A Tangle or a Crown

   In recent days I've read a bit about Corrie ten Boom's life.  She escaped death in the concentration camps of World War 2, being imprisoned for months, seeing her dear sister die there and loosing the rest of her family.  She bravely soldiered on after her release at the end of the war and became a dearly loved "Tramp for the Lord" as she called herself.  

  As she ministered the Gospel to the nations, traveling to the far reaches of the world with the Good News of Jesus, she carried with her, and was rarely seen without, a beautiful scarf. She used this scarf to explain the wonders of how the Lord sees his children.  She would show the underside of the scarf which was full of tangles and threads which appeared to go nowhere useful.  She explained that this was so often the way we saw ourselves, unable to make sense of our lives, our circumstances and the world around us.

  Then Corrie would take the scarf and turn it over displaying the beautiful design on the other side.  She explained that this was the way the Lord saw us, the plans He had for us, the things that happened to us and the gorgeous pattern He was weaving in our lives.  The side of the scarf she revealed was a stunningly designed crown.  

  The Lord has a purpose for all that we are going through in the tough times.  He has a reason to bring us through the toughest tangles and the seemingly useless interruptions.  Every loss, disappointment, hurt, wound, and even this dreadful pandemic, He turns into something beautiful and for His good pleasure, and our benefit.  To Him be the glory through thick or thin, through the good times and the difficult, through times of prosperity and loss,  sickness and health, valleys and mountaintop experiences.  Although we see from the underside, earth, He sees from heaven, from the correct side.  Every tangle is really an opportunity to trust Him to make something beautiful.  And He will.

God bless each of you with greater confidence in Him, knowing His work in your life is always good.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you...

Plans for your wellbeing, not for disaster, 

To give you a future and a hope.    

Clapping

   Last week, a few days before Thanksgiving, I was captured by a tree outside the window.  It was moving in the wind in such a fashion that I know if I had the right ears I could have heard it clapping its branches before the Living God.  I don't recall ever seeing that kind of movement in the trees before.  

  I know the poetry in Scripture in not exactly meant to be literal.  But I sometimes think it is more literal than our sin-tasting ears can perceive.  We just don't have the pure listening ability we will someday have. Maybe as our faith if tested and refined we will yet have ears to hear.  I truly hope so.

Is. 55:12 You will indeed go out with joy

and be peacefully guided

the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

The Sword

   Ephesians 6:17 is a well known Scripture that talks about the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  We are invited to use this Sword in prayer.  The life experiences we have in victory over difficulties brings strength to our wielding the Sword in battle.  

Before David ruled as king over Israel, he fought many battles.  The first public battle he fought on behalf of Israel was with Goliath.  He took Goliath's sword after he killed him and for some reason we don't hear about it again until David runs from King Saul, fleeing for his life.  He reaches Nob and retrieves the sword where it has been stored with Ahimelech the priest.  

1Samuel 21:9 The priest replied,"The sword of Goliath, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.  If you want to take it for yourself, then take it for there isn't another here."  "there is none like it!" David said.  "give it to me."

From then on David fights many battles with the foes of Israel and with some of his own personal demons.  

Winning the Sword of Goliath was a huge event in David's life.  In fighting the Lord's battles he had a daily reminder of the victory he had with that sword.  It became the Sword of the Lord. David's reminder of his victory over Goliath, accompanied  him into battle. 

We also carry reminders of our victories in Jesus.  They make the Sword of the Word of God in us powerful in pulling down the strongholds that face us and the other folks we pray for.  The Word of God along with our experiences in victory, infuse our prayers with power and confidence to pray with the authority that God wants us to have as we wield our swords for Him. 

Dog Therapy

  Several years ago, when I was terribly ill, I had times when I felt so worthless; like such a burden to my family, and estranged from the world.   My daughter, Lydia, sat with me and pulled out an old photo album.  She began showing me my worth through the pictures of a small portion of my life.  She helped me to gently reminisce about the things I had done in my life.  It brings tears to my eyes even now, to remember her tenderness and the gentle reminder that my life had been worthwhile living, and that because of the past, I still had many reasons to go on living.

Sometimes, in times of severe trauma, it is helpful to just sit with the traumatized person and ask them about their lives.  To sit and listen is a gift to the bone weary; to the one who feels she can't go on.  We train dogs to be healing companions to the ill.  They often just show up to sit with the sick person or lay at their feet.   Each of us are able to serve at least as well as a dog. 

Job 2:13  So they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights,                                  no one spoke even a word to him, for they saw that his grief was great.

Something to think about, and be willing to do when the situation dictates.             

Trust With Unwavering Faith

 My, the weather is nice today!  When the snow came to the tune of four to six inches, with colder weather at its heels, I felt quite sure we would not be snow-covered until spring.  And here we have an end to daylight-saving time and warm, dark nights.  It is wonderful to have the weather so cooperative for putting the rest of the garden beds down for the winter.  Now, to convince the rest of the leaves to fall from the trees, so they can be raked up or mulched.  

The cool weather inspired me to do some baking again.  I have not baked for so very long!  My energy had been low because of the tight way I had to hold my muscles to prevent shaking.  It surprised me how much energy that took, or at least how much energy has returned since the DBS surgery.  I am very pleased.  Jim says the fall is good for putting on "brown fat" to insulate us from the cold of winter.  The baked goods have certainly made that possible.  

Co-VID has bloomed, so the choices are personally more restrictive.  Being safe for ourselves and each other is important.  The pandemic is a mean one.  I am certain there is evil behind it.  God is not surprised however, so we do our part, then rest in the safe arms of a loving Father, trusting Him with unwavering faith.  

Ephesians 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 

but against principalities, against rulers of the darkness of this age,

 against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Say What?

   In a book called, It Happened in Church, Stories of Humor From the Pulpit to the Pews, Patti S. Webster has an article on page 230 worth repeating.  She says...

   After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their t-shirt  messages, and instill in them a love for learning.  You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases and raise their self-esteem and personal pride.  You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook and apply for a job.  You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior and make sure that they all pass the state exams.  You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card.  You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.  You want me to do all this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY?"  

Now, twelve years after the book was published, we could add all kinds of responsibilities and ongoing problems, but the point is still the same.  How dare we ask our children's teachers to do the impossible and then deny them the power of prayer to help them to handle their problems.

   Philippians 4:6-7   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Thumb Chopping

   Last night I was chopping the last of the vegetables  for supper, when I got my thumb in the way and sliced off a chunk of thumbnail and some flesh.  Bleeding with quite a gush, I got Jim's attention and he helped me bandage up.  Today I am wondering what I will find when I finally take the pressure bandage off.  It throbs less today than it did during the night.    My daughter did something similar last summer while working with a mandolin.   It was the middle finger on her right hand that got sliced, ouch.  It is my left thumb.  I am thankful for that.  

  It puzzles me that Father is in control my whole life, every single detail, and then something like this happens.  I am certain that Satan and his minions are still messing around with us, and sometimes he gets his way.  At the same time I know nothing happens but that Father is able, and willing, to make good come out of it.  So I give honor to Father and His vast ability to do the miraculous.  And I watch expectantly for the good I will certainly see. 

One of my (and my mother's) favorite verses in the bible is Romans 8:28.  

And we know that all things work together for those who love God,                                                             to those who are the called according to His purpose.

  What a great promise to keep front and center in this uncertain time.  It helps me keep my chin up.  I hope you adapt it as one of your favorite verses as well.  God bless.

Errand of Love

  This week the Holy Spirit seemed to be nudging me to go with Jim on a little city tour as he up signs.  It is one of my least favorite things to do, look up addresses and find them on my phone or the map.  I Have a mild dyslexia so I am no good at it and it takes me a while to get the hang of it.  Besides that it was inconvenient.  I had to drop what I was doing to go on this loathsome errand.

  So I spoke to Holy Spirit about it.  But He assured me that it was the loving thing to do, so I went.  My morning devotionals prepared me for this little adventure.  They spoke of the inconvenience of doing the right thing, not always, but certainly sometimes.  To live in truth I know I will sometimes have to make  the choice that disrupts my plans.  

  We had a good time doing the job, and Jim certainly finished in a shorter amount of time, with the little help I provided.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,                                                                                 so are My ways higher than your ways                                                                                                             and My thoughts than your thoughts.

The Final Curtsy

 The beauty of fall is upon us.  To me it begs a time of worship.  Each of the changes of seasons do.  They speak to me of the wisdom in which the Lord plans all the seasons.  He not only gives rest for the time ahead He makes it so beautiful.  The leaves changing color with a curtsy as they descend unto the ground for one last puddle of brilliant color.  He reveals the strength of the trees in winter as they rest before they receive the excited new growth of spring, and the weighted fruit of a new crop in summer.  Gods plan is good.  

  Seasons for me are the same "sad/happy" as the seasons of the year.  One ends in a show of abundant farewell  as the next one begins in new, empty, expectancy.  Hopefully the transition brings the strength of the Lord as I rest in preparation for whatever comes my way in new growth and fruit.  Each one breathes a fresh note for the gratitude my heart feels to the Lord for the beauty and productivity of the past season, and a holding my breath, wondering what adventure awaits in the next season of life.  

  As we nestle down for the final hurrah that is fall, let us do it with a thankful heart.  The variety that God shows us in His ways, are for His pleasure, and for ours.  Ask Him for the same wisdom and creative genius He has, and uses, in all His mighty workings.  He is lavish with His gifts and will not withhold wisdom from those who ask for it.

James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom,                                                                                                                    let him ask of God,                                                                                                                                          who gives to all liberally and without reproach,                                                                                           and it will be given to him.

In Over My Head

 We've had a good week here.  Hopefully you have also.  Dom and Charlie are well settled into their digs.  Both of them are doing remarkably well.  It may still be the honeymoon phase but it seems to be that they have become compatible once more.  They used to be, as children.  I remember going through months without a foul word spoken to each other.  Then puberty hit really hard and nothing was compatible about them at all.  Each developmental stage normal children go through was exceptionally long for the boys.  And it seems that nothing came easily.  Now they seem to have settled into a rhythm suitable to their age.  

After our first three children were born, there wasn't a part of a second when we wanted more children.  We were so very content.  But God!  He had different ideas than we did.  He pestered me for weeks about having another child.  Dominick was finally born.  When I was pregnant with him, the Lord told me about his little sister.  We had a beautiful little girl and felt so pleased.  While pregnant with her Father told me about her little brother!  

Charlie was born and I was in way over my head!  I was totally unprepared and incapable of raising this little flock that He planned for us.  Having two with physical delays and severe cognitive disabilities I knew nothing about, put us all over the top, as far as how to raise them and even getting through the dailies. 

I think God finally had me where He wanted me.  I had to be dependent on Him for everything.  Although it is hard, I kind of like living in the place of being so dependent.  God had all the answers to my many problems.  I got to know Him and His ways much better and I marveled over the many times He revealed them to me.  His ways are higher than our ways and His ways work.  Amazing.  

Isaiah 55:9  For as the heaven is higher than the earth                                                                                  

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Blessed Interruptionss

 Hey!   Isn't God wonderful?  This past week  I have been thinking of the frequent interruptions that have been happening when I start to draw myself to the Lord in prayer.  I have confessed my sin of prayerlessness and hate it.  I so badly want to be near to Jesus as He whispers His beautiful Word to me, but so very often I am distracted and sideswiped by thoughts from the smallest infractions to really important things, like calls from the kids or deer in the backyard!  :)

  Suddenly I began to see that all the disruptions were of God!  So I was able to relax and enjoy them instead of fight to remain in prayer, or wherever I happened to be at the time.  It seems that the Lord is in every interruption and if I am sensitive to Him, He shows me how it is His will that I listen.  I have experienced Him more closely and am delighted in the nearness that I feel to Him.  And if it is prayer that I am engaged in, I return to it quickly after the brief interruption I experience.

Today, as I was praying, I just flowed with the interruptions and it was perfect. I am so certain that He is near and dear and close to my thoughts. He has indeed shown me that His loving kindness is all about me.  Oh!  How I love Him And give myself over to His amazing goodness. His yoke is indeed easy and His burden is light.

Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and lowly of heart

and you will find rest to your souls,  for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Healing Continues

   The abundant life continues as Jim and I move closer toward confident good health.  Jim is doing very well.  He has a couple more weeks of restricted weight bearing and then liberty.  The doctor is satisfied with his progress and so are we.  It seems to be going better this time than when he first had surgery in April.  He got permission today to use the riding mower, so liberty is settling in a little more each week.

  The issues with me continue to be rather trying.  I am having my hands and neck worked on and have some improvement, but must still have a couple of procedures before I will quit trying and just settle for the new normal.  My hands cramp with just a few lines of writing.  My neck wakes me up at night with intermittent pain, and continues during the day.   The neuropathy pains are increasing and getting deeper and more insistent.  By October I will have done everything I know to do beyond prayer. Then I will settle in with whatever I have from the Lord's hands.  I keep in mind that He always answers prayer, and He always, always heals.  He is pure goodness and is doing only what He deems best for me.   

  I am at peace most of the time regarding all the healing process.  It is something to ponder before the Lord as so far my "job" has been to write.  My hands don't allow for very much of that, so I wonder if Father has a different venue for me to share the Good News.  When I first began writing in order to publish, it was because the door for speaking was closed to me.  During this season my writing has been so limited that I wonder if I will get another assignment from the Lord.  Something to think about.

  He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us.  We can confidently say we have a faithful and truly marvelous friend in Him; one who is for us, not against us.  Rejoice!  

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I say, Rejoice! 

Bachelor Uncles

 This week we reach a milestone in the lives of Dominick and Charlie.  Dominick is moving into Charlies house off of Cooper Ave.  We have been hoping for them to live together for a long time.  Finally it is going to happen.  They are both pumped for it.  I pray that the house rocks with the joy of the Lord in every way, and that they continue to get along together.  They will have one roommate, Patrick.  He is a sweet fellow with some verbal outburst problems but I expect Charlie to enjoy him as Dom has learned to do.  He has been Dominicks roommate for a couple of years now.  

  So this week we have been cleaning out drawers and closets trying to reduce their clutter.  Charlie runs a pretty tight ship, but Dom is quite different.  He has a hard time letting go of things.  Clean out has been hard to do with him unable to throw away almost anything.  So we are organizing for him.  Bins and boxes are handy at this point.  Thank God for them.  We also have taken many articles of clothing for "laundering" and hopefully he won't miss the ones he doesn't get back.

They will be living only a mile away from us.  This is great as they spend a lot of time with us each week. Being able to gather them up quickly and deliver back home for either us or their sisters will be a pleasant change of pace.  

  When the guys were born the Lord gave me a Scripture for each of them.  For Dom He gave me 

Isaiah 58:12b  And you shall be calked the Repairer of the Breach, 

The restore of Streets to dwell in.

And for Charlie,    Deuteronomy 28:13a  And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you 

shall be above only and not beneath 

Deut. 28:6  Blessed shall you be when you come in,

and bless shall you be when you go out.

These are the Scriptures I pray for them the most often.  I have seen the Lord to be faithful to them to do it.  Personally, I would have been sunk many times over if I had not had these Scriptures to cling to.  They have been a lifeline to me as I/we waded through the unknown raising these two very special men of God.  Praise Him for His kindness to us.  He is faithful.

Time

 We have a grandfather clock.  I purchased it about eight years ago from a neighbors estate sale.  He was a rather dubious fellow until I was able to figure him out.  Now he keeps good time if I go by his rules.  I must restart him after each winding or he randomly quits working.  It took me some time to understand just what he required of me.  It seemed as if it needed winding nearly every time I walked down the hall past him.  That was not true, of course, for he has an eight day winding mechanism.  But it seemed like it.  

 Since the start of the Co-Vid pandemic, it is just the opposite.  I walk past him just as often but he just rarely appears to be in need.  I think the Lord is readjusting time for me.  He is slowing things down to a pace I was familiar with as a younger me.  What am I doing with the extra time?  That is a question that has begun to make me uncomfortable.  

  Scripture says to redeem the time for the days are evil.  See Ephesians 5:16.  How is my prayer life.  How about my thought life?  How are the relationships the Lord has graciously given?  Am I nurturing them  or neglecting them?  What is going on with my commitments in the Lord?  Am I able to say I am faithful to all He has laid before me?  

 And the list goes on...

 Ephesians 5:15-17  Therefore be very careful how you live -                                                                  not as unwise but as wise,                                                                                                                          take advantage of every opportunity,                                                                                                       because the days are evil.                                                                                                                            For this reason do not be foolish,                                                                                                                           but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is.

Repair and Mend

My computer wouldn't let me into my blog last week.  Andy, my son-in-law expert was out with a cold, so, I apologize for being late again.  Technology!  The blessing and bane of my life.

On Friday Jim is getting his colostomy redirected and the surgical sight closed up.  Hopefully it all goes according to plan.  It has been five months since we've seen normal.   This is major surgery again and we've been careful to keep distance from others for the most part.  Not an easy task.  I had to play "dirty cop" and say "No.  You are not going to play bass," three times this weekend.  He has never had so many opportunities in one weekend.  It was hard to keep saying no.  

I too am on the pro active mend.  Friday I had my right neck radio frequency done.  It is a minor procedure where the pain receptor nerves in the upper neck are burned to reduce pain. I have had it done several times before and this went very well.  I am already benefitting from it.  I am having the left side done on the 14th and then my hands and wrists.  They have been giving me trouble for well over a year and it is high time I do something about it.  Some cortisone injection was prescribed and because the pain from neuropathy is bad, I am having it done at the pain center.  

That brings us to the end of August.   And suddenly summer is over.  

Since the pandemic began in mid March, it seems to me that Father is adjusting time.  We have a grandfather clock (more on him next week) and it seems as though every time I pass him by in the hallway, I want to wind him up.  He hasn't been  needing winding near as often as he used to.  I believe Father has slowed time down for me.  

Ecclesiastes 3:17b for there is a time there

for every purpose

and for every work.

Home again Home again Jigggity Gig

My, but it's been a long time since I've written, hasn't it?  After ten days of vacation in the heat of Kansas, we needed some time to recuperate when we came home.  That first week was almost surreal.  When we came home the garden needed tending.  The deer had visited and eaten all the pea blossoms and taken a few of the flowers, but otherwise we got by easy.  Other years we have been stripped of nearly everything, especially the lillies.  This year we fensed much more aggressively.

Physical Therapy started too.  The kind of therapy I am receiving doesn't really fit some of my preconceived ideas of what PT should be.  My sessions consist of deep muscle releases to rectify all the years of tension to keep my body from extreme trembling.  It is going very well.  I feel like I have a fighting chance at normalcy for the first time in more years than I can remember.  The first week of therapy was pretty rigorous.  I got very nauseated and so tired!  This week it seems like the worst is over.  I am doing better.

Babysitting is also resuming.  thee children have been really good.  The twins turn one year old on July 22nd.  Not quite walking but have no problem getting to wherever they wish.  Crawling serves well.  It is interesting to watch them develop.  They really are mirror image identical.  They even crawl over the grass with opposite knees off the ground as they scoot along.

Well, as uninspired as this is, it is about all I have for now.  I hope together back to blogging every week as I did previously.

Enjoy one another for me.  You are all worth it.

John 13:34  I give you a new commandment--to love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

A Time

WE have received permission to take Dom and Charlie along with us on vacation.  We are heading out to KS, to see the Gwosts in Wichita, and the Bensons in Wamego.  With all that has transpired since broken bones, and surgeries, and Co-Vid, it seems long overdue for all of us.  The boys are no less excited than we are to embrace a good long visit with family again.

Here at home, garden is bursting and and soon the firstfruits of our labor will be ready to pick.  As normally happens when we spend the Fourth of July in Ks., Lydia will reap the first of the peas, zucchini and whatever else she can find ready.  Their family will be taking care of the 50 odd flower pots I have established.  I told the kids that I would pay them, with a bonus for every pot that still looks good on our return.  They are eager to begin.  I am thankful.

Proverbs 3:2a, 5b A time to plant

and a time to pluck what is planted

A time to embrace 

and a time to refrain from embracing.

Update on Post- Surgery

Time for a quick review of my post surgical journey.  Mostly I am doing well.  My hair is about an inch long and I am sprouting the untrimmed look, just like most everyone else.

My shakiness is a little more tricky to deal with, but overall, I am pleased with the ability to eat with little spilling and write legibly again.  I have tweaked the battery again as I continue to reduce medication.  I seem to be tracking that with each reduction on the one med., I have a couple of sleepless nights, with restlessness and body irritability.  I am quite certain I slept no more  than 45 minutes last night.  Two more weeks and I will be off of it.  Whew!

The other one of the medications, I find myself needing to go back on, in a small dose.  When the battery is operating  the right way to keep me calm,  I have a tingle in the tip of my tongue and my speech slurs. So I am opting to take a small dose and it seems to be effective at this point.

Jim is healthy, but his surgical wound is still open and we pack and dress it twice a day.  Doctor continues to assure us it is very common and nothing further needs to be done with it.  Just the patient, character building it takes, to be done with it.

Lots of patience and character building going around these days, as we await the all clear and an end to the pandemic, with its social distancing, masks, hand sanitizing, and limited gatherings.

2 Peter:5-8  But for this reason, giving all diligence, 

add to your faith virtue, to virtue add knowledge, 

to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, 

to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, 

to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours, 

you will be neither barren nor unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Digging Roots Deep

  The garden plants are all digging their roots down deep during this respite from the travail of intense heat we had earlier this month.  I truly hope the Body of Christ is doing the same. We need to be ready when the next wave of intense heat comes, so we will be firmly rooted and grounded in the Word and in our relationship with the Lord.

  There is nothing more important for us during this time than to seek the Lord.  Build your trust and confidence in Him, so nothing can shake your foundation, as you stand firm upon the Rock.  Believe His Word and His promises to you.  Soon, in the days to come, we will see many of those promises fulfilled.

  Now is the time.  Now  hour.  I encourage you not to waste it.


Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord
While He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.

Complaining- Just Don't

  Of the many things I'm learning in the hidden places, one of them is not to be impatient.  Impatience leads to grumbling, and we know that God is not too fond of that.  In the wanderings of the wilderness , the Israelites mumbled against the provision of manna, saying it was not enough.  They were tired of the same old thing.  I discovered that the foreigners who went with the Israelites out of Egypt, were the first to complain, and the rest joined in.
 
  I am reminded to be a bit cautious of those I hang around.  If they are speaking negatively all the time, and I start believing they are correct, I need to run to my place of refuge and seek the strength of the Lord.  If I have no word of correction, or if the Word of correction given by God isn't listened to and heeded, I must guard against letting that color my thinking and the thinking of others. There are foreigners in the house of God.

  This time of isolation is well within the Fathers plan for us for now.  What we do with it is our concern.  Submission to His authority keeps me from the grumbling my old nature pulls me into.  It gives me time in His Word to equip me, to help others in my sphere of influence, to be submitted to His great plan for us.  His plan hasn't changed.  It is still to prosper us and give us a future.  Use this time to prepare for the future.  We need discernment.  It could get kinda crazy.


Numbers 11:1a, 4   Now when the people complained, it displeased thee Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused.  (vs4)  Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat?"