From most accounts, it looks like the pandemic is weakening, and “normal” is beginning to return. Because of this forward progress, we might be prone to believe all individuals are moving forward as well.

However, like Covid itself, recovery isn’t a straight line, and many are still feeling the physical, economic, emotional, and mental effects of the past year or going through new struggles.




Also, we may tend to forget, that not everything is Covid related. Life in general, with all its issues, was and is still going on.

Therefore I would like to share with you Lauren Daigle’s newly released song––“Hold on to Me.” I think it can speak to all of us, in whatever struggle we might be experiencing, and remind us of that as John 10:28 says, we are held securely in the Father’s hand, the best and safest place to be.

This is so true, but we also shouldn’t forget that we are God’s hands and feet here on earth, so while God has us firmly in his grip, we can be the physical manifestation of His encompassing hug, firm hand, and very real presence.

“When the process of making one thing results in a second product as well, that second thing is called a byproduct. Molasses, for example, is a byproduct of refining sugar” (vocabulary.com).

We have all heard about by-products, often in the negative sense. Secondhand smoke is a byproduct of smoking. Air pollution is a by-product of factory work. Traffic congestion is a by-product of the invention of the car, and noise pollution might be the result of nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

There have also been many positive by-products as well. Besides the molasses mentioned above, we could add the straw gained from grain harvesting, salt from desalination of water, or sawdust from the refining of lumber. Innovative ways to conduct business as well as a reset on our values have been some unexpected positive byproducts of the pandemic.

However, I was surprised when I read my April 25th Experiencing God devotional to learn of a by-product I never thought was a by-product. And yet it is. It centered around John 15:5 which reads, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

So often we get caught up in doing things for God, and judging our spirituality by the fruit we believe we produce. But the authors remind their readers, that fruit is the by-product not the emphasis of the verse. The main product is a person’s relationship with Christ. The “abiding.” Though it doesn’t sound as exciting or active, the truth is, the stronger the relationship, the more fruit. The weaker the relationship, the less fruit. Therefore, we should not be concerned so much with the fruit but with the health of our relationship with Christ. The fruit will naturally follow.

First and Second Chronicles are not the most exciting books of the Bible to read, as the list of names can lull you into a stupor. However, Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” And that’s just what happened when I read 1 Chronicles 27.

The chapter is all about the organization of public service, tribal leaders, administrators of King David’s property, as well as his personal counselors. What struck me most was the order it provided to the workings of the kingdom, and reminded me again that God is a God of order, of peace, not chaos or confusion, (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Therefore, when chaos reigns in our world, it is because God has not been given the helm. He has been pushed aside. And we are witnessing a lot of chaos right now.

Recently my pastor made the following statement in his Sunday sermon: “You can’t solve a sin problem with political solutions.” He was quick to add, however, that we need politics. Politics has a place, and 1 Chronicles chapter 27 is a case in point.

David was a king. His appointments were political. But he also was a godly king. God was the ultimate authority. When he strayed from following God’s statutes, as he did with Bathsheba, chaos ensued: a coverup followed, a husband was murdered, and a family and country paid the price. When he decided not to adhere to God’s directive, as he did when he called for a census without God’s consent, 70,000 men died.

But David repented, and God was again placed on the throne, and order returned. As Colossians 1:17 says, “He [God] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

So when we push him aside, and refuse to repent, then He releases that hold, as we see in Romans 1:24, “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts.” God will withdraw “His restraining and protective hand, allowing the consequences of sin to take their inevitable” (Grace to You).

Chaos creates confusion, anxiety, distrust, suspicion, and every other negative outcome. Order creates peace, security, trust, and every positive outcome. Let’s always remember, that God is the author and sustainer of order.

I was taking a hike a few weeks ago and saw a sign that said that I was only .1 mile from the Pacific Crest Trail. I immediately saw this as my opportunity to claim I had hiked one of the premier trails in the U.S. (I once wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail until I read Bill Bryson’s book A Walk in the Woods and then promptly chucked that adventure off my bucket list.) But this one . . . the Pacific Coast Trail (need I remind you) was only .1 mile off my current route . . . and no Bill Bryson memoir to dissuade me . . . so I went for it.

Since I was 1400 miles from Canada and only 1300 miles from Mexico, I opted to go south . . . for about a mile. Within a quarter of a mile I smelled something extremely strong and very familiar, so familiar it took me back forty-seven years to my first job after high school, as a camp counselor up in the Sierras. The smell? Bear clover . . . aka Mountain Misery . . . aka Kitkitdizzi to the Native Americans. The smell was pungent and a bit cloying. To give you an idea of its strength, all of our cabins were named after native flowers––the bathroom/shower house was named kitkitdizzi.

Research has proven that the sense of smell has the strongest connection with memory. I think all of us can attest to that truth. Certain smells take us immediately back to a specific time, location, and emotion.

I guess it is no wonder then that the Bible uses smell to describe what pleases God most. From the burnt offerings of the Israelites which had a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord (Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 1:17), to the end times when the sum total of all of our prayers are “golden bowls of incense” (Revelation 5:8).

But Paul also uses the sense of smell when he reminds the Corinthians that as Christians “we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15).

In a nutshell, what we do for Christ, how we act, what we say has staying power.  

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Photo taken by Francie McGowan

There is a plant here in the West that every time I walk by it, I am reminded of God’s definitive involvement in creation and his care for each and every one of his creations. It is the Manzanita.

Whether one describes it as a shrub or a tree, the Manzanita is perfectly suited for its life in hot, water-stingy climes.

Its leathery leaves, which form a protective canopy over the plant, will tilt during the hottest part of the day, thereby reducing overheating and water loss. Those same leaves are equipped to capture any water droplet and send it directly toward its roots.

Both the smooth mature red bark, which peels away easily, and the marble-like surface underneath provide a quick, proficient, and expedient route by which each drop of water reaches the root without loss. Every water droplet gets to the bottom. No drop is wasted.

Likewise, the berries are good to eat fresh, dried, or ground into meal. Native Americans used the leaves to create medicinal poultices and also used them for toothbrushes. Nothing was wasted.

And while the wood itself is difficult to cure, and prone to cracking, when worked with in small pieces, it can produce some beautiful works, such as the vase shown.

Sometimes we take God’s creation for granted and our place in that creation, and don’t realize the specialness of both.

Matthew 6:28-29 reminds us that flowers, without worry or work, are more beautiful than Solomon’s attire.

Matthew 10:29 tells us that not even the smallest of birds falls without God knowing or caring.

And then the clincher: Matthew 10:30-31––“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Creation shouts God’s involvement and His love.