Devotional: Hide and Seek in the Old Mansion

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Hide and Seek in the Old Mansion

One of the fun things about living in a big old mansion is the endless possibilities for hide and seek. What made it even more fun was playing hide and seek with our German Shepherd. Someone would make Queen sit and stay while I would run and hide somewhere. I usually found a place deep in a closet. Then I'd shout, "OK!" They would let go of the dog and say, "Go find her, Queen!" Off she'd run sniffing here and there until her nose finally led her to my hiding spot. Of course, the anticipation of her cold wet nose in my face always brought great squeals of laughter and screaming when at last she found me.

It was difficult to hide from Queen. German Shepherd's have extremely good noses and can sniff out anything it seems. I guess that is why they are so good as police dogs. However, it is impossible to hide from God.

He sees everything. The Bible even says He knows our thoughts. The book of Job says, "Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me." (Job 21:27) And David says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts". (Psalm 139:23)

We might think we are hiding things from God, but we are not. He knows every idle thought of our heart. God doesn't play hide and seek games. Like David, it's best to come clean with God. He is there ready to forgive us when we come to Him in true repentance.

Devotion: Earthquake in the Old Mansion

My dad was standing, looking out the windows to the right in this picture, toward the bay.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Jude 1:3 ¶ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Below the cliff that the old house sat on were the railroad tracks. All day and through the night at various times the trains would rumble by or switch cars below. All this activity would shake the old house. We became so accustomed to the noise and the shaking that it never fazed us. The noise and shaking just went together. However, if we had company that didn't know about the trains and the noise and shaking that went on they would nearly come out of their seats in panic thinking we were having an earthquake or something had exploded.

We got to know the "good" noise and shaking so well that when there was noise without shaking or shaking without noise we paid attention. So it was in the middle of the night when I was awakened out of a sound sleep by the shaking of the house without any noise to go with it. It was a different kind of shaking, more like a rocking motion. I knew instantly that something was wrong. I flew out of bed to my parent's room to find my dad standing, looking out the window. I imagine he was trying to figure out what we should do. All I knew was I was scared out of my wits and wanted to be near my mom and dad. None of us slept well the rest of the night. Three of us in a standard double bed with me clinging to the outside edge of it all night, didn't make for a restful time.

We got to know the noise and shaking that were normal so well that when the earthquake shook us we instantly knew something was wrong. The parallel to be seen is this: As Christians, we are to study the Bible and get to know it so well that when doctrine, worldviews, humanistic teaching, etc. comes along that contradicts it we are instantly aware. Are you like the Bereans talked about in the verse out of Acts above? Are you searching the Scriptures daily? We can not contend for the faith if we do not know what the faith is. My challenge to you is to dig into the Bible and get to know it so well that you can identify the counterfeit easily when it comes along.

Devotion: Spying on People in the Old Mansion

This was the bathroom.  There used to be a window on the wall near the towel rack. Subsequent owners remodeled and removed the window. 

Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
Proverbs 15:3 ¶ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

I was a typical little sister. Being four years younger than my sister, she was bringing home boys after her dates. Of course, I was supposed to be in bed by that time. But I would sneak into the upstairs bathroom, open the window and watch what was going on in the kitchen by looking at the reflection in the neighbor's window.

Later as she was saying goodbye to her date in the big hallway downstairs, I would sneak out in the upstairs hallway and peek over the banister to watch them down below.

Another one of my spying tactics was the air vent in my bedroom floor. Those old turn of the century houses didn't have central heating ducts. Instead, they had a vent in the floor that could be opened to let heat up from downstairs. This vent worked well as a spot to spy on who was down in the living room. So occasionally, I would lay down on the floor and look through the vent and listen to the activities going on below.

My first room in the old house.  The heat vent has since been covered by carpet, but it was in the middle of the room.

To my sister's credit, she never did anything worthy of tattling to my parents about. I wouldn't have tattled anyway because I would have gotten myself in trouble for spying! (Now I am telling all my secrets!)

There is One who sees all that we do. No, He is not spying on us. He has plainly told us in His Word that he sees all we do. It's no secret. He ponders our path. Is it a path that honors Him? He sees the good and the evil. God not only sees what we do, but He also sees what is in our hearts.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every
man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.(KJV)

Our outward actions may deceive man into thinking we are upright, holy people, but what is in our hearts? Eventually, what is in our hearts will be revealed. What is the condition of yours?

Devotional: The Hole Under the Old Mansion

Just off to the right of this picture, there were stairs that went down to a dirt basement under the house. There was also an area that was a crawl space.  It was in this area that the hole spoken of in this devotional was found.


The Hole Under the Old Mansion

by Marsha Iddings

Romans 11:33-36 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.


It wasn't until after we had moved from the old mansion that my father told us that under it he had found a hole. It was maybe less than the size of a man-hole cover. He said he had shined a flashlight down the hole but the light just disappeared. It never hit on anything to reflect it back. He also dropped some rocks down the hole to see if he could hear them hit bottom, but he could never hear them hit the bottom. He knew it would freak my mother out to know there was a hole like this under the house, so he never told anyone about it until we had moved.


There were many old mining tunnels under Bellingham that were not used anymore and my father surmised that perhaps this was an air shaft for a deep mine tunnel. We will probably never know for sure.


The Scripture says, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" The Apostle Paul seems almost overcome by the thought of the wisdom and knowledge of God. That hole under the old mansion didn't seem to have a bottom to it. It just seemed to go on and on, deeper and deeper with no end. This is how rich God's wisdom and knowledge is. There is no end to it. It is so deep that we can't even begin to understand it. I suspect that this is why there are some concepts in the Bible such as the Trinity and God's sovereignty that are hard for us mere humans to understand. His ways are just past finding out. We have to be very careful that when we come to the Bible and find teachings that don't make sense to us that we don't twist it up in order to make human sense out of it. We need to let God be God and realize that there are some things that we just are not going to understand this side of heaven. God is just too big for us to comprehend.


This brings much comfort to me to know that my God is this great. I can trust Him because He knows the beginning from the end and He knows the purposes He has in mind for my life. The more I study the Bible the bigger God becomes to me. Worship at His feet. "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

Devotional:The Cliff Behind the Old Mansion

The cliff is on the other side of the iron fence in this photo.

The Cliff Behind the Old Mansion

By Marsha Iddings

Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

During my growing up years when we lived in the old mansion on the cliff, my place of solitude was half way down the cliff behind our old house. There was an old tree stump there that served as a place for me to sit. I spent a lot of time on my stump, day dreaming, watching the trains go by, enjoying the bay and waving to the engineers and the men who rode the caboose. I often took my Bible and journal down there with me and would spend time communing with God there. Except for the trains that passed by, it was usually a peaceful, quiet place to sit and think and pray. I usually climbed back up the cliff feeling refreshed and more relaxed.

Jesus often refreshed Himself from the busyness of the day by going off alone to pray. He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) We are to follow His example. If we don't, we run the risk of burning out. This is advice that I need, because I have trouble taking time out these days. Life is so full of activity and worries that it is almost overwhelming at times. Jesus doesn't just say, "If you want to, come unto me and I will give you rest." He says, "Come and I will give you rest." It looks to me like it is a command to obey. When we are overworked and overwrought with life, we are commanded to come to Jesus for rest. When we obey Him, He will give us rest.

Looking at it more as a command to obey, puts a new perspective on the importance of setting aside time for spiritual refreshment and rest. This is why the Sabbath was instituted as one of the creation ordinances. When God completed His work of creation, He rested on the seventh day.

Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

We are to follow His example and rest one day out seven, focusing our attention on worship and spiritual refreshment. One of the commandments is, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)

Do you have a place where you can go to refocus yourself on Christ, pray and rest? Do you do this regularly? This is a challenge for me, so I am sure it must be a challenge for many others as well. Let's commit together to come to Jesus regularly for rest and see how it affects our lives over time.

Devotional: More Old Mansion Memories

More Old Mansion Memories

by Marsha Iddings

Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

I've been in a reflective mood lately. Last week I wrote about the old mansion I lived in part of my growing up years. That old place holds many memories for me.

When I was in my last two years of high school, it was just my mom and dad and I rattling around in the big old house like peas in a churn. I had the choice of what bedroom I wanted to sleep in by that time. I chose the room that I told you about in my last devotional. Remember? It was the one where all the plaster fell off the closet walls and ceiling. My dad had completely fixed the closet and room up. He put up new sheetrock and it was painted a bright peachy/orange color. I liked this room because of its brightness and it had a window that over-looked Bellingham Bay. I loved the bay.

My favorite time of year was the fall season. It would be chilly in the mornings and a thick layer of fog would blanket the area. It was so cozy to snuggle down in the covers and listen to the deep rhythmic blasts of the fog horns on the ships that were coming and going. I'd finally get up and make my way down stairs to the kitchen and the smell of coffee would greet me. I don't like to drink coffee, but I love to smell it. There was something comforting about getting up and smelling the coffee. Maybe it was because I knew my Mom and Dad would be there at the kitchen table if there was coffee brewing on the stove. These are the things good memories are made of and God has blessed me with many.

The Psalmist says he will remember the works of the Lord and His wonders of old (Psalm 77:11). In the passage right above this verse the Psalmist is in the pit of depression. Then he says, "This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High." When things got tough, he refused to stay in the pit. He dusted himself off and began to recount all the blessings God has given him in the past. It's healthy to remember the good times of years gone by and thank God for them. Thinking on these happier times can help boost your spirits. The Apostle Paul says, "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) Do you have a happy memory that you can think on and thank God for today?

Devotional: The Old Mansion of My Childhood

Note: I am pulling the next seven devotionals out of the barrel (as my dad used to say). Recently the old mansion was put on the market again and I began reminiscing about it.  So I decided to share these devotionals again for those who perhaps did not see them years ago when I first wrote them. 

The Old Mansion of My Childhood

Matthew 7:24-26 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.


As a child my dad bought a big old abandoned mansion that sat on a cliff over-looking the bay in Bellingham, WA. He got it real cheap. I remember we all thought he had taken leave of his mind when we saw it. It had an ugly gray/brown paint that was peeling and weathered. The roof was covered with moss. The insides looked as if the previous occupants had left in a huge hurry. Stuff was strewn all over the floor in some rooms and everything was covered with a layer of dust. It looked like a haunted house. My dad removed 15 utility trailer loads of stuff and took it to the dump before he could even begin to make the place livable.


When we moved in I remember the kitchen sagged something awful. You could set a ball at one end of the room and it would roll down the floor to the other end of the room without even having to push it. The house sat on a sandstone foundation that was crumbling beneath it. I remember my dad spent hours jacking the house up so he could remove the sandstone and replace it with cement block.


One of the results of the sandstone foundation was that as the foundation crumbled, the house would shift and the plaster walls would crack and crumble. Of course it didn't help any that the trains below the cliff would switch cars and the banging around that resulted from that would also help to crumble the foundation and walls.


I remember one night we were eating dinner when suddenly over head we heard a tremendous crash. Upon investigation we discovered all the plaster had fallen off the walls and ceiling of the closet upstairs! Oh the joys of living in a mansion with a crumbling foundation.


This illustration brings home what Jesus was saying in the verses above. When we read and hear what Jesus says in the Bible, but we fail to put it into practice, we are like the house built on sand. When the assaults of the world come against us we will crumble and fall. To withstand the assaults of the world, the flesh and the Devil, we MUST have a solid Biblical foundation.


How is your foundation? Is it a solid one built on the Word of God or is it a sandstone one built on the changing doctrines and teachings of this world?