma made? Yes. The one with the flowers that looks so cute? Yes. The old scarf,  cut up t-shirt, the bandana. None offer FILTERING whatsoever. As you exhale, you are ridding your lungs of contaminants and carbon dioxide. Cloth masks trap this carbon dioxide the best. It actually risks your health, rather than protecting it. The moisture caught in these masks can become mildew ridden over night. Dry coughing, enhanced allergies, sore throat are all symptoms of a micro-mold in your mask.Cloth masks are WORSE than none. It’s equivalent to using a chain link fence to stop mosquitoes..

In  researching each mask’s designed use and purpose, there is little if any info on their use in the way of “viral defense.” Some say masks are being used to provide false comfort and push forward a specific agenda. Others believe it’s a measure of social control and is just the beginning test case for a future exercise in tyranny on a bigger scale. Some also say that if masks were important in saving lives, then we should wear them constantly all the time lest someone gets sick by our not doing so.  Where does it end?

Whether you believe masks are for the SICK who have a contagion or not, or you just can’t breathe in one, or if you just don’t buy into the hype or any other reasoning, if so, let each person be subject to one’s own conscience through God’s conviction. For the saved by grace, there should be no fear one way or the other. Are not the number of hairs on our heads known? Likewise, the days of our lives. Will our lives be spared or not spared by the Coronavirus mask or non-mask wearng? Living in fear negates one’s faith. Trusting in the Lord for one’s days is where we should be focused.

There’s a lot of false and inconsistent information circulating, all perpetuated by the media, and to buy into everything is not always prudent, especially if the information changes from day to day.

 

Jun

22

Father of fathers

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What an awesome responsibility it is to bear the title of father. Being a father is more than just having children. The job requires time, patience, discipline, and sacrifice. Above all, love.

It’s a tremendous undertaking to rear a child. The task can be daunting, especially when a man does it in his own strength. Many times, a father will fail. We need to pray for them to seek their Father in heaven for the strength, wisdom, and courage to fulfill their earthly role.

There is no official instruction guide for fatherhood, though the instruction book for life—the Bible—has everything one needs to accomplish the job. And what better example to follow than that of our heavenly Father who, by his grace, has given us more than we deserve. That is, not to spoil us, but to show us the riches of His glory.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord ~ Ephesians 6:4

Men, young and old, whether a father or surrogate dad, have been given a generous task and privilege. With the Lord as the role model and his word as the guide, they have all that’s needed to achieve the responsibility of being a great father.

Jun

16

Social justice or God’s justice?

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I hate bigotry and racism, yet for all America has been through in the past 250-plus years, it seems the country will never be able to cleanse itself completely from the stain of slavery. It’s as though we’re still wearing the cloak of its memory like a flag made of permanent press fabric.

While slavery is no longer a business practice in America–and what a bad one it was–for all of its egregiousness, some do not understand that it didn’t always involve white men as slave holders. Both black and white were owners of slaves as well as slaves themselves. While this arrangement is no longer, it also appears that some would have white people to be perpetually guilty over it.

African Americans suffer from the lack of access to avenues of wealth building some would say. Perhaps if the politicians who run the inner cities would have the integrity to not allow their soft bigotry of low expectations to prevail, maybe the underclass would stop their self-fulfilling prophecies of thinking they’re not smart enough even to scratch themselves without the help of government handouts and welfare checks.

Though inner cities have become haven of systemic racism, how is it that not all poor people are defined by it? How is it that people of every race, color, gender and creed are not all bound by racism? Does one’s choices have anything to do with our life’s direction?

In every generation there are grievances and struggles. It’s not a black vs. white thing. Jews, Irish, Italian, Polish, just about every nationality has been shunned and vilified. There will always be something to protest. But to think that anyone can change the heart of another man to become less racist or less bigoted is futile. Only God can change a foolish heart.

The founding documents of America plainly state that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL AND ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS; AMONG THEM ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Why do some people allow others to have power over them if we’re all equal?

For all of the foibles of the original framers, who, like all of us, were fallible, their idea of happiness had a larger meaning than to be giddy and carefree. Happiness maintained a sense of morality and as the Bible states, blessed (happy is the translation in the original Greek text) is the man who seeks after God. Ergo, this is where one finds true happiness. They had it right.
What does God require of us but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.. Until there is civil justice for the least of humanity–the unborn–the cries for civil rights sound like noise. If the voiceless creations of God in the womb–two cells equals life–cannot be heard, who of us can demand any other civility for our own lives? Aren’t we all created equally?
Jun

08

Whom do you exalt?

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Do we light a candle to put it in the closet or hide it under the bed? No, we put it high and lifted up on a candlestick so the light may shine.

The word of God tells us to let our light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Oh, magnify the Lord with Me, and let us exalt His name together ~ Psalm 34:3

The psalmist, David, entreated the people to exalt the Lord together. In a trial while dealing with King Achish, David underwent a struggle for his life. Although, he made a weak defense of feigning insanity to escape from him, David was certain that the Lord was the cause for his deliverance.

Singing to the Lord, praying, praising, thanking, teaching, preaching, witnessing for Christ daily in our walks are all ways to magnify the Lord. Lifting up his name is the least we can do for the loving savior whose light lives within us. Why keep it under a bushel?