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December 7, 2025

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Keeping our eyes on the prize

Reading the Bible from start to finish through the year is such a blessing. Have you had the same (or similar) experience? If not, just let your mind wander through the stories of the Old Testament and then the New. As you read through the Old Testament, you see over and over and over that God blesses Israel when they live the truth of God’s commandments and maintain their love for Him. Then when they slip into sin, they experience negative consequences. Then God begs them to turn back to Him. Over and over and over. But does God have a goal through all of this? If He does, what is it? By the time you read through all of that and get to the book of Revelation, it is completely clear that throughout history God, our loving Creator and Father, has always and only had one goal. He wants us to love Him, obey His commandments, and live our lives as the true sons (and daughters) of God that we are. He wants to talk to us, His children, and demonstrate His love for us. Only one goal, and yet so many intermediate dispensations and plans to get us to that point.

This morning, while considering God’s goal, I was thinking about the phrase, “Keep your eyes on the prize.” I always thought that phrase was attributed to Martin Luther King. However, when I looked it up, in fact, it was Pete Seger who used that phrase in a song by the same name. Earlier forms of it were found in lyrics to spiritual songs, especially Gospel Plow which says “Hold on. Keep your hand on the plow.” Regardless of origin, it really relates to us as Christians. We need to keep our eyes on the ultimate goal. What IS our ultimate goal? What is the thing that I/we prize the most? My reputation? My image of myself as a ‘righteous person’, my career, my comfortable life? Or has loving and living in harmony with my God and my Father become my most precious and coveted prize? It’s something that I should examine in my life. One way to know is to search my heart and mind. What takes up the greatest amount of space and time in my heart and mind? Is it God? My family? My career? Hmmm. Good questions.

Let’s keep our eyes on the most precious prize, not just of a lifetime, but of all eternity. God our Father.

Here is Pete Seeger’s short but sweet song, in those days dedicated to a very important social issue. We can understand that in those days (and sadly even sometimes nowadays), our brothers and sisters were not being treated as the beautiful children of God that they are. For all of us, we can also think of it in terms of our greatest eternal prize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJh0F_vYs8&list=RDAdJh0F_vYs8&start_radio=1

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November 23, 2025

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A parable of chickens

Can we learn from animals?

I have six chickens and a cat currently. My husband and I started off with seven baby chicks in spring of 2020. Of those first seven, only one is still alive. Then we got three more about three years ago. One of those has already died. Then this last spring we got three more. These last three are doing well and are now great layers. My chickens communicate with me. When they are hungry, they squawk. It sounds like begging. The oldest hen even pulls on my jacket when she wants me to shake the food dispenser so she can get the best nuggets. When they lay an egg, they tell me about what they did with great pride. It sounds like unmitigated excitement. One of the new little ones tells me that she doesn’t know how to get into the nest. I don’t know why she can’t seem to get in, but she sounds desperate. “Please help me. Please, please help me get in. I need to lay an egg!” When I change something a little or something out of the ordinary happens, there will be loud squawking and sometimes scary wing flapping. When I let them out to free range a little, they run joyously to the door. A few of them even fly towards the door in their excitement, and sometimes even dash into it in their haste. Then, when it’s time for them to go back in, I say, “Chickie go home” as I tap my two sticks together and try to guide them back to the entrance. If they feel obedient and satiated with bugs, seeds and grass, they will cooperate, but if they don’t feel like going “home,” they will do everything they can to get out of doing what I want them to do. As you can see, they really are good communicators. They all have their own kind of chicken emotions. Do I sometimes act like a chicken? Similar kinds of fear, excitement, or wanting my own way? Hmmm.

There is one hen who will not let me touch her … ever. We got her as a pullet (a chicken teenager), and I believe that she had never been touched. I tried to get her used to me in the first weeks after she came, but she always ran away and stayed away from me. She still runs away if I ever try to get near her, and if I try to pick her up to see if she is okay, she dashes herself into the wall in her absolute terror. I just want to help her! No amount of calmness or trickery on my part works. Now, that is a bad thing because chickens have needs at times and in order to see what is wrong, we humans have to pick them up. She would sooner die of fright than let me pick her up. She currently has a sore foot, and I have not been able to pick her up to see what is wrong, never mind help her to be healed of it. If it’s an infection and if the infection spreads, she will die.

We are not so different from chickens (in certain ways!). Sometimes we need physical healing, and the doctor has to be able to check us out. We have heard stories of people who were afraid to go to the doctor, or to the dentist. Some people would rather have their teeth rot out of their mouths than go to the dentist! We also need spiritual healing. God our Father is the most wonderful spiritual doctor. He is the best specialist in that area. He has to be able to touch our lives in order for us to know what is wrong and how to overcome the issue. If we do not let our lives be touched in whatever way necessary, we cannot know the problem or the solution. I can see that I am lacking there. We have to, I have to, trust that when God touches our lives in a way that shows us something that we must see about ourselves so that we can change it, we have to believe that He is our divine doctor whose only motive is that he always, always wants the best for us. He wants us to be healed and to overcome so that we can get closer to Him. His single ulterior motive is to have a closer relationship with us. What an amazing Father we have!

Can God speak to us in parables in our daily lives? Yes, truly. He always wants a conversation with us to bring us higher. Is there a parable in your life that can really help you to get closer to Him?

**Postscript on the hen with the sore foot – I prayed for her. That’s all I could do for her. Somehow, she is doing much better now! No longer limping. Thank you, Lord!

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September 22, 2025

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A poem from a time gone by – John Greenleaf Whittier

For those of you who have not read previous posts on this site, my husband passed away this summer.  In going through his things, I have found many bits of paper with little sayings that he loved, parts of his life that he wanted to improve on, or things that he wanted to accomplish in life.  Some of them were just scraps of paper. Others were on sticky notes or in notebooks.  One day I came across a postcard.  He collected postcards so that he could send them to our daughters, but he was using this particular one just as another scrap of paper.  It had my name at the top and he had written just the first verse of this most beautiful poem.  After finding the entire poem, I was stunned by its beauty and truth.  I encourage you to read it.  It is just so beautiful.  Poetry like this has mostly passed out of our experience, but I believe that we would be much enriched to let the words of poets from previous eras drench us with their wisdom.  I have been reading it daily since I found it, and it still touches my heart.  I hope that you can find treasure in it. 

All As God Wills

by John Greenleaf Whittier

All as God wills, who wisely heeds
To give or to withhold,
And knoweth more of all my needs
Than all my prayers have told.

Enough that blessings undeserved
Have marked my erring track;
That, whereso’er my feet have swerved,
His chastening turned me back;

That more and more a providence
Of love is understood,
Making the springs of time and sense
Sweet with eternal good;

That death seems but a covered way
Which opens into light,
Wherein no blinded child can stray
Beyond the Father’s sight.

No longer forward nor behind
I look, in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here.

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September 1, 2025

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Opportunity – our daily bread

My sweet husband passed away two weeks ago.  In going through some papers in his desk, I found various scraps of paper that I had never seen before.  They were just in among his bills and special cards that people had sent to him.  Some of the scraps had notations about people to pray for, donations he wanted to make, and thoughts to himself about something in his life that he wanted to improve on.  Here are some thoughts that he had scribbled on a small notepad nearly six years ago.

Besides time, opportunity may be our great asset in this life.  There are windows of opportunity in almost everything.  To pick my squash, because they are now yellow, or my grapes because they are right at ripeness’ edge, or harvest the hazelnuts now and pick the cherries before they get eaten or die on the branches.  Before the adversaries, the deer, squirrels, moles, or birds take their chance and pre-empt me.

Listen to God’s thoughts and concerns to save others from discouragements and bad situations.  May we be courteous and responsive neighbors.  Everyone is hurting.  It’s a hurting generation.  It causes hopelessness to be left behind.  We may be the last chance to help someone in need.  Endeavor to be sensitive to that.

John wrote them as a memo to himself, and in hindsight, I can see that he truly tried to fulfill this endeavor.  I have to say that as his time here got shorter, he jumped at opportunities.  He started chats with cashiers, waitstaff, or nearly anyone he met.  He never made any kind of big religious proclamation or lecture.  He was just kind and interested in each person.  He made them feel good.  He left them happier after having the chat, and hopefully changed the course of their day.  Who knows how that could have spread out from that person to others along the way.  I like his reference to the perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables.  Each moment is crafted by God and is the perfect moment for us to say something (or sometimes nothing).  To me, this is a very sweet way of bringing a little more God into this earth.  God is kind, and He loves His children.  When we are genuinely interested in people, forgetting ourselves and the problems troubling us, that shows people God’s heart.  Our hurting generation needs healing.  May we bring healing to those we meet along the way.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Philippians 2:3

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July 22, 2025

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Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

God sometimes brings a chuckle into our lives just when we need to lighten up.  Life is sometimes a struggle these days since my husband is now on hospice.  However, he can still get out a bit and he likes to take a drive sometimes for a change of scenery.  Yesterday, after an appointment, he wanted to go for a drive.  It was the last thing I wanted to do, but we drove to a nearby river where we used to ride our bikes on a bike path.  It was just a short and easy walk down to the river from the parking lot.  When we got down closer to the river, I noticed a little dog playing with something on the edge of the river.  I couldn’t make it out, but it looked kind of like a rock, but how could it be.  Was it a piece of rubber? Or plastic?  The next time I looked, he was swimming in the river.  As I watched, he suddenly disappeared.  Where did he go?  Was he drowning?  Within a short time, he resurfaced carrying something in his mouth.  It was his “toy.”  The object was about five inches long and seemed kind of smooth, but irregularly shaped.  I couldn’t figure out what kind of dog toy it could be.  Hmmm.  We stood there a while longer looking at the beautiful river and enjoying the peaceful moment.  Then I noticed the dog swimming again, and again he disappeared and resurfaced with his treasure.  It did look like a rock.  I HAD to ask his owner about his dog, the toy, and his unique ability. 

“I’ve never seen a dog dive like that before.”

“He’s had that rock (it really was a real rock!) for six years.  It’s his favorite toy.  He plays with it all the time.  I have a friend who has a pool and he likes to throw the rock into the deep end just to see the dog dive down to get it.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“The funny thing is that after it rains, he won’t go outside because he doesn’t like to get his feet wet.”

😍❤️😍

Quite a unique talent for a dog and a funny story to tell after a rough day.

But was there something more to the story?  God speaks to us in parables to help us understand bigger ideas.  A few ideas came to mind.  There is a Scripture that says, “That rock was Christ.”  And of course we all know the parable that Jesus told about the pearl of great price.  Water corresponds to the Spirit.  It’s really a simple picture story about the way we have to dive into the deep of the Spirit to find Christ, the pearl of great price.  

To me, just like the dog never tired of diving and retrieving, for us it’s not a one time dive and then we have it.  As life goes on its way, we dive in daily.  It was the little dog’s delight to dive in over and over to retrieve his rock, his treasure above all treasures.  

Maybe with this picture, God is saying in a kind and light hearted way that although life’s circumstances are sometimes really hard, He is leading us into a deep dive into the Spirit. There is nothing negative in Him, so even life’s most difficult trials will somehow bring about a good.  So, these times are the dives into the deep end that will bring us both higher and deeper into our walk with Him.  That is so easy to say, but difficult to live out.  At any rate, it reminds me of a song that goes “Deeper, deeper, in the love of Jesus.”

Deeper, Deeper in the love of JesusDaily let me goHigher, Higher in the school of wisdomMore of grace to know
O deeper yet I prayAnd higher ev’ry dayAnd wiser, blessed, LordIn thy precious, holy word

Jesus. Truly the pearl of great price. Such a treasure that is so worth the trouble to get.

… Tribulation works patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope: and hope does not make ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Romans 5:3 – 5

 

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July 13, 2025

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Meditations on Psalm 23

Today I received as a gift, By the Still Waters: A Meditation on the Twenty-Third Psalm by J. R. Miller. Enjoy this quote from Mr. Miller’s book.

Not many of us will be permitted to write a twenty-third psalm to bless men with its strains of sweet peace; but we may at least make our life a song, a sweet hymn of peace, whose music shall gladden, comfort, and cheer weary pilgrims as they pass along life’s rough ways.

This beautiful sentence gives us much to meditate on, much to aspire to, and much to modify our lives to.  Not one person on earth gets out of this life without experiencing both its joys and its troubles.  Nowadays we have a lot of expressions to get this same idea across – that we could lift someone’s spirits with just a smile or a kind word or deed.  However, I think Mr. J. R. Miller expressed it so sweetly.  May his words inspire us.  Let’s make our lives a song, a sweet hymn of peace, whose music will gladden those we meet in our daily activities.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.

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February 9, 2025

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Following God’s paths for our lives

In today’s reading with the Daily Audio Bible, the reading in Proverbs covered Pr 8:13 – 26. Verse 20 is very sweet and such a promise follows it in verse 21.

I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 

Proverbs 8:20

In other versions of the Bible, it says “I walk in the way of righteousness.”  It’s true that we seem to be walking through our lives on our own, but it is God who is leading us, so, in fact, both translations are correct.

Some paths are not clearly marked. 

On a dark and moonless night, it is hard to follow a path through a dense forest without straying off of it and getting completely lost.  Losing our way in the woods can get us into a lot of trouble.  It can even lead us down false paths that only lead down a rabbit hole. In the same way, in these troublesome and often confusing times, it’s hard to know where that path is and where it’s going.  The second half of verse 20 says, “in the midst of the paths of judgment.”  There is danger when we get off of the path the Lord has meant for us.  Let’s pray that the Lord leads us in the way of righteousness, and that we follow His leading.  The way may not seem clear to us.  In fact, each one of us has to find our own path to travel down in this life.  It may sometimes even appear to be wrong, but God’s way is always the right way.  To stay on the path in a dark and perilous time, we have to be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Let’s practice daily.  The promises are beautiful.

That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. 

Proverbs 8:21

Just as this is my prayer for those I love, it is also my prayer for all of those who love the Lord.  May the Holy Ghost lead you and yours in the way of righteousness.  May you walk in that way and receive God’s blessings.  Stay safe and on the Lord’s path for you.

May He lead you beside the still waters.  

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January 25, 2025

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The tragedy of the fires in Los Angeles

It has been nearly three weeks since the tragedy of the fires in the Los Angeles area, but it seems so much longer ago.  My daughter lived in Altadena, CA up until January 7th.  She loved the kind, friendly neighbors and the quiet, pretty area north of her apartment where she enjoyed taking walks through the peaceful streets with the beautiful views of mountains in the background.  I visited her there a few years ago and I was relieved to see how safe it seemed.

The picture above shows my daughter’s apartment in Altadena during my visit.  Her apartment with everything in it is now gone, along with all of the cute homes in the neighborhoods closer to the mountains where she loved to walk.  She told me that she “had felt spooked” by the quickly spreading Palisades fire on Tuesday, January 7th and began to prepare some things just in case more wildfires started closer to her.  She gathered her important papers, took photos of everything in her apartment and grabbed a few other things and filled the trunk of her car.  That evening, just before going to bed, I checked the LA news and saw that a fire had indeed started a little east of her.  It still looked a bit far from her, but it was very windy.  Two minutes later, I got the call that she was evacuating.  As she was evacuating, she could see the approaching flames from her balcony.  The next day her landlord gave her the news that her building had burned to the ground.

We live in a natural world and are very affected by natural events.  Even so, God can give us a higher perspective on what happens around us.  Yes, she lost everything, except the things in the trunk of her car, and yet the fingerprints of God are evident everywhere.  She said she “felt spooked.”  In reality, God’s Spirit was leading her to get ready.  She had a friend who offered her a temporary place to stay that night and for the following days.  It was God who prepared a place for her.  Now other acquaintances just happen to be moving to northern California for two years and have offered to sublet their apartment to her until she can get back on her feet.  I tell my husband,  if God can find an apartment that quickly for her in a city where there is extremely low inventory even before the fire that wiped out so many homes and buildings, well then, He can do just about anything He wants, can’t He?!

Many people are saying these fires are apocalyptical or biblical.  Yes, indeed, but we have brought these problems on ourselves.  In this case, God did not rain down fire from heaven.  We caused it. We brought it on ourselves.  Sins, corruption, lying, stealing, selfishness.   He just couldn’t hold it back any longer.  If He held it back, too many people would be lost forever.  He does not want that.  People have to change, not just in Los Angeles or in the location of some other disaster, but everywhere.  I know that it has changed my daughter in profound ways, mostly in ways on knowing to appreciate the important things in life, relationships with people.

Trust in God.  Keep His commandments.  Love Him with all your heart.  He is a loving Father.  He loves His children with all of His and just wants them to be close to Him.  He is holy, so in order to be close to Him, we have to make ourselves holy.  We can do it.  Jesus left us the way.  We just need to read up on Jesus and try to implement His words.

Yes, indeed, there is ONE who has our back and who only allows something that will somehow bring us closer to Him if we allow it to work on our lives. Yes, my daughter lost everything last Wednesday when her building burned to the ground.  A profound loss, mostly because she loved the cute, kind and friendly community and neighbors there. However, God did have her back. He inspired her to photograph everything, to prepare, and to begin packing important papers and a few other essentials in her car trunk. She took a few valuables but never imagined that her building would actually burn down. Since then, God has been so kind.  God CAN do miracles. We have all seen it in so many ways, both big and small.  It is such a blessing to know and love Him. Prayer and a continued close relationship with our dear Father make all the difference.

My daughter stayed with a friend for several days after the fire and has now come home for a few weeks.  The aftermath of living through such a huge disaster is proving to be difficult.  It takes time to process loss in our lives.  She didn’t just lose her apartment and everything in it.  Her whole community is almost entirely gone.  All of the people who died in Altadena lived in the area on the other side of her street.  They did not get their evacuation orders until much later during the night and some, especially the elderly and disabled, could not get out.  I thank God that she got out when she did, and I know that God is good and kind and loving.  Mankind really messes up a lot though.  This is just one tragedy among many taking place throughout our world.  Let’s continue our prayers for those hurting around our world for so many reasons.  Stay strong and pray.

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December 19, 2024

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70 X 7 = 490

On a recent day, the morning Bible reading was the book of Obadiah.  It’s the shortest book in the Old Testament and it seems that it is not often read.  In it, the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, are severely judged.  I wondered about that as I listened to someone read it.  The punishment seemed quite severe and after all, Esau was Isaac’s oldest son and it seems that he was Isaac’s favorite.  So, what gives?  How would Isaac feel about his descendants being judged so severely?

Thinking about Esau’s life, there are two things that stand out.  Jacob conned Esau out of his birthright over a pot of lentil soup when Esau was hungry.  Then, he stole Esau’s blessing with his mother’s help when he pretended to be Esau.  I will never completely understand how Isaac could have thought Jacob was Esau.  How could goat skins really feel like someone’s hands?  Anyway, it happened, and Esau lost both the birthright and the blessing.  How do you think he felt?  

If we were to translate that story into modern times, it’s a tale that we hear over and over again.  The inheritance.  The will.  The anger between siblings over favoritism, either real or imagined.  Siblings or parent/child relationships broken forever.  

Did Esau keep that root of bitterness in his heart forever?  Did he pass it down to his children?  It certainly seems that he did.  Numbers 20:14 – 21 tells the story of how the Israelites begged Edom to let them pass through their land as they fled from Egypt.  They even promised not to touch anything that belonged to Edom.  They would drink their own water, and just go straight through.  Edom refused and forced them to go on a longer route to avoid passing through Edom.  So, we can see that even generations after Esau passed away, somehow he had kept that hatred in his heart.  Perhaps he told his children, and then they told theirs, etc.  Hatred can infect.  Perhaps the future generations didn’t even remember the reason for it.  They just had been told that the Israelites were evil people, and they carried on that belief.

So, what kind of bitterness, grudges, or hatred do we maintain in our hearts?  I think we all know of a family that was broken over inheritances or some perceived injustice.  I know such a family.  The daughter doesn’t speak to her own mother or brother even though the mother is in her late eighties.  The apparent injustice happened long ago. 

The next generation in that family is trying to mend all of those broken fences.  It’s like walking a tightrope between all of the injured parties.  In the end, hanging on to these grudges doesn’t hurt anyone but ourselves.  Let’s make sure that it doesn’t last another second.  Let’s make sure we don’t fill our children with our anger over a situation.  Let it go. Let’s forgive.

Jesus told his disciples, not just to forgive seven times, but seventy times seven. Then, imagine this scenario. A man being killed in a most excruciatingly painful and demeaning way, looks down at those who are killing him, then looks at his God father and says, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” That man is our hero, Jesus, our Savior. He left this earth without a single grudge, not against those who killed him or even the one who betrayed him. He looked lovingly at the one who denied him three times and also forgave his worldly friends and disciples who abandoned him in his most vulnerable of moments. He forgave them all. As he did, so can we.

FORGIVE

70 X 7 = 490

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November 27, 2024

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Moving into God’s marvelous light

Sunset 12-25-2020

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  1 Peter 2:9

This verse popped out at me this morning. There is so much involved in it. The last half of the sentence encloses a lifetime. Yes, there was a point in our lives when the Lord snatched us out of darkness. We all know the moment. Even though we can remember the moment, that moment took years of preparation for the Lord to set it up. We had to be ready. We had to be sick of living in sin. We had to be ready and searching for something more. Perhaps some who are reading this little writing are still searching. Maybe this is part of your moment.

Once we were snatched though, the real work began, that is, the Lord’s work in our lives. We can’t just say yes to God Almighty and stay the same way that we were. The Scripture says that He called us out of darkness. That means we have to leave darkness behind, and I can tell you, that is a lifetime process. The Lord is always uncovering new layers of darkness for our benefit. He never wants us to stay stagnant. With Him, it’s always, “onward and upward!”

In our world, in order to get light, you have to turn it on. You can’t stay in a dark room and expect to have light. You have to do something to get light. It’s pretty easy for us these days to get natural light, but at the same time, it doesn’t come cheap. I don’t know about where you live, but our electric bills are only moving upwards. So spiritually, what is the cost for spiritual light? Most of the time, it costs me my natural desires. “But Lord, I want to do that.” Or, Lord, “I want to think about that.” How about this one? “Lord, I want to eat that.” The Lord may not want us to have that at this moment. He knows. He may not want me to go to a certain place right now.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  Philippians 4:8

By these Scriptures, we can see that it is important not just to stop natural sin, but to reform our minds.  Keeping our minds on God can be done in so many ways.  Have a chat with Him.  He’s always up for a chat with His children.  We can find out what He thinks about different issues in life.  We can ask for help.  He won’t give us a rock if you ask for a fish, but it might be a different kind of fish than we were expecting.  

All of these changes in our lives lead us to a place where we can truly say, 

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  Philippians 4:11

And this one as well:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:  Isaiah 26:3, 4

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O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:  Isaiah 48:18

One of my dear Bible teachers who has now passed on loved to end his teachings with this next  verse.  May it be true of you.  ♥

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 

Romans 16:20