Atmospheric River

[1]

 

Psalm 135:7 Good News Translation

⁷ He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth;
    he makes lightning for the storms,
    and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.

 

We have had at least 12 “atmospheric rivers” go through Riverside this rainy season. That was a new term in my book this year. This is certainly unusual for us desert rats. Almost weekly another storm has blown up across the Pacific Ocean and dumped rain on us. In towns that are built on flat ground the water can’t run off fast enough, and so it leaves floods.

 Here is a picture of the little town (about 3,000 people) of Pajaro, California, shows the flood they experienced. Or if it is at sufficient altitude, it leaves piles of snow, like it has in Mammoth Lakes, California.

 Mammoth, California  [3]

Pajaro, California [2]  

We are in hilly country, so the excess water runs away as fast as it comes down from the skies.

Sylvia said to me the other day in serious concern, “Our swimming pool is running over.”

“Isn’t that marvelous?” I rejoiced. “And it hasn’t cost us a penny!” We haven’t had to top it up for at least three months. I usually have to add water to my swimming pool once a fortnight due to evaporation. I haven’t had to this season.

Our desert hills that surround out home are usually a very dry brown color. However, rains came early—the hills were green for Thanksgiving last November. They are still a beautiful green. Two slopes in front of our house are orange from the California poppies growing wild on them. Almost every day we take Katie on an hour walk through the hills. She loves the freedom to run anywhere without a leash

Yesterday we counted over 40 different kinds of wildflowers that were blooming along the walk. We also saw our first rattlesnake of the season coiled up in a niche in the rock to absorb the spring sunshine and escape the chill breeze. So now we will all have to keep our eyes open to more than flowers for the rest of the spring.

Thank You, Lord, for making our desert blossom like a rose[4], and for keeping us safe from the snares that Satan puts in our way.

 

 

 

 

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[1] https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--orBwvbC6--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_900,q_80,w_1600/iyjxqzqds5mjsoxc6yuw.jpg

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/13/california-weather-atmospheric-river-flooding

[3] Ibid.

[4] Isaiah 35:1 (HCSB) The wilderness and the dry land will be glad the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose;

 

Wicked Spiritual Forces

 

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Ephesians 6:12-13 Good News Translation

¹² For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. ¹³ So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

 

Very recently we took a hike near Heaps Peak in the San Bernardino National Forest along the Rim of the World Highway. The previous week we had experienced a fierce wind-storm. It had blown branches and lots of fruit off our fruit trees. That same wind blew with far greater force over the ridge of the San Bernardino Mountains that the highway runs along. It runs at an elevation around 6,000 feet (2,000 m). Great trees had been snapped off like matchwood. Our trail had been cleared by chain saw. But the forest floor was piled high with the broken branches—the leaves still green from vigorous growth. Our Sequoia Trail ran along the north face of the ridge. We hiked along about half of the trail. There were long patches of frozen, solidly packed snow.

This was probably our dog Katie’s first experience of walking in snow. She didn’t know what to make of this white stuff that made her feet so cold, and they tended to slide out from under her. Sylvia and I picked our way along previous dirt-filled footprints. Finally, about half way around the loop trail, we came to a part covered with deep icy snow. It sloped rather treacherously down to our left. Regretting that we had not attached the ice grips to our shoes that my cousin, Pastor Reneé, had so graciously sent us, we turned around and headed back to the car. We have become more aware of the danger of falling as we have counted off more years in our lives. You should have seen how happy Katie was when she got out of the car in her own home.

As the world rushes on into its “evil day,” the “wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world... the cosmic powers of this dark age” are being allowed to exercise more and more power. We normally don’t see them, far closer to us than we can possibly imagine, but they are there. In my last three blogs I have tried to describe how close this “heavenly world” is to us. Realize that not only our guardian angels but also the demon enemies can be close enough to even be inside us; still we cannot perceive their presence.

Paul urges us to “put on God’s armor now!” This armor cannot be obtained in a gun store or from a digital super hacker. It cannot be obtained from Pfizer or Moderna. In the next five verses of this chapter Paul outlines his concept of the only invincible armor and how to obtain it. He points out that there will be a fight—a fight to the bitter end. Only with this armor will you “still hold your ground.” Read the verses again or postpone doing so at your eternal peril.

Thank You, Lord, that You have provided invincible armor for us. Please help us as we fit it on.

 

 

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[1] https://stockagency.panthermedia.net/m/stock-photos/8604718/slipping-in-packed-snow-and-ice/