Yesterday, a friend and I were commenting on the buds which were on the trees around here. You actually can see the pinks and yellow buds telling us that flowers will soon be seen and smelled. And it’s still February!  I hope we don’t have a season of winter weather because those little buds will freeze!

I do feel sorry for the people who live east of here. They must be tired of the snow by now. but for us. living in the Pacific Northwest, we are experiencing Spring. The sun is shining and I am just itching to get outdoors and start working in my yard.

Do you remember Spring cleaning? It seems to be gone in today;s world. I remember when the house smelled like lysol and all the furniture in the house was moved so we could take the rugs outside and pound the dust out of them. The curtains were taken off the windows and washed and the cupboards were emptied so we could wash inside and out. Even the mattresses were taken off the beds and brought outside in the sunshine. Oh, it was an awfully hard time for everyone in the family but when it was all done our house looked and smelled brand new!

Spring seems to be a kind of resurrection doesn’t it? How on earth can the dead looking trees and bushes all of a sudden have those cute little buds that grow into flowers? God is a great God, isn’t He? His creation is all new in the springtime. It is a time when he had his son die a terrible death for all of us, but he also had his son resurrected on the third day! I often think that is why he had the Easter season in Springtime. He brings to us the buds on the trees and bushes exactly like a resurrection. Everything seems brand new in springtime. doesn’t it?

Now we have 21 young Christian men wearing orange jumpsuits standing with their heads bowed. Issis men dressed in black are ready to take the 21 heads off! We have been told that everyone captured have the option of renouncing their faith or be killed. What would you do? These men decided that they were willing to die for their faith.

I looked at the picture and picked one of the men standing there to pretend he was me. I was very frightened when the option of renouncing my faith or die was presented to me.  But I thought my God was great and His Son died for me. Was I strong enough to die for Him? It was an exhilarating moment for me! I kept my faith and decided I would die for Him. But it was me, sitting in my comfortable chair just pretending I was that guy standing there in the orange jumpsuit. I have no idea what this man was thinking at that moment.

It is becoming a dangerous world out there and Christians are targeted to hear that option. We can’t pretend any more that we won’t have Isis men taking us out of our homes. We have to stand up and do whatever we can to help the Christians who live in the area where Issis is working now. Tomorrow they might be standing at  our doorstep. Are you doing what you can, praying for the Christians overseas? Also, pray for these men who are cutting off heads. They must be terribly misguided and angry. Pray that they have a clear moment when they know right from wrong.

It is hard to know what to do when we actually see 21 brothers standing there waiting for the sound of the knife, or whatever, to take their heads off. We have to know we must do something for our brothers and sisters who are facing these wrongs today. We can pray. We can call or write our President or our members of congress to do something about the problem. All of us must stand up for Christians all over the world.