In 1998 I was lead to go to New York City to be Brian Caruth’s running partner in the New York Marathon. Well we both completed it in a tad over 2 hours : – ) But I knew the main purpose had not been to win the race but to run through all 5 boroughs of the City and drench it in the prayer “Lord Jesus we enthrone ……Come Lord Jesus and take your place……as King of New York.”:
Team Kyle had constituted Hilary myself and Abby (7) and Joshua (8). As we drove up out of the City the day after, I looked back to see the Twin Towers dominating the Downtown. Abby spontaneously began singing “Lord Jesus We Enthrone You………Come Lord Jesus and take your place”.
As she did Joshua (now Gilbert) began to laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” I asked him.
“There are playing cards coming out of Abby’s mouth.” He chuckled.
“What are they.?” I asked.
“Well, there’s an Ace and a King and Queen, and a Jack and a Ten.” He said
Father then whispered to me
“It’s a Royal Flush. And I am coming to take my place as King of New York. But with that there will be a flushing out of evil.”
Who would have anticipated that a few years later those Two Towers would have been destroyed by evil or that 22 years later this city and others like Minneapolis and now Seattle would be decimated by two debacles which are exposed in the ridicule of JP Sears and the candidness of Candace Owens that top and tail this blog.
Last summer our daughter and her family fled New York City just in the nick of time. Many of their friends are now also moving away as ‘The Big Apple’ becomes ‘The Bad Apple’.
This morning I read “People lose their way without wise leadership, but a nation succeeds and stands in victory when it has many good counselors” (Prov.11:14)
He has sounded out the trumpet that shall never call retreat
He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgement seat.
These lines from the Battle Hymn of the Republic are surely being fulfilled in our day as we witness the bad fruit of bad leadership from those whose hearts are perverse.
A few nights ago we watched a powerful documentary drama about St. Joan of Arc. It told the most amazing, beautiful but tragic story, of how when France was languishing in victimhood, during the Hundred Years’ War, a simple teenage girl who ‘feared God’’ and responded to his voice was raised up to lead France’s army into victory over the English in order to see the Dauphin crowned as King of France in the name of “Jesus, the King of heaven”
She insisted on moral purity from all her soldiers and in a standoff between the armies she instructed her army be given communion on the battlefield. On seeing this the English simply turned and walked away liberating the besieged city of Orleans! Here it is if you’d like to view…..
Having lived a courageous life of selfless service out of a pure heart, Joan was in the end tragically deserted by her friends and betrayed by self serving politicians, suffering martyrdom by being burned alive at the stake.
In the last blog I wrote about Pain, and it’s bed fellow Anger. Another associate of Pain and Anger is called Sorrow
That night, Father spoke to me about the road we take each day to Robin’s hospital.
It begins on the unusually named STORROW DRIVE
He said, “The road to ST – hood is the road of sORROW.”
As I wrote about the four men last week, when you experience Anger and Pain, if you do not look outward for someone to blame, but you take personal responsibility to utilize the Sorrow of the camber, you will ascend and help others ascend “the highway of holiness.”……as you, “Count it all joy…..!”
From STORROW we turn onto RIVERWAY and then ARBORWAY
This speaks of “the man” in Psalm 1. “Who does not walk in the counsel of wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers.”
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
He is likened to a tree (ARBORWAY) planted by the river (RIVERWAY)
…….that bears fruit in its season
This man is the man Jesus Christ……….and all who identify with Him, who fear the Lord and walk in His ways, yielding the same good fruit from their lives.
Here is a link to another courageous young woman who ‘fears the Lord’ Her’s is a voice the Giants of Harfung and the Queen of Underland fear and seek to silence, but God is raising up true servant leaders as America’s hope in these chaotic and deceptive days, who will stand and speak for truth and righteousness, like Candace……….seeking like Joan of Arc to move her people from victims to victors.
P.S
On a personal note, Robin is still in hospital. Dr Carty is planning to do a skin graft whenever the wound is ready to receive it. We hope that will be this week. Robin’s pain relief continues to be a major challenge. Thankfully Hilary and I are now allowed to visit, though in a limited way. We are all learning patience and trust in Boston. Thank you dear friends for your many expressions of love and support.
P.P.S.
Just as I was about to post this, we got word that our dear friend of 50 years Paul Cupples, who was one of the four men mentioned in the last blog has just this morning made his final ascent up the camber of suffering onto the highway of holiness and to his eternal destination. In the words of another Paul, he has fought the good fight finished the race and kept the faith. He and his wife Jesse are both deserving, by God’s grace, of that crown of righteousness, for a life well lived, leaving much good fruit behind.