One Step Up From Stupid

Becoming A Woman for all Seasons

2008-10-13T11:13:00.003-05:00

I've started posting over at http://www.becomingawomanforallseasons.blogspot.com/

I would love to have you stop by
and visit anytime you wish...

Learn...express

2008-07-19T08:35:00.003-05:00

There is a need in all of us to perform. Perhaps it is not on a stage or in front of friends and strangers at a party, but none the less, there is a deep ingrained need to express.

For some, it is with the pen...for others it is on stage, or in the kitchen preparing new and unusual gourmet delights. Whatever it is that drives each and every one of us, it is imperative that we are able to express.

Now I am not taking about the need to take off our clothes and express our nudeness to everyone or to have sex with everything that walks or the need to take our mouths and use them to destroy others with the slashing of the tongue. No, I am talking about the need to take what God put in us as not only as a way of keeping us on track, but using it to touch another life...to give them life so to speak.

Some serve, some teach, some help, some give...whatever it is that has been planted in you from the time you were conceived...and even before...it must come out.

Water was made to refresh. Light was made to illuminate dark areas. Each of us was designed specifically to refresh and illuminate in whatever area God chose for us. To not learn from the master himself how to express our gift and then not TO express our gift is death.

Every wonder why so many people sit in front of a TV set and do nothing? They have died inside because they are not learning, loving and expressing to others through their gift that God put within them.

It all comes first through the time spent in the Master's lap learning how to love others. Then He points the way and puts within us the faith required to do the task with passion and drive. It is life to us...

Dance With the One Who Brought You

2008-07-08T17:17:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure how this saying originated..."Dance with the One who Brought You"...or maybe it is "Dance with the One who Brung You"...but I like it. It is very apropos. How, you say? Aah...I am so very glad you asked!

Without getting on my soapbox, I will attempt to make this short...if possible.

...

Dancing with the one who brought you is not only good manners, it is respectful of the guy who went out of his way to choose especially YOU. After all, he is providing for the transportation, the meal ticket, and whatever it costs to get into the dance. A man with honorable intentions treats his date with respect. A man with intentions to marry the young woman he swings around the dance floor...if he is honorable...will love her...honor her...provide for her...and encourage her to be all that God made her to be. He will never just live with her, because that would be dishonoring...then he could just walk out on her. But rather, he will stick by her and be willing to give all he has for her and to her as he places that ring on her finger and vows before God and man that he will be there for her..."till death do us part".

Well, my fellow bloggers. America is the woman...and Jehovah God is the man. He showed her how to be free. Helped her to pattern her laws after His ways. He held her by the waist and cradled her hand as he lead her through good times and tough times. It was his hand which provided for her needs. He gave her gifts...wealth in the ground to power her. He caused her fields to gleam with grain. When thirsty, he gave her water to quench her thirsty soul. When tired, he gave her himself as a place of rest and refuge. Because of him...she has become one of the wealthiest...yet she looks at others who have come to dance...other gods...forgetting all he has done for her.

...

But they cannot give her life, because they do not posses life. Oh America...dance with the one who brought you...loves you...has given his all for you...

Mount Up America

2008-06-30T08:46:00.002-05:00

I did not have much interest in going to Friday night prayer, but as God would have it, I knew that last Friday night I was to go. It started at 10 pm and lasted until midnight. In my minds eye, I envisioned people roaming around the auditorium praying for two hours, but I was wrong.

When I walked in, a smattering of people were there...a small group of about 30. Around the room, stations were set up. Each had a theme. There was praise and worship intermittently through the evening as people went to whatever station they desired and prayed. Some had a word, while others drew pictures of what God had shown them. Some danced and others lay face down on the floor.

In the course of this two hour time, God began to talk to me about our country...America. The words He spoke over and over again were "The Eagle Has Landed". Of course, this references Neil Armstrong's remark pertaining to the lunar landing, but as I mulled this over, God began to speak again. "Pray for America to mount up". Eagles were never meant to spend a lot of time on the ground...landed. They were meant to rise up and soar.

He said this..."I am not done with this country - you don't give up on her. Though she has slept with the nations and has opened her arms to other gods, I am not finished with her. Pray my people - pray."

God's call to us is ...to pray. The eagle...America was meant to soar. She was conceived in tribulation because she was meant to rise up and soar. She was meant to ride on the winds of the Spirit of the Lord, but instead, she has decided to ground herself. Her people have killed, sued, rejected God's ways for marriage and family. She has opened her arms to accept any idol and god - yet she has held the true God at arms length...rejecting his love...forgetting it was He who caused her to prosper. Sounds like Old Testament Israel.

But, I am not ready to give up on her. I pray for miracles to break out in this country. I pray for boldness to speak the truth IN LOVE. I pray for broken hearts to be mended and those who are captive to their addictions and lusts to be freed from their prison.

It is time to Mount Up America on the winds of the Spirit of the Lord.

Timing

2008-06-26T10:46:00.003-05:00

Jimmy asked his Dad..."Is it time yet?" to which his Father replied..."Not yet son." The day was overcast, and the drive through the mountains of New Mexico was inspiring...at least to Jimmy's father, but all his son could think about was the swimming pool waiting for him at the motel twenty five miles up ahead.
---
"Can you go faster Dad?" asked Jimmy.
---
"No son. If I drive faster around these winding curves, we might end up at the bottom of the mountain...that is why they have speed limits...so that we will get safely to our motel," replied his father.
---
"Aah nuts!" said Jimmy.
---
"Why don't you look at the beautiful mountains. You can see the creek winding it's way around the mountain at the base. And look...that ranch house looks like a speck down there. Let's roll down the windows...it is nice and cool now...and smell the mountain air...the pine trees...the pinon burning in someones fireplace...Wow!" said Father.
...
Jimmy folded his arms and slumped down in his seat at his father's comments.
...
"How boring," thought Jimmy as he glanced out the window in an attempt to honor his father's wishes.
...
Even though the clouds had covered the sky for most of the trip, Jimmy could see one place where the sun was piercing through like a flashlight. Jimmy closed his eyes thinking he might sleep out the next few miles, but when he did, he felt the sweet scent of the mountain air crawl up his nostrils. It did smell good, just like his father had said.
...
Repositioning himself, he decided to take a look over the side of the road which was winding it's way to the top to see if he could see that ranch house his Dad had mentioned earlier. There is was, small as an ant. You could see the stables...and the horses...and what looked like a person walking back to the main house.
...
Jimmy and his Dad talked the rest of the trip and he was surprised how quickly that last twenty five miles passed. As they drove into the parking lot of the motel, Jimmy was glad that he had taken his father's advice...it made the trip as much fun as the destination.

---

Timing is everything...
...
It was the Feast of Tabernacles, and Jesus' brother advised him to go to Judea (There were some there who sought to take Jesus' life!) and perform some miracles. They said that if he wanted a public ministry, he would need to show his stuff in public...not private.
....
Jesus' response was interesting. He said, " The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right." Midway through the Feast Jesus did show up and began to teach. The things he said should have gotten him arrested, but the scripture says, "but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come..."
----
For Jimmy, any time was the right time to swim, but his father knew that if he tried to speed things up, they might never get to their destination.
----
So it is with us as God tries to speak to us of his timing. He wants us to relish the journey as well as the destination, because often times more is learned about the character of God, his love and his desires for our life in the journey than in the fulfillment of our dreams and visions.

Graduation Day

2008-06-26T10:44:00.001-05:00

Our Little Girls

2008-06-18T09:01:00.007-05:00

As daughters grow up, it is a tendency of mothers to pull out the baby pictures and dream of what it was like to hold their precious sweeties. Aah...memories of brushing their hair and dressing them (better than playing Barbie's). Their first words, the funnyisms they glibly spoke and all the ways they brought a smile to your face...these are the memories mothers hold deeply in their hearts.

---

But I look to each day to create new memories with them. As our eldest is coming up on her second anniversary and as our youngest daughter is about to embark upon college, I find life today as full of sweet thoughts as those of their growing up years.

...

Little girls this is for you...

...

To you, our eldest

From bouncing "pinktails"

(as your little brother used to say)

standing

on the stump at your Grandpa's house

preaching...

becoming a houseparent to 8 little boys

who need your healing hands of love

to mend their broken lives...

to you

I know with God in you

you will do what you are called to do.

...

To our youngest daughter,

From singing in the pole at the grocery check out...

"Singing in the Rain"

You need no stage to shine like "sunshine"

You too, with God inside

will be reaching out to orphans and hurting women

across the globe...you will

bring sunshine into their dismal lives and

bring hope for a better tomorrow.

...

To you both...

I am so very proud of you

I pray for you daily these things...

That God would become more real in your lives

That you will totally submit every part to him

That you experience his love

That you freely forgive as you have been forgiven

That you walk in love

That you fulfill his call on your life.

I love you...Mom

Getting rid of fear

2008-06-11T09:26:00.003-05:00

The love of Christ is often misunderstood by the way I see myself and other Christians respond to others. It is very clear when you read John 3:16. The desire to go out each and every day and respond in love to everyone is obviously the heart felt plan, but in actuality, our selfish ambitions reach out through our mouths and grab the necks of those we deem our enemies. We want to squeeze the very life out of them.

Then, in our times of quiet, we realize that our reactions were just opposite of the love God has shown us..."in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Living the life of love comes from knowing that we are loved. This is something I must daily tell myself..."Jesus loves me this I know...for the Bible tells me so..." The simple song I learned as a child speaks volumes to me. God loved me first. He reached out to me when I was His enemy and didn't grab me by the throat, but rather wooed me to himself.

Yet in the walk with Jesus, we come across those who test the love of Christ in us, but should they REALLY test that love? Or, is his love in us so bountiful that we know, if rejected by the world that we can freely give of that overflow of love without straining and gritting our teeth and wishing to be back inside our little homes filled with crosses and Bibles.

John writes that perfect love casts out fear. I suppose one of the greatest fears is fear of rejection. His love casts out that fear. Another fear is failure. His love casts out fear of failure. For many, it is the fear of loneliness. His love warms the most dismal, lonely life and removes all fear.

We think of love as an action, and of course it is. But, it is first His love to us. His love to us is the foundation of all of our hopes and dream and it is imperative that we grasp this important concept that HE LOVES US FIRST.

Can we stand rejection? Yes, because the author of all things LOVES US. Can we stand failure? Yes, because he loves us and has told us that though we fail, we will rise up again.

Since His love casts out fear, then what he has called us to do can be done. It is important to remember though that it is HIS LOVE which puts us in this wonderful position of being fearless. I do not mean to say that we should go out and do what we want, but what I DO mean to say is that HE has to be the direction in our lives. He will always ask us to do something outside of our comfort zone and it is in those times that we need to remember about HIS LOVE removing our fear.

Fear is bondage. Love is freedom.

Laying it down

2008-06-03T09:19:00.003-05:00

It is not that we have such a great love for the Father, it is that He has such great love for us. If our loving others depended upon our great love, then we would be in trouble.

As it is, we have the love of God to draw from moment by moment which is fresh and new and eager to express.

Last night, we had a swim party at a local rec center for our youngest child's birthday. Our married daughter and her husband came. After we got home, we had a call from them that her purse with all of it's contents and id's had been stolen from their car there at the complex. She was in tears as most of us would be.

We were grieved to say the least. As the birthday boy was relaxing in a bath after we got home, he hollered at me that he wanted to give them all of the money he had in savings. After everyone was cleaned up, we headed over to their house where he gave all he had to his sister. We were very moved by his willingness to give it all.

This is love...when someone is willing to lay down their life. Life can be money like the widow woman who gave her last mite at the temple. She gave as did our son out of love. They both gave their life. Paul said it this way...though I give everything I have to the poor and even lay down my life as a martyr, I am nothing unless I do it out of love.

Blessings to you all.

Thanks!

2008-06-01T18:02:00.004-05:00

Thanks for all of your prayers and comments.

We got my Dad into an assisted living situation. This is good. He was living in the home of his second wife who passed away years ago. He had a life estate in the home. The house was too big and even though he had a pendant system that he wore around his neck, he never used it when he fell. It was after going over one afternoon to see him that we decided we needed to make some changes. He had fallen several times and had not told us...had a black eye that day we visited with him.

He was a vibrant man who went from walking straight and at a fast clip, to a man who could not walk straight...running into furniture, tripping and falling. It was hard for him to give up the "freedom" he felt he had in a home, but after many, many doctors, evaluations, scans and a brief stay at the hospital, he realized he could no longer live alone.

We tried the in-home-health-care, but at a price of $300 plus a day, it seemed impractical to continue the 24/7 care at the house. I must say, we were blessed to have a wonderful friend who knew the industry very well. She directed us to an assisted living center and told us all of the programs available that might help him. I shudder to think what it would be like to have had to do this alone. Two of my brothers, sis-in-law and a niece came in to help go through many years of files...and I mean files dating back to the time of his first tax return. We took box loads to a local establishment who shredded those old files in about 30 seconds.

When we moved our Dad over, his room was already set up...desk...computer...bed...etc. My Dad is about 90% office and 10% other and that was the way we set up his apartment. He loved it when he walked in. It took him about two weeks to get used to being there...so many people in much worse shape than he.

We started him a couple of weeks ago in a program which is basically a counseling program to help folks like my Dad adjust to their new living situation. It offers opportunities to interact with others and work on their memory. He is liking it for the most part. Between friends which pick him up for church, men's prayer meeting and this counseling program, he is busy five days a week until mid afternoon.

He is quite a man and I admire his stamina and determination to keep on with his marriage counseling career.

As for my house...well...I have our bedroom which is half painted and has been since about the middle of April. Then there are boxes of my Dad's stuff in our garage...and a hallway half full of other stuff.

We also got our second daughter graduated from high school last night, so this has been quite a busy two months. She is at rehearsals right now for the summer production of "Singing in the Rain" and is preparing to go to Thailand and India for two weeks this summer on a missions trip. They will be helping out in orphanages and conducting Women's Conferences in these two countries...pray for her if you will! Then, her plans are to head to college in the fall.

Our eldest daughter and her husband are about to become house parents at an orphanage. They are young, but have such a heart for troubled children. They too will be going to school this fall on a part-time basis. Sounds to me like they have their hands full, but I believe they are ready for this big responsibility. They will start out with seven little lives.

Somehow, I think that we all will love these children.

We also finished another year of school with our youngest. My husband has him signed up in all kinds of activities too keep the boredom level down.

I hope to fill up many dumpsters with junk from our house this summer and head towards a simpler life as far as "stuff" goes.

God continues to show me more about walking in love...a lesson I do believe will be ongoing. I have felt many burdens lifted going through this study...understanding His great love for us. Forgiveness...seeing folks through God's eyes...dropping anger and picking up instant release. I am thankful to God and his continual reminders which have helped me get through all of these transitions.

I am not sure how much blogging I will be doing, but I will try to check in on you from time to time. We head to the neurologist with Dad tomorrow.

Blessings on you all.

2008-05-14T12:38:00.002-05:00

It is a far cry from perfection when I think of my years as a life filled with love. Just this morning, I was faced with two calls to make to apologize for putting my mouth in gear before thinking with my heart. With each call, I found instant forgiveness and understanding, but I also found release from the stress and anxiety that my life had been full of since moving my Dad from a house to an assisted living center…the mountains of calls…dealing with companies…some with compassion, others with the bottom line the motivation.

As usual, I waited several days because I also had a sick child at home, and quite frankly, asking forgiveness was not top on my list…even though it should have been! But, because of the Spirit of the Lord, I found myself smack dab in the middle of a very familiar scripture that I memorized (by force) as a child…the love chapter. It was in the few moments of quiet in a not so quiet day, I found answers not only for myself, but answers for others who suffer from a momentary love deficit.

Amazingly enough it was not the “love is patient….etc.” part that cleared my thinking…it was just five verses. I Corinthians 13: 1-3, 8-9. What I realized was that Paul was describing all of us at some time or another. He characterized Christians in three categories.

Category One: I Corinthians 13:1, 8 “I am more spiritual than you because I speak in tongues” or the consistently irritating Christian. Coming from a Baptist upbringing, when I moved into the Charismatic movement and received my “tongues”, I automatically felt a step or two above the “common” Christian who did not speak in a heavenly language. It didn’t take long before the Spirit of God whipped me back into shape and put things in perspective. Paul described these Christians as irritating, noisy gongs.

I remember the Gong Show. When the contestants didn’t get an answer right, they had to bear the unbearable sound of the gong. Once is enough to hear the sound of the gong, but to a Christian who has elevated themselves because of a blessing they received from the Holy Spirit…one gong is not enough. It seems to be a perpetual clanging in everyone’s ears of how they have the Holy Spirit, and the sound of love is drowned out. Verse 8 says this “where there are tongues, they will be stilled.” Oh, to have the gong stilled and silence ushering in the call to walk in love.

Category Two: I Corinthians 13:2, 8 “I am more qualified than you.” Paul said these Christians are really, really bright. They prophesy, have a deep understanding of God’s mysteries, possess great knowledge, and have a faith that is of the mountain moving type. These are super Christians, yet when they act without love, Paul says they are “Nothings”.

Love distinguishes between this person being either a KNOW IT ALL, or one who describes their accomplishments in this way…(Philippians 3:8)”Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,”. Verse 8 says this, “…But where there are prophecies, they will cease…where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” Prophecy and knowledge come and go and as long as we live, we will ever be increasing in these areas, but never totally attaining.

It is good to know…it is good to prophesy…it is good to walk in faith, but when these accomplishments step into first place in our lives, we have forgotten the simplicity of what Christ taught us…the greatest commandment…to love. It is in His love that others see Christ in us. That is why sometimes the seemingly most ignorant believer who walks in love can impact more lives than the PhD who walks in his own glory.

Category Three: I Corinthians 13: 3 “I’ve given up more than you.” This Christian truly has done more than the other two described in these verses. They have followed John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” They have read the story about the rich young ruler and have given everything to the poor, yet there is something lacking in their deeds…they have not walked in love. It is interesting that Paul says they have gained nothing. The word the King James uses for “gained”is “profiteth”. This word literally means advantageous or profit. There was no advantage to their martyrdom and the appearance of selfless giving.

As with all of these Christians, they put their deeds in front of love. Love should be the driving force in speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith and sacrificial giving. Love positions us where God desires. Love offers the seat of honor to the least. Love speaks words of challenge and change into a life. Love walks in faith because it believes God. Love will give both monetarily and personally to follow Christ to benefit another. God’s passion and desire for us stemmed from a heart of love. His desire for us is that we be conformed to His image…an image of God’s love.

Hello

2008-04-18T16:54:00.004-05:00

I have obviously been away from my blog for about a week and a half.

I will try to post some later, but for now, our family is in the process of getting our Father placed in an assisted living center. There is much which demands my time, energy and love...so please forgive me for not visiting you and seeing how each and every one of you is doing.

My prayer for each of you is that you are ever aware of the love of God in your life.

Blessings to each of you...

(Wow...I just noticed how many times I said "each of you"!?)

I, ME, MY

2008-04-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

Aaah...we ALL know about the ego. As a young woman, I shyed...no...I ran from guys whose ego was as big as Dallas. I remember a guy in high school who was just drop dead gorgeous! I mean he was so handsome. He always dated the cheerleaders, and I could barely touch my toes much less do splits, so I was out. Even though we sang in the same choir, I was not on his list of top picks for "GIRLS TO GO OUT WITH".

While away at college, I received a call from him one day to see if I wanted to go out with him. My little heart fluttered. He was just about 30 minutes away from me at another college, so I felt he was really making the effort to come and see me. Boy, was I wrong.

Even though I was goose bumpy with excitement, as I walked out into the lobby of my dorm to meet him, I noticed he was spending an extraordinary amount of time primping in the only mirror in the lobby. For sure, his hair was totally in tact and that aura of perfection was ever present...the very attribute which set my heart to beating hard once again.

As the evening progressed, I realized I hadn't missed anything not dating this hunk of handsome. All those years of feelings melted away in total disgust. As he kissed me goodnight, it was like kissing a water balloon...icky! He made some off the cuff remark that he might want to get with me again, but as I walked back to my dorm room, I thought to myself...NOT ON YOUR LIFE BROTHER AM I GOING TO GO OUT WITH YOU AGAIN!

It wasn't the icky kissing that did it, it was that I had to compete all night long with every shiny surface where he could catch a glimpse of his own reflection. Even at dinner, he would seldom look at me when we were talking...instead, he would gaze around the restaurant to check out the other girls. I had to repeat myself all night long because he just wasn't paying a lick of attention. You know, it is easier to compete with another female than it is to compete with an ego.

So, how about that ego thing? As I was reading this morning, I realized that the BIG EGO was not something some psychiatrist came up with...it is just a Greek word...ego...for "I, me or my". Not too difficult.

Paul talked about the ego in Galations...

Galations 2:20 says this

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Even though our sins were crucified with Christ and we are dead to sin...in Him we have that resurrection life. Interestingly enough when Paul says "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" he is saying ...no longer is it I AND ME AND MY...instead it is Christ in me.

That really struck me this morning as I read this very familiar passage. The big ego is what was crucified on the cross because I AND ME AND MY cannot save or bring life. But Christ's life in us is only lived in HIS FAITH HE GIVES US. It is not about I, but about Him.

Blessings on this wonderful Tuesday that God made for His glory to be lived out in our lives! Let's have a funeral and put a stone on the grave which reads..."HERE LIES I, ME AND MY... R.I.P. (short for Remain Indefinately Planted)"

Love

2008-03-31T11:18:00.004-05:00

"GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

THAT HE GAVE..."

Quit Trying to do IT Yourself

2008-03-27T21:42:00.005-05:00

I have been a fixer. If something needs organizing... and if no one else is stepping up to the plate, then I have a tendency to step in whether I should or not. This past year, the Lord has been telling me softly and tenderly to GET MY HANDS OFF...off of whatever HE is working on...namely moi. It is not by my might...argh...nor by my power...double argh that anything will be done.

I cannot even breathe without HIM in my life. Every step I take is because of HIM. In fact, I cannot think of one good and precious gift in my life which came by my efforts. So, this post is for me for sure, and maybe for someone else who likes to control the world...and these scriptures are just a few of many which speaks to this truth.

Zechariah 4:6

"Not by might, nor by power,

but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

I Samuel 17:47

"And all this assembly shall know

that the LORD saveth not with sword

and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S,

and he will give you into our hands."

Hosea 1:7

"But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah,

and will save them by the LORD their God,

and will not save them by bow,

nor by sword,

nor by battle,

by horses,

nor by horsemen."

II Chronicles 20:15

"Be not afraid nor dismayed

by reason of this great multitude;

for the battle [is] not yours, but God's."

Enough said.

The Anatomy of a Mature Believer

2008-03-26T12:30:00.005-05:00

This morning I woke up with I Corinthians 13 on my brain. I know this chapter by heart having committed it to memory as a young girl, but when I opened my Bible again, a new view of this chapter popped out at me.

First, let me list the characteristics of L-O-V-E...

Patient

Kind

Not envious

Not boastful

Not proud

Not rude

Not self-seeking

Not easily angered

Doesn't keep track of other's wrongs

Does not delight in evil

Rejoice with the truth

Protects

Trusts

Hopes

Perseveres

Never Fails

These are characteristics we all need to possess as believers. But, the next part of I Corinthians is rather foggy. I've heard it preached several ways, but as I was reading this part, I saw it in a new light. Let me give you in my own words what this is saying...

........

Love never fails...even when no one is prophesying...even when no one is speaking in tongues...even when intelligence and understanding is not there...love still never fails. At this moment, our knowledge and prophesying is not complete, but when perfection, which is walking in love shows up, the imperfect way we have been living...i.e. not always walking in love will disappear. It is like this.

.....

When I was a child, I talked, thought and reasoned like a child. Some days I hated my parents, other days I loved them. I was moved by my emotions and my desires to get, but my parents were moved by their love for me and made decisions based on love. When I grew up, I understood that I could not go around hating then loving, because that childish way of thinking just brought turmoil into my life.

.....

Even though I am grown up, when I look into the mirror of love, expecting to see a clear image of who I am in Christ, I find I am not mature in loving others even though that is my quest. I know that when I look into the mirror, I am face to face with Christ...for I am to be His likeness. God is love...that is who HE IS. When I project the image of Christ's L-O-V-E to others...wow...then I will be the person God called me to be and others will see the real me. To sum it all up, there are three which remain...conviction of truth, expectation of good and love. But of these three...the stronger, the larger, the greater of these is L-O-V-E.

.....

I saw today that these verses are not just about becoming mature, but mature in God's Love!

Love is greater and stronger than hate...bless those who curse you

Love is greater than fear...perfect love casts out fear

Love is greater than our sin...for God so loved that he gave

.....

The bottom line is this...

A MATURE CHRISTIAN

WALKS IN LOVE

Rich Man Poor Man

2008-03-24T11:43:00.003-05:00

James the brother of Jesus has always seemed harsh to me, but the more I read the Book which bears his name, I see a man who allowed the Spirit of the Lord to speak through him words of encouragement. A true encourager tells it like it is and when that "encouragee" gets the boot to get out there and do what is right, they sense God's Power to do just that.

In the early morning hours (6:00 a.m to be exact...early for me anyway) I sat with my Bible waiting for direction as to where to read. My instructions were to go to the Book of James and read the 10th verse of the first chapter. James talks about how a poor believer ought to rejoice because he has been exalted and a rich believer ought to rejoice in that he is made low. Interesting isn't it.

Here's the skinny on these verses. For the "low" believer, God equalizes things by exalting him...giving him a "rank" if you will. For the rich believer, God equalizes things by showing him how to be humble, remembering that what he has can be gone in a flash. God brings him "low" in a sense.

The point is that no matter where one falls on the rich to poor scale, God wants us to keep our perspective in order. For the rich believer, the perspective is humility and for the poor believer, the perspective is the elevated position God gives in Christ. When both rich and poor have God's point of view on this issue, then there is harmony and relationship across the board.

There is nothing uglier in the Body of Christ than to see someone hoard what God has blessed them with...and that can go for the rich as well as the poor. There is also nothing uglier than to see a poor person expect the rich person to take care of them or the rich person expect the poor person to serve them. Both are to serve and both are to give.

When the Bible says that we are to give, it does not limit that to the rich person. In fact, Jesus said that the widow who gave her daily wages gave more than any person that day. If the poor believer does not give, then there is no seed planted and nothing to harvest. If the rich man does not serve, then he is not following Christ's example. God wants both rich and poor to be conformed to His image. God wants both poor and rich to walk out life looking through His eyes.

We are to view every person as loved by God with a plan a purpose tailored for them. We are not to treat any person differently because he is rich or because he is poor. We are not to withhold paying anyone for their work, nor are we to be lazy in our work because our employer is wealthy. You see, this responsibility swings both way.

Paul writes this...

Philippians 4:12

"I know how to live on almost nothing

or with everything.

I have learned the secret of living in every situation,

whether it is with a full stomach or empty,

with plenty or little."

And the 13th verse holds this secret...

I can do all things

through Christ

who strengthens me.

So, was Robin Hood right? Steal from the rich to give to the poor?

Or are the oppressors right...enslave the poor to increase the rich...

Neither.

Remember the story of the man who owed millions to the King. He was forgiven instead of going to debtors prison, loosing his family to servitude and his possessions taken.

He in turn took someone of lesser means and enslaved him for the few cents he was owed.

When the king learned of this poor man's actions,

he was outraged and required the entire debt to be paid.

Or how about this story...

The rich man ended up in hell but wanted the privilege of having his

poor servant who was barely fed bring him water.

God is looking for a heart of giving...a heart who sees each person as worthy...a heart of forgiveness...no matter what one possesses.

2008-03-20T11:12:00.004-05:00

James 1:3-5

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

My fellow believers,

consider it all joy

whenever you are

compassed about by

various sorts of

proving or trials.

Understand this, that the proving of your beliefs or convictions results in, achieves, performs, steadfastness, constancy, endurance and patience.And let that steadfastness, constancy, endurance and patience's work be brought to a perfect end, a conclusion, wanting nothing necessary to completeness, and that perfection will be complete, flawless, sinless and without blemish, entire and whole, lacking nothing.

Remember, it is

your faith...your

belief in God which

is really being

tested. Jesus said this:

"These things I have

spoken unto you,

that in me ye might

have peace. In the

world ye shall have

tribulation: but be

of good cheer; I have

overcome the world."

When we are tested,

we can have peace,

because Jesus has

already overcome.

Our faith in God

grows stronger.

We become

steadfast in our

assurance that

what God said

and what God

did is yes and

amen.

2008-03-19T13:12:00.006-05:00

I once had someone say to me that we should minister to people in this light..."The need is the call".

Indeed, God saw the need for a redeemer and provided Jesus to bring us out of being needy into having a call on our lives. So, the need has been satisfied. Perhaps we do not always think that we have all our needs met, but truly we do. David the psalmist said in his 23rd song, The Lord is my Shepard, I SHALL NOT WANT. Or as it is in the original, Jehovah is my pasture (Shepard), I have everything I need.

With God in David's life, he was not a needy person. He knew that his food and drink, his shelter, his protector, etc. was God.

In John 4, Jesus makes a similar comment. "My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." Jesus ate and drank the will of the Father. He knew that in order to fulfill the need of redemption that his focus had to be on the Will of the Father.

So, why do we go about our Christian life, trying to fulfill all the needs in people's lives. We wear ourselves out trying to be Jesus in someones life instead of letting Him show Jesus through our own lives. Our work should be simply doing what He calls us to do...touch the lives of those He calls us to touch...no more...no less. Our food is to do the will of him who redeemed us.

Paul said it in this way..."For me to live is Christ and to die is gain". Our food is Christ. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink." John 6:55.

For some reason, it is offensive to think that we are to "partake" of Christ's body...that He is our true food. It sound cannibalistic doesn't it!

Let's think about this. There is an old saying that goes something like this...a man is what he eats. A person who lives on fast food, will typically not be as healthy as a person who eats their fruits and veggies and grains and so forth.

When we eat of the Living Bread...the Water of Life, then our entire being will be full of good "food"...food for life. As we partake of Christ, we are reading and absorbing His Word...chomp, chomp, chomp...as we are anointed with his oil...yum, yum, yum...as we are refreshed with His living water...aah, aah, aah, as we are obedient to do what He says do...chomp, yum, aah...we fill our lives with good things and are satisfied...we are without need.

Perhaps a better saying should be...It is not that the need is the call, it is that the call (God's will) is the need. Be hungry to do his call in your life.

How To Survive The Times

2008-03-13T23:14:00.003-05:00

I've always lived in dry climates. We just didn't see rusty cars! Perhaps you might see some rust on the old outdoor metal furniture from time to time, but it wasn't until we took a family vacation to the coast of Texas as a child that I witnessed firsthand the effects of rust. Some of the cars looked like they had lost major sections due to rust.

When I married my husband from the damper areas of Texas, I remember him being very concerned whenever we got a nick in the paint of one of our cars. For a while there we would keep a small bottle of matching paint to make sure that we "fixed" any nicks so that the car would not rust in that area.

I know this is a strange topic to post on, but all this is being said to make a point.

God has taken me back into the book of James...again...for the hundredth time. In James 5, he talks about those who put their trust in their riches. I can say out of personal experience that it doesn't take a rich person to put their trust in their money. I can even say I have been around very poor people who also put their trust in their money. It is a universal mistake to trust money as the god of our lives.

James writes that when a person trusts in their wealth and hoards it like a miser, they forget the human element. Specifically, he talks about the cries of the workers who were not paid what was promised them...the righteous person who was harmed and accused wrongly. This "god" of silver and gold began to rust in their hands and the rust like a creeping vine entwined their lives so much that they began to "rust" as well. The leprosy spread and they became like the "god" they trusted.

It is no wonder that our forefathers put on all of our money "In God We Trust". They knew the danger lurking behind the power of a small piece of precious metal.

Last night, I was reading part of Pat Robertson's book Miracles can be yours today. He was telling of how God miraculously time and time again provided money when CBN had big bills to pay. He wrote of the time when God told him to build a University and how God made it happen, miraculously. Now the next statement is from his book and it is something as we pay big bucks at the pump and look forward to the tax increases the House and Senate have just passed we can hang our hats on.

"Gold and silver, oil and gas, precious jewels, real estate-these were all made from nothing by the word of God. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (11:3 NIV). Perhaps one of the reasons that Jesus had such disdain for the accumulation of material wealth was because He knew that God could create unlimited wealth merely with a word. By a word He could bring water out of a rock in the desert (Numbers 20:11), and He could by a word cause food to multiply in sufficient quantity to feed a multitude (Matthew 14:21)."

No matter where we are financially, if we put our trust in what is in the bank...what is in bonds or stocks...what is decorating our homes...what kind of car we drive...the brand of clothes we wear...or any "thing", we have missed the opportunity for a miracle in our lives...and sooner or later, we will need a miracle.

If we have put our trust in money because we are short all of the time, we too have missed the opportunity for a miracle in our lives.

What would have happened if the little boy with the fishes and loaves had hoarded his lunch because it was not enough for everyone? What would have happened if he had made the decision to give a part of it to the person next to him instead of putting it in the Master's hand? But, because he was willing to give his entire lunch to Jesus, somehow I believe he went home that evening with a bundle or two of food to bless his entire household. A boy...feeding his family and probably the entire "block" because he put he trusted God with what he had.

So unlike the one who hoards and rots along with his money, the one who trusts and gives liberally as God directs, will be given to...good measure...shaken together...running over so that he can turn and give again. Giving produces a flow of fresh water gushing forth into our lives. Instead of the putrid water that sits and has no place to go...or the manna that was hidden in the tent and rotted, we can have the flowing water of God and the fresh daily manna continually in our lives.

So how do we survive the times? Give...bless...love...trust God.

Blessings

2008-03-12T23:02:00.002-05:00

In a year where CHANGE is the buzz word,

let me present a NEW buzz phrase I heard

tonight from a man of God...

Blessings bring change...

Change does not bring blessings.

Bless someone today

Bless your enemies

I'm going to get political on you

2008-03-02T22:45:00.003-05:00

Tonight, we were at a meeting to train home group leaders. Many of the folks attending had been pastors and home group leaders in the past.

One woman I talked with after tonight's session was over had been a resident of Arkansas many years ago and began to describe how Mike Huckabee had turned the entire state around from the Clinton years. She said before Huckabee took office, there was disorder in the schools with many minority students not even graduating from high school. She said that Arkansas was home base to many Internet pornography sites. She described how many rapes there were before Governor Huckabee came into office and how the morals of the state had declined dramatically under the Clinton administration.

Now you have to understand, this woman was not a white pastor in a big all white church. No, she was ministering and living in one of the worst neighborhoods in her city. She saw the disorder every day.

A few years later after she had been away, she came back, and the change was drastic...in a good sort of way. Now, hopefully, I am getting all of the details right, but it is clear that when a godly man is "ruling"...the people rejoice. Her description of the state before Huckabee was that it was like a cloud of darkness covered the entire state...and after...a total change.

I encourage you to vote, but to vote for a man who has been consistent in his walk with God...excellent in his ability to govern, and willing to face the giants...the giants who say he cannot win.

This is a time to speak through your vote...and choose someone who will uphold the principles on which this country was originally founded.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with a lady last night from Orange County who had an opportunity to speak briefly with Gov. Huckabee. She asked him if he would ever consider going back to pastoring a church. His reply was that if that was what God wanted him to do, he would, but for now, running for President was what he was called to do.

Would you rather have a person in the White House who follows the voice of God, or one who follows the voice of man. We have already witnessed what following man's voice produces...why not see what God can do through a willing vessel who has already proved what can be done through obedience.

Who Am I To Judge!

2008-02-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

In a world where everyone judges,

it takes a conscious effort to not follow suit.
////////
At one point in my life,

I spent about a year reading and

re-reading the Book of James.

In fact, quite frankly, I got tired of reading it,

but...that is where God wanted to plant my face...

smack dab the middle of the Book of James.
;;;;;;;;

Yesterday and today, I once again read over James 4:11-12...a most familiar scripture to me. Here is my take on this scripture. If you want to read it from Bible Gateway, just click on this link... http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%204&version=31 /

nnnnnnn
This is what I wrote yesterday in my binder...
444
"If I speak against a fellow believer

and judge him or her,

I speak against the law of love.

When I stand as a judge against the law of love,

I am NOT walking in love...

but judging the law of love.

But God is the only lawgiver and judge...

He is the one who holds life and death in his hands.

Am I God?

No,

so I am not qualified to judge you!"
,,,
This is good bathroom mirror material...this is a good "at the table" reminder...this is a good reminder by the phone. This is just a good reminder for me...especially me.
666
I have been offered so much grace...so much mercy, that if I take out my magnifying glass and blow up others faults, then I have forgotten the mercy given me. Each of us has a fault which is glaring to others. Usually that fault is being dealt with by the Holy Spirit...but the Holy Spirit knows the time, the place, the occasion in which to correct. If I want to be judged for my failures, then I must not judge others, instead as the Lord leads, I must in total humility go to that person...remembering my own shortcomings, and say what HE says to say....IN LOVE.
sss
Well...I wonder why the Lord has me back in these verses? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. "Lord...I give my mouth to you." Enough said.

The Good Shepard

2008-02-19T19:30:00.003-05:00

Having a shepard does not mean we can do whatever...

but the benefits of trusting and following Him

just about cover all our needs (Psalm 23).

Here are some of the benefits...

The grass is always green on His side of the fence.

The water is always fresh and restorative.

The paths are always right.

His presence there casts away fear.

His discipline and direction are comforting.

His table is more than enough to sustain and satisfy.

His oil flows freely...the oil of blessing.

His goodness and mercy follow us wherever we go.

His place is a place I can live forever.

Great benefits.

2008-02-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

I was reading a Hurd on the Web story titled "Honor" Violence Against Women Soars in Great Britian this morning. Here is the story:

The British newspaper The Independent reports that "Up to 17,000 women in Britain are being subjected to "honour" related violence, including murder, every year…The Association of Chief Police Officers …warns that the number of girls falling victim to forced marriages, kidnappings, sexual assaults, beatings and even murder by relatives intent on upholding the "honour" of their family is up to 35 times higher than official figures suggest."

It adds that females, some as young as 11, "have been taken overseas to be married against their will (and) are now being rescued on an almost daily basis."

"Women aged 16 to 24 from Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi backgrounds are three times more likely to kill themselves than the national average for women of their age."

Of course, honor violence exists in the U.S., as well. Amina and Sarah Said were gunned down in Texas on New Years Day, allegedly by their father, who is missing. (photos of the girls).

I don't know about you, but I like my freedom as a woman I receive through Christ. Perhaps we should be reaching out...what do you think?

One Step Up From Stupid For Sure

2008-02-13T14:04:00.004-05:00

Just about the time you think you have it down, God shows you that you are not quite where you think you are! Let me explain. Have you ever had one of those days where you just made a lot of mistakes? These are not mistakes which would send you to hell, but just make your life a little less pleasant.

Just last night, I managed to leave my cell phone at the church where our son practices basketball. I didn’t realize it was missing until late last night and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Telling myself not to worry wasn’t working and my night was restless with dreams about the missing cell phone along with nightmares about getting our son to school extremely late. At one point I thought the night was over only to realize as I gazed at the alarm clock in the bathroom there were still several hours of sleep available before I needed to get up. Frustrated, I tried to sleep for a while longer and managed to get in a few winks before the blaring sound of the clock radio woke me up to some sports talk show that my husband likes listening to.

After taking our son to school, I stopped off at the church where I had left my cell phone and after going through several very nice folks, found someone with the key to the gym where my cell phone lay quietly flashing the many missed calls…mostly from moi.

I was thankful, but began having that feeling of “stupid” as I realized how much of my sleep had been ruined because of worry when all the time the Holy Spirit was telling me the phone was at the church and no one had run up the bill by thousands. But still…I had worried…a lot. No trust…just worry. Brilliant I know!

But instead of quietly sitting down and reading some life words after getting home, I began to busy myself with “things” which just HAD to be done NOW. My eldest daughter needed a ride to her job, so I grabbed my car keys and my old purse which I had switched back to the day before and headed out the door. For some reason I locked the garage door behind me and walah…the keys to the house were inside in my other purse. So, after I got my daughter delivered and was on the way back home, I desperately prayed for help. You see, my husband was in another state on business and my teenage daughter was at school, so I was desperate.

Now remember, I had prayed for help, but instead of listening to the Holy Spirit’s direction, I got out the hack saw and started cutting away at the deally bob latchet. At some point in my frustration of trying to jimmy the lock and use a screwdriver to pull back the latchet, I realized that my next door neighbor might be able to help.

I knocked on his door and explained my dilemma and he had it opened in under one minute. I had managed to mess up the lock with my brilliant work when all along help was just a few steps away.

When I finally got into the house, I realized that some time with the Word and the Holy Spirit who was trying to get my attention to give me some direction was in order. Talk about stubborn! Wow!

Here’s what I learned from my mistakes…that anytime we fail to listen to the Spirit of the Lord who was given to us to maximize every aspect of our lives, we fall under a sort of “curse”. Self effort or as Paul put it in Galatians 2-3 “human effort”, puts us back under the law. This does not mean we have to be born again a second time, but it does mean we have failed to realize that through Christ, we have the promises given to Abraham. We have the promise of the Holy Spirit who was given to us as our guide. You see, the promises do not come through law or self effort, but through Christ through whom the promises speak.

The law just led us to Christ, but once we are in Christ, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. The law does not impart life, but Christ does. What I had forgotten was the freedom which comes in listening and putting aside all worry and self effort.

Instead of a worry filled night, I could have had a restful sleep. Instead of a messed up door knob and a loss of time, I could have had help from a neighbor.

What did I learn…to cast all of my cares upon Him because He cares for me…to listen to the Spirit of the Lord and do what He says. Which way is better? Uhm…I do believe God’s way is always better! This was one of those times when the title of this blog rang true, except I was not one step up...rather one step beyond stupid.

Peanut Butter Cookie Sky

2008-02-12T11:18:00.001-05:00

This morning as we were headed to school, little man and I talked about the amazing sky God had created. He smiled and acknowledged the "cool" heavens above us.

"Hey, the sky looks like the marks on a peanut butter cookie," said little man.

And he was right. Nowhere is God's creativity exhibited in such a elaborate display than through His sky!

After dropping him off at school, I noticed a new addition to the scenery. It was a partial rainbow. Interestingly enough...it hadn't rained.

God is faithful even in the dry times...He was just reminding us...rain is coming.

May God's rain fall in your life today and replenish and refresh you to do His will.

So We Think We Are So Advanced!

2008-02-07T17:30:00.000-05:00

I get tickled whenever I hear people talk about how far we have come. Hah! Ta da Taaaaah...Ta da Taaaaaah. Ta da Taaaaah. Ta da Tah. Ta da da da da da-da....Ta da da da dadada de da daaaaaah. (Rocky theme if you didn't get it!)

We certainly do have more trinkets

and gadgets

than Adam and Eve had,

but have we really come SO VERY FAR?

Mankind is so repetative in their mistakes.

God blesses.

Man gets the big head.

Man gets disciplined so he won't "blow up".

Man is restored.

God blesses.

Man gets the big head...and on and on.

Man falls.

Man's work becomes hard.

Man is restored.

Man falls.

Man's work become really hard.

And on...

It is like what most parents have told their children whenever they made the lame statement in front of said parents..."I'm bored"..."Well then, there is plenty of work to do!" Or...if they get into trouble then there is plenty of HARD work to do! Where do you think we got the idea of HARD work for bad behavior? Yeah, you got it.

How about this one.

Unrighteous leaders breed unrighteous people.

People follow....baaah!

Or this one...right out of the book of John verse 15

Jesus said abide or remain in him.

Then we will bear fruit.

Then we can ask anything

Then we will receive

So that we can bear more fruit

So that God can get the glory

and show the world

we are Christ's disciple.

But...

Here is what happens so often...

We abide in Him

We bear fruit

We ask

We receive

We ask

We wonder what pipe is clogged up

We realize

We abide

We bear fruit

We ask

We receive

We give God the glory

Hopefully, we remember why we are blessed.

May our big heads (air heads!)

and our big wanters (God is a genie!)

move out of the way

so that

don't

have

repeat

our

mistakes.

Where is your voice?

2008-02-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

Like many of you, I stayed up just long enough last night to see the winners of the Super Tuesday states. I heard one T.V. journalist on CNN ask Mike Huckabee when he was going to drop out as he smiled and said he was not planning on dropping out.
---
What in the world is wrong with some of these people who ride the air waves of T.V. land and assume they speak for the different parties and the nation as a whole. The audacity!
---
Perhaps you cannot tell, that I am a Huckabee supporter, but what I have come to realize in this particular election year, is that even if I was not a Huckabee supporter, the process...perhaps our mental process needs to be challenged. If you haven't followed me to this point, let me get right to it. We still have a lot more states to go...more than half of the country still has not had their inalienable voting rights exercised and I believe we ALL should have the right to vote for whom we choose...not just WHOM the PARTIES choose, or not just WHOM the MEDIA chooses.
---
After a lot of reading, I came to the conclusion that Mike Huckabee was the guy this country needed. I was actually surprised at myself, because for the first time since I cast my first vote (many moons ago) I believe in my heart and in my spirit he is the right guy.
---
With that said, why shouldn't everyone vote for the man or woman they choose. With our votes, our opinions are heard. If we crater and fold our arms and say...."I don't like any of them so I won't vote", well then we haven't made our voices heard. For me, this is no longer a Republican or Democrat issue...it is a freedom issue.
---
What I want to challenge those who read this post is to earnestly pray and ask God for revelation on the person He wants you to vote for. Do your homework. Will the changes that the candidates speak of be for good, or will they throw our country into a deeper moral and financial hole. Set aside your "needs" and seek the mind of Christ.
---
This election is important. God has been showing me what happens to a nation who turns from God...a nation who lavishes money on "idols"...a nation who puts God on a shelf to be used as a political tool...a nation who has forgotten who blessed them...a nation who has become self centered.
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The next post will explain. It is eye opening!

(If this next post is not showing...give it a few minutes...I am still writing!)

What Happens to a Nation Who Walks Away From God

2008-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

For many years, God put me back and forth into the book of James. Each time He turned my eyes to that book...I groaned. But each time, I learned something new. I was corrected, challenged and encouraged.

Lately, He has put me into the book of Hosea. A few days ago I was reading in Hosea 10 and a revelatory light went on. Do you know what God does when nations turn from Him? Hosea 10 tells us the story.

God's people were prospering and fruitful, yet they were spending their fruitfulness on idols and pleasures. With their prosperity, they forgot God. Oh, they still did their duty to God, but it had become just a means to appease God and get Him to continue to bless them. Yet, God...a good Father told them through Hosea, that He was going to have to tear down their idols. Pathetically, the people mourned over the loss of their idols...their "stuff" as God led them into captivity. In that captivity, they were put back to hard work.

In verse 13 of Hosea, God told them that when they depended upon their own strength and upon their own resources, they set themselves up for destruction.

Here is the kicker. In verse 15, Hosea writes...this will happen to you O Bethel. Bethel means "House of God". You see, our country has been a House of God. We have freely allowed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be presented. We have taken the Gospel around the world, but as a country, we have assumed that if we go to church and have our "fire insurance"...that is all that is required of us. The thinking is that God will always bless our land. Will He?

Let's look at what happened in Hosea. They were taken into captivity. Perhaps we are not in physical captivity, but are we afraid to speak what is right? Are we afraid to do what is right? Are we afraid to show the love of Christ in a visible...tangible way?

What is the result of turning...of trusting ourselves above God? All throughout the centuries, God has allowed his people to be put under captivity...back to the earth. God told the people whom Hosea prophesized to that they would be put back to hard labor...back to the Adamic curse of hard labor...of sowing into a ground which was hard and unyielding.

Each time...all throughout the centuries, God has had to turn us out of the Garden because we elevated ourselves to being the god of our lives. How many times O Bethel will we walk this road.

The good news is that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His desire is for us to prosper and be in health as our soul prospers...but we must remember who gave us the prosperity, and use the resources we have been blessed with to honor Him. Our breath came from Him...our life came from Him.

The call is this...RISE UP...RISE UP. As the Word declares "Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn...do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults."

This election is a call to rise up. This day is a call to rise up and trust God. Our work, is to believe! (John 6) Believing always calls for us to rise up with feet which march to the beat of only one drummer...the God who loves us.

Quiver of Arrows

2008-01-30T17:43:00.000-05:00

The movie was full of action and suspense and I found myself on the edge of the seat wondering what would happen next. I knew he must be getting close, but up to this point nothing he did opened the golden door which guarded the treasure. Suddenly, his face lit up. I knew he was putting all the pieces together as he side stepped the gaping hole and planted both feet firmly on the raised stone.

I knew it...I knew it. The floor began to tremble and the door which had not been opened in many centuries, slowly began to part. The shimmer from the gold, silver and bronze which lay beyond was blinding. The treasure had been found.

--------------------

The interesting part in this scenario, was that our hero was in the very room which contained the "key" to the treasure all along. He kept trying to find the trigger to open the door...even tried to pry open the door with the tools in his pack, but to no avail.

...

I read a verse this morning which made me think. It made me realize...well... let me go to the verse and you will get my point.
...
It is found in John 3:27. The scene...a conversation between John the Baptist's disciples and John about why some left their "ministry" to follow Jesus' ministry. John makes a statement that he could only receive what was given him from heaven.
...
I don't know how many times I've skipped over this scripture without catching what he was saying. He was saying...."Hey look, this is what I was made to do...to prepare the path for Jesus the Messiah...I can do nothing more...I can do nothing less than what I was called to do." John did exactly what he was supposed to do.
...
Like the hero who finally stepped on the right stone, we must be where God tells us to be. To go beyond is overshooting the mark. To go beneath is lacking the ability or confidence to hit the mark.
...
We don't mean to overshoot or undershoot, but when we are drawn to duplicate the life someone else has, we overshoot. When we fail to see we can do what He called us to do, we undershoot. The result is the same...a missed target.
...
God has given each of us a quiver full of arrows, specifically designed to hit the mark...the mark which God himself created just for us.
...
You and I are not alike. We have different talents...different callings, but each of us can walk out this life with the satisfaction and joy of knowing we did what we were called to do.

Is Seeing Believing, or is Believing Seeing?

2008-01-29T07:49:00.001-05:00

This is the question for today.

...

Is Seeing Believing, or is Believing Seeing?

...

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night he said "we know you are from God". Who were the "we"? The "we" knew he was from God because of the miracles, but Jesus challenged him by seemingly ignoring his statement. "You must be born again."

...

With that statement being made, there ensued a conversation on wind, physical birth and spiritual birth. Then Jesus opened up to Nic the Kingdom of God when he talked about believing. He gave him the KEY to the Kingdom which unlocks everything we SEE...belief.

...

Jesus was specific when he told Nic that he must believe on Him, the life giver...the one from above. The simplicity of the Gospel is mind boggling when you think about it.

...

Many saw the miracles that Jesus performed and did not believe...some did believe. Those steeped in legalism could not believe the Kingdom of God was so simple. They tried as best they could to make the Kingdom difficult with their many rules and regulations. Don't do this, and don't do that, but Jesus made it simple...believe on him. Be born again with the Spirit of God residing inside. He will lead into all righteousness.

...

After all, isn't the kingdom, righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit of the Lord? This is a day to believe...for when we believe in HIM, we set ourselves up for miracles. He is THE way, THE truth and THE life.

So, believing is seeing!

(John 3)

Forgiveness Sets the Stage for Restoration

2008-01-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

The urge to clean has hit me like a brick.

The urge to get taxes done has also hit me like a brick.

The necessity to forgive has hit me like a load of bricks.

............

#1...When Offence comes,the opportunity to forgive comes as well

...
How many times have I gotten to this point only to realize there was still someone whom I had not forgiven. We constantly have the opportunity to be offended. And when offence comes, we then have the opportunity to forgive or to hang on to un-forgiveness.
...
Let me remind myself of the verses just in the last several weeks which brought me to this place once again of walking in forgiveness.

...

............

#2...Forgiving is an act of giving

...

Luke 6: 37,38

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

...

Wow...this is not just a "financial giving" verse...it is about for-giving or pro-giving. When we forgive, we are for giving which is directly from the heart of the Father. If I want forgiveness...I have to forgive. I really don't want my un-forgiveness to be measured back to me.

...

............

#3...Forgiving releases that person to be made whole

...

2 Corinthians 2:7

"So that contrariwise ye [ought] rather to forgive [him], and comfort [him], lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow."

...

Remember Jonah...he did not want God to forgive the sinful city of Nineveh, but God did. Here in this verse Paul does not want whomever this person is, to be swallowed up. Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish, and he was willing to have these people swallowed up in their sin just as he was. Yet, God forgave Jonah and set the example for him to forgive the people of the great city of Nineveh. We've all read about people who were swallowed up by sorrow...maybe they took their own life or the lives of others. Forgiveness sets the stage for restoration. That is exactly what Jesus did and we are to walk as He did.

...

............

#4...Forgiving closes the door to your enemy having the advantage

...

2 Corinthians 2:10-11
"If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven–if there was anything to forgive–I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

...

I have to know, that when I do not forgive, I open the door to be "outwitted". The KJV uses the word "advantage" which literally means "to have a greater share...to be superior". I do not want to be taken advantage of or have anyone but God be superior in my life.

...
............

#5...Un-forgiveness is passed on to your children through offence

...

Many years ago, we went to church with a family who had a hard time with forgiving. Offence was their friend and because they gave in to offence, they went from church to church to church to church looking for the perfect congregation. We thought they were a nice couple, but if someone said something or did not react in the manner in which they thought they should react, this couple got offended. Same thing happened with ministries. Whenever a big time ministry fell, they were all over them. There was no sense of forgiveness...just judgement.

...

As their children began to grow up, that same "easily offended" spirit passed on to them. My point...I don't want my children to walk in offence and be taken advantage of by the enemy. If I cannot forgive, I am setting up the next generation to walk in un-forgiveness.

Finally,

...

............

#6...Forgiveness shows you are a "son of your Father in heaven"

...

Matthew 5:44-48
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (NIV)

...

It is so cleansing to pray for those who have offended me. It did this, this morning, and there were tears and sorrow and joy. What I know is that when I pray for those who have offended me, my heart changes and I feel a love for them flow. I remember Corrie Ten Boom talking about how her sister had a love for the Germans who had tortured her and imprisioned her. She could not hate them because of the love of Jesus. Even when she died in that horrible prision camp...she did not offer them judgment...just forgiveness.

...

............

Un-forgiveness is a destroyer

Un-forgiveness destroys unity

Un-forgiveness destroys our health

Un-forgiveness destroys the possiblity of a fruitful relationship

Un-forgiveness destroys our prayer life

Un-forgiveness destroys our witness

Unforgiveness destroys our love for others

Unforgiveness destroys precious TIME

Un-forgiveness is against forgiveness...it will suck the very life out of a person...a family...a church...a city...a nation.

For God so loved the world...He gave...then forgave.

Rest

2008-01-22T15:24:00.000-05:00

God has been challenging me about my need to rest.

During the Christmas holidays I found myself staying up later and later. Sometimes I was watching shows which were one step up from stupid...if you know what I mean. What a total waste of time. Bad decision on my part.

I was also spending too much time on the Internet to the point of depriving myself of much needed sleep. Ridiculous.

Well...this past Sunday I knew that I needed to NOT overdo it. The Lord told me I could spend time with my family, but that I needed to spend time with Him. After all I do want the mind of Christ so that means I need to spend time with Him.

1111111111

Rest is more than just taking a nap on Sunday or staying away from the shopping mall one day a week. Rest is about doing everything God's way.

He is the one who made us and knows our frame. In other words....He has the manufacturer's specs on us. Why do you think we wants us to be obedient? Because in obedience is blessing. And rest? Rest is obedience.

111111111

So last Sunday? I threw on a quick pot of stew...nothing fancy. By the time we got home from church, it was done and we ate. We played some games together. I spent time on the couch reading the Word. I took a quick trip to the store with my daughter...and that was it.

Aahh...I remember when stores were NOT open on Sundays. I never felt deprived. I remember resting physically...enjoying family...preparing for a new week.

Today we have built a "panic marathon race" lifestyle. Perhaps that is why most Monday mornings around 7:30 a.m. I hear an ambulance go by. People are so stressed that they do not get the rest they need on Sundays. But the most important rest...well that is the rest which comes from being in God's presence.

Breathe in...breathe out...God.

Running

2008-01-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, I substituted as a P.E. teacher. For all of those who know me personally, this seems like quite a stretch, but I know the P.E. teacher...and have for many years.

The first half of the day, I observed as the assistant ran the show. The weather outside was a cool 30 something degrees, so the decision was made to keep the kiddos inside. We set up cones and got them on their feet to run laps inside to a couple of songs from "High School Musical".

I've always been a somewhat hands on kind of gal, so I got out there and ran with about 5 of the classes...mostly to teach them not to sprint, but to pace themselves so that they wouldn't poop out. By the end of the day I was tired physically and emotionally. We had filled our class time with running and playing capture the flag. They were great kids and I enjoyed the day, but I fell asleep during the news which is NOT my norm.

Anyway, the next day, my legs were RATHER S-T-I-F-F from the extra exercise. I was not used to THAT much in a day. Now, I know why coaches don't get out there and run with their classes.

Then today, Sunday, one of the Pastors told a story about taking his family on vacation. His comment was that it was work for him, but fun for the kids. He said that parenting is sometimes uncomfortable. I know...the long evenings of waiting up for a daughter who does not want to come in one minute before curfew. Those are the evenings you want to go to sleep at 9:00 p.m. but you don't, because it is in those late night "meetings" that you exchange stories and amazingly enough...teach...show love and care for your child.

Yes, there have been mornings where I was feeling the results of the late nights, but it was so worth it. Each moment I spent listening to the events of the evening...each moment I spent washing and "outfit" late at night...each moment I spent going shopping when I just wanted to soak my feet...each moment spent on my children was time well spent...no matter how I physically felt the next morning. My kids know...I didn't always stay up...I didn't always do everything right, but I did always love them...still do.

The extra mile will always be run for my precious children.

Mercy Me

2008-01-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry.

Frantically taming that feeling of

"I haven't done enough for God".

"What does God really want from me!?!"

What God REALLY wants

is mercy...

forgiving one another...

He wants a thankful heart...

a heart in gratitude of what God has done in our lives...

giving HIM credit...not ourselves.

Not really hard.

What God REALLY does NOT want

Sacrifices without heart.

Offerings without gratitude.

Pretty simple.

From Hosea 6:6

Show and Tell

2008-01-14T12:41:00.000-05:00

Many years ago, my Dad was on staff at a large church in our city as a Marriage Counselor. My Mother was not your typical "Staff Wife". One particular gathering proved this very point.

All of the wives of the church staff including pastor's wives attended a female get together at the home of one of the pastors. Along with the overdone offering of finger food was a request that each of the ladies bring along with them their Wedding Albums. I'm really not sure why, but I am sure the intent was honorable.

Unfortunately, my parents did not have a church wedding and there were no pictures taken the day they eloped. (My Dad's Father was a Baptist Minister who found out about the elopement in the newspaper.) This posed a problem or rather a challenge to my 5'3" mother who came up with a very creative alternative to the one dimensional pictures the rest of the ladies would be sharing.

As the time came for each wife to present her album, my Mother pulled out the lace bra she had purchased to wear under her wedding dress. That day, my Mother endeared herself to this group of ladies. They began to look to her for their dose of humor and honesty.

My Mother resides in Heaven now, and I have a feeling there is laughter around her.

Warped sense of smell

2008-01-12T01:30:00.000-05:00

This week we needed an extra car, so we decided to rent a car for several days.

When we picked up the car it was so cold that I didn't care what the car smelled like inside. It was relatively clean but a chain smoker had used the car so I had to drive with the windows down on a very cool day to be able to stand the smell.

The first afternoon with the car, I drove to little man's school to pick him up.

When he got into the car, I could hear him sniffing...you know...like someone slowly snarfling up the scent of a good brownie. His response...

"Wow, I love the smell of this new car...it smells like the bowling alley Dad took me to!"

Of course, this is a kid who can sit in a room after expelling body gas and not notice. He will do good in a boy's locker room.

(BTW...my hubby said I should have gotten another car...he was right, but I might have missed this wonderful comment from our little man...)

Sticky...ewewew

2008-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

From time to time, a piece of clothing gets in the laundry which did not get treated for spots...such was the case yesterday morning.

I was unloading the dryer of whites when I reached in to get little man's white uniform polo type of shirt. On the front was a very dried in booger.

How in the world did a booger hold fast washed on warm? This one escapes me unless it was stuck on both sides and didn't release until it got in the dryer.

aI will have to inform little man to NOT and I do repeat NOT use his shirt as a nose rag.

aI will determine to check his clothing with a magnifying glass and a gallon of spot remover before it enters into the wash.

Thankfully, there were no remnants anywhere else.

How very icky!

Hope you are not eating and reading!

Blessings and have a wonderful, full of humor day!

S.O.S.

2008-01-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I substituted for a pre-first grade class.

~~~~~~~~~~

This is a "grade" specifically developed

for those children who are not ready for first grade.

It is a mesh between kindergarten and first grade.

~~~~~~~~~

By the time these kids finish this class,

they are up to speed with other kids entering first grade...

in fact, they are often ahead.

~~~~~~~~~

`Anyway, these are great kids.

They are energetic and fun to be around.

I always have good stories after being in this class.

To get on with it...

~~~~~~~~~

Most of the material we were working on was simply review.

The children were quietly (kind of quietly) at their tables

cutting and gluing a page on rhyming words.

I was sitting on the little table

at the front of the room

checking their work as they completed each assignment.

~~~

Two of the boys came up to me

with a complaint about one of their classmates...

here's the dialogue.

~~~

"Teacher, Joshua (name changed) said S.O.S."

(The rest of what he was supposed to have

said was nonsensical.)

~~~

(From the other side of the classroom.)

"I didn't say S.O.S....I didn't say anything bad. I did not."

~~~

I said...

"Whatever was said or not said, let's not use

ugly words, okay?"

~~~

As I sat there amused,

wondering what in the world they thought S.O.S. meant

another little boy in route to the

pencil sharpener commented...

~~~

"I don't talk about body parts."

~~~

I was ready to break out in laughter,

but had to maintain my teacherly composure.

~~~

Kids...can't live without them.

2008-01-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

Congratualtions

to Kristin and her hubby

on the birth of their twins.

Very cool.

The next level

2008-01-08T12:23:00.000-05:00

Pressing through to the next level. It is like watching our son play video games. Whenever we want him to come to dinner or to go somewhere with us and he is playing his games…we hear…”Let me finish this level!”

What if we took that very same desire of an eight year old boy playing video games and applied it to where God has placed us in life.

It is so funny to listen to the little man express his excitement in finishing a difficult level. He knows the next level will be hard, but he stands ready with anticipation…what does the next level hold. He wants to hurry through dinner or hurry through his chores…or hurry to get back from the store so that he can get on with the next level.

Somehow in the hurry to get back to game, he has forgotten that the time spent doing other activities and time spent with family will develop his little character and provide a foundation of love and acceptance he will need to go through the levels in life.

Are we hurrying around trying to get through the current level in our lives? Each moment is important. Each relationship holds “something” for us to learn or someone for us to encourage or to be encouraged.

But there is a lesson to be learned from the little game player. That lesson is to be excited about where we are in life and excited about where God is taking us. We are not to be afraid of what lies ahead and burrow in our closets, but we are to take task in hand as we give our lives into HIS hand and move ahead. It may be difficult, but the challenge of trusting will do nothing but build strength in us. It will not be our strength, but godly character. Let patience have her perfect will in us so that we will lack nothing.

Year of stepping away from the past

2008-01-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

The past is a very hard place to live. It is decorated with the dead bones of those who hurt us. It is embellished with the webs of thoughts of hurt and anger. Sitting on the old table of the past is the candle which was never lit because if it was lit, all of the muck and deadness of the past would be exposed.

So, one decides that there will always be deadness around so we just get used to it. One decides that there will always be cobwebs, so why tear down the old ones. Yes, one decides to sit in the chair which smells of musky oldness and remembers the hurts and the past as if it were yesterday.

This, my friends is a year of stepping away from the past and embracing the future. Sounds like a presidential candidates speech, but it is not. They are the words of one who has decided that it is easier on the neck and back to look forward than to continually keep looking back.

Once again, I have left the confines of the easy chair and not just closed the door on the musty old room of the past, but have decided to clean it out and prepare it for a future.

There is no reason to look back in our lives or in our country as well.

So many make decisions so glibly in their own lives and then apply that same type of reasoning in their other decisions. Here is the thinking. If I voted for a Democrat last time for President, and of course I didn't like what I got, then I'll just vote for a Republican...or visa versa.

Two of our children are voting for the first time this year, and I told our youngest "soon to be voter" that she just needed to check out what each candidate was saying...what they believed, what they did and were currently doing...and even the people they hang out with. (Isn't that what you tell your children?) I told her to check out who they would listen to and take direction from.

Some Americans know more about their babysitter than they do the person they vote for. This is a day to not look to the past, but to look to the future and look at the person who wants to SERVE us as President.

The "stuff" coming out should not surprise us if we do our own investigations. But before we start thinking of who we should vote for...perhaps it would be a good idea for us to personally set our hearts and mind to look forward. I like the picture Paul the Apostle paints when he says that we should forget the past and run to win.

There are some of you who have so much hurt in the past that every decision you are currently making in all areas of your life is tainted and colored by that hurtful past. Hurt makes wrong decisions.

So what are we to do when we have hurt? Listen to what God says about us and about our future. He says the plans He has for us are for good and not for bad...to give us a hope and a future. Love yourself enough to move forward with the understanding that you were uniquely made and formed for a specific task...and that task was not to stay in the past and let it make your future decisions for you.

2008...a year of second chances

2008-01-03T20:23:00.000-05:00

This is a year of second chances...not just for our country, but for each individual out there.

I just read about a man who was pardoned after 26 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He got a second chance at life even though he was never guilty.

I nearly hit a car the other day...I missed...no one was hurt and there was no damage of any kind...I got a second chance.

Whether you need a second chance because of a mistake you made, or a second chance because you were unjustly accused...this is your year.

This country is getting a second chance. We've been praying for the right person to become President. I have my thoughts and I'm sure you have your thoughts, but in the end our opinions are less important than God's opinions.

There was a story told of two builders. One built his house on a solid rock. When the rains came and the winds blew, his house stayed firm because it was built up high on a solid rock. The other builder didn't want the bother of building his house way up high where it was difficult to hoist materials and more costly to put together, so he built his house on the sand...beach front property. Unfortunately, when the rains came and the winds beat on his house he had something else to contend with...flooding and rushing waters. So, the house on the sand fell apart and he was left without a home.

If the "sand" builder had another chance, would he build his house again on sand? We would all say "yes", but perhaps he would try to build on sand again, hoping to get a different result. For someone who builds near water, storms are the norm and their homes must be built to withstand the beating.

We have a second chance in our country. I like many of you am focused on the Presidential race and have been daily reading about the candidates and praying for wisdom. Some I have already marked off my list because they believe in building on sand. Some have foundational truths which are rock solid. Please pray with us as we seek God's mind on these elections. I sense deeply that this election is VERY important.

How many chances do you give your kids before letting them reap what they sow? I'm not willing to test God though He is extremely patient with me and this nation. Eventually discipline has to come to turn a child around. Pray, pray and pray some more...get busy doing what God uniquely designed you to do...that goes for me as well...

The Little Man Comments Again

2008-01-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

The other day we were doing our TaeBo exercises as our little man was making LOTS of comments. Okay...so we don't look like models, but we do our best to get in our exercise. Anyway, he looked at us and said that the music on the TaeBo tape sounded like Wall Street Music.

I asked him where he got that piece of information and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "I don't know."

What a hoot. Then...last night, I asked him if he would like to come and sit in my lap and give me a hug and he looked at me and said..."No speakidy English". Yeah right...but I did get a good laugh!

The joys of having kids around!

Today, he started asking questions about our government.

I guess it is time to get out the old text books and give him a lesson in how a "Republic" is supposed to operate... i.e...a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law. (We are sometimes called a democracy...i.e. a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections...when in reality, we are a republic!)

Not to get too political, but the politicians in the House and Senate have forgotten that they are responsible to us. Teach our children well and bring them back to their roots!

Little man's many questions will have to be answered with solid information...not just what someone thinks is right. The majority of Americans still think that one of our major documents has in it the "separation of church and state". Let's all get informed and see what our founding fathers set up instead of what some news broadcaster tells us, or some self absorbed...greedy for power politician tells us.

2008

A year of new beginnings

A year where we go back to basics

in all areas of our lives

A year of total trust in God

A year of crucifying our desires for His desires.

Father...knows...best

Sing Over Us Lord

2007-12-31T13:35:00.000-05:00

Psalm 32:7

“Thou [art] my hiding place;

thou shalt preserve me from trouble;

thou shalt compass me about

with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

You are my hiding place, my shelter, my covering oh Lord. You surround me…what protection…with shouts and songs of deliverance…victory. What a great picture of the protection of the Lord as He actively protects His children.

Oh put your trust in the Lord and partake of His goodness like sweet honey on a biscuit. He is our rock and our salvation. He sings over us like a Father sings over his child as they rest. It is His singing which causes peace to fall upon us. In those songs we hear his words spoken over us…songs of deliverance and salvation. What confidence it builds in us. Oh Lord, sing over us. Open our eyes that we might hear your declarations…declarations from your heart and your word…from your very lips.

Watch for Change

2007-12-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

Romans 10:20

"But Isaiah is very bold, and saith,

I was found of them that sought me not;

I was made manifest unto them

that asked not after me."

As I awakened yesterday morning, I had two thoughts on my mind.

As I mentioned in the earlier post...God woke me up!

The first thought was about discipline and love.

The second thought was about the seed of Ishmael,

the eldest son of Abraham.

That sent me reading back in the book of

Genesis...chapter 21.

Abraham was tested with both Ishmael and Isaac.

With Ishmael...the Lord said He would make of him

a great nation just like Isaac...so when

Abraham sent Ishmael and Hagar away,

he gave them only enough provision to last

a day...He trusted God to fulfill his word and He did.

Ishmael lived the majority of his life

without the direction of a father.

This is exactly what Father God wants to

give to the descendants of Ishmael...a Father.

Of course, that Father is

the one who made all things.

Through Jesus the Christ,

all people, even the seed of Ishmael

can come to him and

find peace and freedom

and a Father that

has an everlasting love.

In Romans 10:19 there is a reference

to God making the Israelites jealous

by a nation without understanding

of who God is.

Is is a reference to the seed of Ishmael?

Perhaps.

This I do know,

God loves all people

even if they reject

and hate him.

Yet, He has offered only one way

which is easily gained by us

even though it was provided

by the blood of Christ.

Part of what God told me was this...

Pray that the shackles be removed...

the blindness be removed and

that their ears (the seed of Ishmael)

be opened to receive the good news of Jesus

the Christ...He loves them.

The New Year Is Around the Corner

2007-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

The new year is around the corner and Christians everywhere are committing themselves to read more and do more. They are thinking of their haphazard way of running their lives and are wanting to change. This is pretty typical as we are about to face another year. What did I do for God in 2007?

This morning, I awakened at about 7:45. This is vacation time in our family...no, we are not on a beach somewhere, but at our own little home, enjoying the time off and sleeping later than our usual 6:30 a.m. I just woke up with several thoughts on my heart. I knew I had to get up and talk with the Father and see what He had on His heart...especially since I had been on a vacation from reading my Bible and talking much with God. (I know...not a good plan!)

Anyway, the Lord began talking with me about discipline. It was not the talk which I had envisioned...the pumped up "gotta get with the plan" talk...nope. Here's the skinny of what He told me...

Do you have to be disciplined to be with God?
Do you have to be disciplined to be with your husband?
Is it really about discipline? Or is it about love!

I want to be with my husband in every imaginable married way because I love him. It is our love for God which draws us to His well each and every day...and throughout the day.

Yes, it is a good thing to be disciplined to read. It is better to be drawn to read and talk with Him out of Love. He woke me up this morning because He loves me and it had been several days since I had come to him...He missed me and as it turns out...I missed Him as well.

There is nothing quite like hearing the heart of the Father. It puts a different perspective on the day and world events.

The second comment God made to me in the early hours as dawn was breaking was about the seed of Ishmael. I'll share those tomorrow...it was interesting in the wake of the assassination in Pakistan. God has a plan.

Knowledge

2007-12-21T13:34:00.000-05:00

Hosea 4:6 says "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge". I guess I've heard hundreds of sermons on this scripture, and of course everytime someone "falls", this scripture is used.

"Well, you know so and so fell...you remember the verse that says 'My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge' well this is surely the case with so and so."

Interestingly enough the word "knowledge" means specifically in this context "knowledge of God"...knowing God...as a friend. Knowing what He wants...how He thinks.

Let's "know" God this Christmas season and what He thinks.

Because...the thoughts He has for us are good thoughts...for a hope and a future. I believe He is worth listening to and obeying...He has our best in mind.

Blessings.

Let's Blame it All on Global Warming!

2007-12-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

Let's blame all the problems of the environment and the world on global warming...it is easier than understanding...

"...the Lord has a charge to bring

against you who live in the land;

There is no faithfulness, no love,

no acknowledgment of God in

the land.

There is only cursing, lying and

murder, stealing and adultery;

they break all bounds,

and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns,

and all who live in it waste away;

the beasts of the field and the birds

of the air

and the fish of the sea are dying."

Hosea 4:1-3

"Lord forgive us. Open the eyes of our understanding to do what is right. Those who look for answers outside of you...forgive them...open their eyes to your great love and your infinite wisdom. During these "talks" close the mouths of those who speak foolishness and give a platform to those who speak wisdom. Make those who have exalted themselves as the answer...the savior of the world to be found by all to be foolish. Give a platform to those who have the truth to this answer. May your Word be exalted as you are exalted."

The Joys of Mammographs and Bone Density Tests

2007-12-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

Howdy...just got back from the "breast center" having a mammogram and a bone density test. Not too bad, but I nearly made a BIG mistake...no pun intended!

Just to give you a brief background, I do not go to doctors very much, and I have only had one other mammogram which was several years back. So, needless to say, I am NOT a veteran of these test nor the procedures followed in these offices.

So, I was waiting in the "waiting room" just waiting and waiting and reading in the Voice of the Martyrs magazine when I was called for the mammogram. I gathered all of my reading materials, coat and purse and followed the technician to a dressing room. Now you have to remember, this was pretty new to me so all the information I could get would have been very helpful.

The technician was pleasant, but our ability to communicate with each other on a scale from 1 to 10 was about a 3. Anyway, I decide to ask her while I was in the dressing room if I was to strip and she responded in the affirmative.

Here I go, removing all the outer clothing and the double barrelled sling shot. In my mind, I thought I would cover myself with the "gown" first and then drop my drawers and walk out.

The "gown" was constructed like a poncho and I quickly realized that it did NOT cover anything below the waist. I stood there looking in the mirror saying to myself..."I am not walking down the hall with my bare toosh hanging out...this is weird." Then the old proverbial light bulb went on in my head..."Oh, she meant to strip from the waist up!"

What a relief! Just think of the total embarrassment I would have experienced. I chuckled inside thinking of the shock on the nurses and technicians faces had I bared it all.

Well, I got through the first "make your breasts pancakes" test with the technician kneading my breasts into place and putting stickers all over my boobies. She then told me I could dress and have a seat, so I did and made my way down the hall to the waiting room for the next call. Within a few minutes, another woman stuck her head through the door and called my name. She told me she had been looking for me.

Knowing that this other tech and I had not done so hot in the communication area, I asked her, "Where was I supposed to be?"...sitting in the dressing room.

Oh well, got test number two done and was pleased when they told me I could go home. It was with joy and thanksgiving I left that facility knowing I had not embarrassed myself too much.

Jerry's Gift-The Whole Story

2007-12-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

Jerry was a “cute little angel” according to his Grandma Gee. His funny little laugh always put her into a good mood and helped her to forget the pain in her hands from arthritis.

He didn’t come over as often as he used to since his mother Angelia started back to work. Angelina seemed to be more and more stressed as the days wore on. The radiant countenance she once possessed had been replaced with a worn out sadness that covered her from head to toe.

Grandma’s thoughts these days were always on her daughter and grandson. It would be two years this December 1st that her son-in-law passed away of a heart attack. He was just 38 when he died, much too young for Angelia to be a widow…much too young for Jerry to be fatherless…and much too young for her sweet daughter to have experienced this kind of heartache.

Today for some reason, Gee seemed stuck in the past. Her hands were hurting even more because of the sudden change in the weather, so she parked herself in her favorite chair. The old French blue chair had been a place of comfort for many years. This was the chair Jerry was rocked in as an infant…even though it officially was not a rocker. This was the chair in which her son-in-law Ted loved to sit with one leg over the arm rest as he positioned himself for a long talk with his mother-in-law. A tear of sadness ran down the old woman’s face as she nodded off into another world where pain was no more and death always was followed by a resurrection.

But today her dreams betrayed her. A sudden thought that Jerry was in trouble jarred her from what was meant to be a peaceful sleep. Alarmed, Grandma reached for the phone which was conveniently placed on a table just to the right of her chair. But just as she was about to make the call to her daughter, the phone rang.

“If it is that Marianne Davis, she will just have to call another time with her idle chattering and complaining”, thought Gee.

“Hallo”, said Gee. “Is that you Marianne? Well I’ll have to talk…what?”

It wasn’t Marianne Davis down the street, but the school where Jerry was enrolled as a third grader.

“Miz Gee?” asked the voice on the phone.

“Yes”

“Miz Gee, we have been trying to get a hold of your daughter but she is not answering her work or cell phone. Do you know how we might reach her?” said the concerned caller.

“All I know is that my daughter was going to be in some kind of meeting today…probably has her cell phone turned off…why?...Is Jerry okay?” questioned Grandma Gee.

“No maam…can you come and pick him up…He seems to be running a temperature and has been complaining of a stomach ache. My guess would be he has the flu, but you or your daughter probably needs to have a doctor look at him. How quickly can you get here?”

“Well, I’ll get my act together and be there in a jiffy…prob’ly about fifteen to twenty minutes,” said Gee, “bye!”

Gee hoisted herself out of her place of comfort and slowly made her way down the short hall to her bedroom to dress. That unction she had earlier about something being wrong with Jerry grew stronger. She looked down at her quivering hands and took a big breath.

“I have to get myself together. I have to settle down. Dear Lord, help me to settle down but most of all, help Jerry. No, Lord, don’t just help him, heal him! I’m counting on you…between Angelia and Jerry they are the only family I have so it’s up to you to take care of them. I’m so tired of sorrow and pain…I…I…just don’t know what I would do…well you know what I mean,” muttered Gee as she hurriedly wrapped her scarf around the outside collar of her gray jacket.

The next few minutes were painful and tense as she drove the ten miles to Jerry’s school. Her hands ached as she clutched the steering wheel. All the while, she told herself that she was probably overreacting and that Jerry had a simple case of the flu.

By the time Gee arrived at the school, she had settled herself down to the point she was actually looking forward to the probability of having Jerry stay with her as she nursed him back to health. It had been a long time since she had spent any quality time with him and of COURSE, Angelia would have to work, so she would be the logical care giver.

Somehow, that thought made her aches less painful as she locked her car and walked towards the front entrance of the school. A strong gust blew her scarf into her face just as she opened the heavy metal doors which led to a vast network of halls and closed classrooms.

Not being familiar with the school, Gee looked for any indication of where the Nurse’s Office might be located. A sign just to her left pointed to the “Office” so she headed that direction as she resituated her scarf around her collar.

The school office seemed nice enough. Medium sized ficus trees were located in one corner of the waiting area right behind several round tables with chairs. A huge banner which hung over the counter read “Cougar Pride”. Below the banner stood a somewhat bored looking young woman who asked Gee in a monotone voice if she could help her.

“Why of course…could you tell me where the Nurse’s Office is? You see my grandson is…” The young woman glared at Gee as she rattled out the directions ignoring the fact that she had rudely interrupted the old woman’s explanation.

“When you go out the door, go to the right and take the first hallway to the left. It is the last office on the left.” She then turned away from the counter towards her desk and began typing as though she was the one who had been interrupted.

“Well, this is certainly not a friendly school,” thought Gee as she briskly walked to the Nurse’s Office.

The door to the Nurse’s Office was open, and the smell of alcohol and cleaning solution permeated the air. She was shocked to see Jerry all huddled up on a cot in the corner of the office. His face was ashen and the circles around his eyes let her know that he was very sick. For a moment, she could see her son-in-law’s eyes right before he died peering out from this little boy. It was alarming. Perhaps it WAS the flu, but whatever was ailing him, she was convinced she needed to get him to the doctor as quickly as possible.

Jerry was glad to see his Grandma. His little arms let go of the blanket enveloping him as he stretched them towards his Grandma Gee. Only a moment distanced the two as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Grandma, I’m so glad to see you. I don’t feel good and just wanna go home. Where’s Mom? Didn’t she come with you?” asked Jerry.

“No baby, your Mom is in a meeting and the Nurse couldn’t get a hold of her so she called me to come and get you. We will let her know as soon as possible,” said Gee still holding on to her precious grandson.

“Sweetie, where is the nurse?” asked Grandma looking into Jerry’s eyes.

“I don’t know. She’s been gone for a while. There was a kid that threw up in the hall and I think she is down there,” said Jerry.

“Very well, we’ll write her a note telling her I picked you up. I don’t like the whole idea of her leaving you alone like this. What if something happened while she was gone, or what if you threw up…?”

“Grandma, it’s okay. She’s very nice and cares a lot about the kids here, especially us third graders. Besides that, I DIDN’T throw up so let’s just go…please?” whined Jerry.

“Okay, hun, let’s ditch this place,” said Grandma.

Her funny way of putting things always made Jerry laugh. Today was no different even though he was feeling rather rough around the edges he managed to give her one little snickering giggle.

Angelia was surprised to get a call informing her that Jerry was at her mother’s house. She was grateful, however that her mother was able to pick him up. It was one of those bitter sweet kind of days for Angelia. On the one hand, it was great having a mother in the same town that could be there for them when they needed her; but on the other hand, it was irritating that she had to work and couldn’t do the things for Jerry that a stay at home mother could do.

The days that followed were difficult. It was good that the three had decided it best for Grandma to stay with them. That way, Jerry could sleep in his own bed and it would be more comfortable for him.

Over the next three days, Jerry’s temperature escalated to 102 degrees giving the two caregivers little sleep. It was especially hard on Angelia who had to be at work at 7:45 a.m. Finally, on the third day, Jerry arose…hungry…not just a little hungry, but ravenously hungry.

“I can stay with him for a couple more days Angelia,” said Gee.

“Mom, I know you don’t always feel well yourself, but if you could, that would help me out so VERY much and I would appreciate it SO much. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Angelia as she kissed her mother over and over again.

“Now, now, you get out of here and make some money for this family of yours. We’ll be fine here. Besides, I think I’ll teach Jerry how to play Poker. After all, he has more money saved than the two of us and,” looking at Jerry, “I could use some extra cash!” said Gee with a gleam in her eye.

“Mother, what are you thinking? You are going to teach my child to gamble and then fleece him! Not on your life!” said Angelia indignantly.

“Oh Angel, you know I’m just kidding, but we might play a game or two…of hearts. Don’t look at me that way, I’m not going to teach him to gamble!” said Grandma Gee.

Angelia had not heard her mother call her Angel since she was a teen. It was strange and wonderful because her mother had not joked with her in a long time. Fun and games had been reserved for Jerry alone. Angelia’s relationship with her mother had been different since the death of her husband. She felt that perhaps her mother thought that she had something to do with Ted’s heart condition.

For the first time since his death, she felt somewhat reconnected to her mother. Perhaps this was a new beginning for them. Perhaps her mother could forgive; for what, she did not know, but just perhaps they could be a family again…a loving, caring family.

“I think we ought to call that Dr. Thatcher and ask him how long we need to keep Jerry home from school,” said Grandma.

“Mother, you’ve called his office every day. That does not include the two calls you made after we got home from his office! You know what he said. Keep him in 24 hours after the fever breaks. And with that…I’m going to work. Uhm…Mom? Thank you Mom for taking care of your grandson…you’re the best!” said Angel in a loving tone.

Gee looked shocked at the outpouring of genuine appreciation and love from her daughter. It was not that Angelia was not loving or appreciative, but it was that the warmth had been missing for many years.

The two exchanged smiles as Angel took off for work. It was a bit awkward, kind of like telling someone you love them for the first time. But it felt wonderful.

All day long, Grandma played games with Jerry and fed him anything his hungry little soul desired. The laughter in that home was abundant that day, and amazingly enough, Gee’s hands didn’t hurt or at least she didn’t notice them if they did. Her steps seemed lighter, her singing more on pitch and her laughter more frequent.

That evening when Angelia arrived home from work, the house was dark. A wave of adrenaline pulsated through her body as she quickly put her key into the front door of her little house. The old lock had always given her a little trouble. Finally she got the lock to cooperate and opened the door leaving her briefcase and a bag of groceries on the porch.

Her heart raced as she anxiously looked for a note in the darkened room. They were obviously not here and that worried Angelia. She flipped on the light switch next to the front door and grabbed her items she had left on the front porch and took them inside, placing them on the floor as she shut the door behind her.

All of a sudden, the light in the kitchen mysteriously turned on. That made Angelia’s heart race even faster as she reached her hand into her purse to pick up her cell phone just in case she needed to make a 911 call.

“Is there anyone home?” yelled Angelia. “Who is in the kitchen? If you don’t get out of here I am going to call the police. I have my cell phone and I am calling right now so you better get out of here!” screamed Angelia in a high pitched voice.

“Surprise!”

“Surprise?” thought Angelia.

Out from behind the door of the kitchen jumped Jerry followed closely by Grandma Gee. Jerry’s face looked radiant and healthy as he ran and gave his mother a big hug and kiss. Grandma just stood there smiling and laughing while the two embraced each other.

“I can’t believe you two did this to me. You gave me quite a scare. You would have felt foolish if I had actually called the police. No, wait…I guess I would have felt foolish. No matter. What are you two up to? What is the surprise…it’s not my birthday!” said Angelia with a curious look on her face.

“You tell her Jerry. After all, it was your idea!” said Grandma still smiling.

Angelia sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and motioned for Jerry to come and sit in her lap. Instead, Jerry took his mother by her hands and looked seriously into her eyes.

“Mom,” said Jerry. “I’ve been thinking. We haven’t had much laughter in our house since Daddy died. I’ve really missed him,” said Jerry holding back a tear.

“I know, I have too,” smiled Angelia.

“Well, like I said, I’ve been thinking. You know that Dr. Thatcher…the doctor that smells kind of funny? Well, he gave me some medicine to help me get better. So, I was thinking that maybe there was a medicine to help our family get more smiles and laughter back.” said Jerry.

“That would be great sweetie, but I don’t think there is a smile medicine!” said Angelia lovingly.

“Well, Mom, that’s where YOU are wrong. Grandma told me of a prescription in the Bible, so I wrote it down for you and I added some more medicine too. Well, Grandma tied the ribbon on the top, but I punched the hole out with the hole puncher so she could put the ribbon right through here…see. It’s a gift for you?” said Jerry.

“Thank you sweetie. How ‘bout if I read it so we can all have some medicine,” said Angelia.

“Medicine for Our Family

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
(Proverbs 17:22)
For the joy of the Lord is my strength
(Nehemiah 8:10)
+
(and this is very important)
Have popcorn every day
Always say “forgive me”
Take a day off to be with me (Jerry)
Practice smiling even if it hurts
Lots of hugs
See Grandma more
Sing loud in church
Sing loud at home
Say thank you for everything
Talk to God a lot
Listen to God a lot
and dance the funky chicken”

The smile on Angelia’s face told Jerry he had come up with just the right medicine for his mom. Those words were more than just medicine, but a gift for a lifetime.

A lot of healing went on that day, or at least the beginning of a healing. Angel and her mother spent hours talking about Ted and how his death had affected them as a family. Forgiveness was dealt out with liberality. Love was given without measure. And the dark, oppressive high wall which had been between the two began to crumble all because of Jerry. Who would have ever thought that a little boy’s sickness would have been the catalyst for healing? And what was the icing on the “medicine”? A little popcorn and a lot of funky chicken dancing!

A Trip to the Gyne

2007-12-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

This morning was my annual appointment to the gynecologist. Whoopie! Actually, it was a bi-decade appointment. About the only event which ever boosted me to the gyne was a pregnancy or a problem of some sort. This time, however, I was neither pregnant nor experiencing any problem...I just thought I had better go and get this done before our insurance changed from one company to another.

Ah yes...the whole process...icky! After a very frigid wait in the "waiting room", amply named, I was moved to another frigid room in which I was told to put on a skirt and pull it up just under my armpits. I was also given a "boxer underwear design" blanket...no...sheet...no...mini sheet...ah that was what it was, to place over my legs.

About that time, the office manager popped her head in and said that the Dr. was coming from a Dr.'s appointment and was running about 30 minutes late...did I want to reschedule or just wait.
Wait of course. Look, I had ACTUALLY made the appointment and had already received prayer from my husband, so I was willing to wait. (I don't like going to the doctor...as if you couldn't tell.)

By then I was totally freezing in my little "gown". By the way...how could anyone call this a gown. Would you want to go to sleep with elastic running under your armpits? Would you wear this gown for your hubby with your favorite perfume? Gown? I realize the design has a purpose, but I think the word "frock" might be more appropriate.

Anyway, I was put into a little dressing room with a mirror so I could get a look at myself in this frock. As if I wasn't already feeling a little uncomfortable about the weight I'd gained, they had to increase my discomfort by making me look at myself in a gathered "gown" which added at least 20 inches to my derriere'. One size fits all...yeah right.

So, what was I to do with myself for the 30 minutes I was to wait. Well, as I said before, I was freezing, so I put on my sweatshirt which was a plus to my "outfit". Then I got up and began to roam around the examination room...looking at everything on the walls...the pictures of new babies...aaah...the funny doctor cartoons...an actual picture of a cesarean birth...and a flip chart of normal and abnormal internal female parts. I was reading the flip chart until I got to the part about some abscess and decided I would stop there.

I looked at a sign on one of the pieces of equipment which warned against touching it, and knew right then and there why that sign had been posted. It was for women like me who were roaming around exam rooms somewhat bored just waiting for the appearance of their doctor. Yes, I did think about TOUCHING the equipment. I did think about pushing levers to see what would happen, but being the mature person I am and being a mature person who did not want to get caught tampering with the equipment, I contained myself.

Finally the doctor arrived and there I was in my sweatshirt and skirt pulled up under my armpits. The next round of events...well, you know. Anyway, I was thrilled to walk out that door. In all fairness, I have a very good doctor who was there through the births of all three of our children.

I don't think I would want to go to just a gynecologist. There is something about walking into an office of a man who has delivered thousands of babies who has on display picture upon picture of God's gifts all over the office. It takes the edge off of the examination ordeal.

Delight

2007-12-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

Psalm 37:4

"Delight (be happy) thyself

in the Lord, and he

shall give thee the

desires (prayers, petitions)

of thine heart"

Yesterday morning

as I was singing

during worship

at church,

a thought was dropped

into my head.

"Your wish is my command."

Something started

stirring in my spirit.

My head was swirling

with new information.

Information which

would change

the way

look

God.

My thoughts ran

something like this...

What is God's desire...

above what He commands?

It is not just about obedience.

Obedience is better than sacrifice

says the Word.

God desires a heart of flesh

not a heart of stone.

Obedience is an act of love,

but our relationship

with the Lord

is more than just obedience.

God desires a heart of flesh

because He wants us

to reflect him as his child.

Delight...be happy

like a woman who delicately dances

in happiness.

Like a child who is so excited

to see Daddy.

Enjoy God.

Enjoy his company.

"And he walks with me

and he talks with me,

and he tells me I am his own."

Obedience is good.

Obedience with delight is better.

The end result is happiness in God

as He meets our wishes...our desires.

Time spent with him throughout the day

will reveal His desires.

Just like you desire to give your

children the desires of their hearts

this Christmas...

Give Him the desires of His heart.

I rejoice in you today Father.

You are so very cool.

You made an absolutely beautiful sky the other night.

You make me want to dance and sing and play before you.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord...

Forever.

I will not be afraid to tell

of your love to others.

Thank you for giving me the desire of my heart.

You Oh Lord, are my desire.

2007-12-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

In the previous post, I referred to a person called the "government child". Just to let you know, this was not my profile, but the profile of many children and adults I have known over the years. This reflects their experiences, their hurts and their questions. This reflects the thoughts of many Christians who have been told that what they believe is intolerance...not love.

God loves everyone no matter what they have done or are currently "doing". He hates the sin because it destroys them and pulls them away from Him. He gets angry because He has so much more for us...more than the drugs and alcohol...more than the sexual additions. He told us that the world would say that what was sin was right and what was godly was sin.

The point of the post was not to slam those who might require help from government sponsored programs, but to encourage us to change our way of thinking and our way of voting. We should be voting based on what is right...not just what is right for us. As believers, God is our only source. When fear enters in, it is easy to look for answers outside of God. Usually we look to ourselves to "fix" the problem. Most of us have experienced the feeling of failure as our "fix" jobs fall apart at some point.

If we fail ourselves, then we look to the government to "fix" our problem. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. The government is to create an environment where freedom to work, freedom to worship and freedom from tyranny can exist. It was never meant to fix every one's problems. But God...yes God is the only one who...by the way...is bigger than ANY government on the face of this earth...can "fix" our problems.

He knows who should be in the White House...The Governor's Office...on The School Board and in the pulpit. As the old program was titled..."Father Knows Best". Please pray with me and encourage others to seek God's face on the upcoming elections at every level of government...pray for God's desires to be met.

Government Child

2007-12-01T15:18:00.000-05:00

Government Child

I was born

a government child.

I was born

in need of help.

I learned no lessons

except to vote for those

For those who birthed me

Those who paid for me

Those who instructed me

Those who handed me

like a baby bird

hand fed

They handed me what I needed

Or did they

They didn't

teach me

about

the

true God...Instead they said

God could not be

mentioned in my school

My teachers cowered to the

god of Political Correctness

In so doing

There was nothing deemed correct

Because if you deemed anything correct

That would mean, something

yes...something would be

Incorrect and that

was not politically correct.

They taught me to use birth control

and I was ravished by vultures which

took advantage of my upbringing.

My government father

and my government mother

did not teach me

because that would be

against the law.

My road led to alcohol

tho I was taught to not use it until age 21.

But they laughed when I was drunk

and showed me movies

...Movies with rave reviews with

teen sex and teen alcoholism and

teen pregnancy and

teen drug addiction.

My government mother

and my

government father

now want to teach me

to only love those who lack moral values

and embrace the diseases which

consume the body...

They want me to embrace

AIDS and Herpes

They want me to embrace

those who spread these diseases

with my government mom

and my government dad's approval...

their protection.

But I have been ravaged.

Yet they say I am the one who is in the wrong.

They say I should be more tolerant.

---

I now have children.

Shall they be raised government children?

Will they be swayed by those

who will promise security

and handouts

and all the things I was promised

by my government mom and

my government dad?

I will teach them.

I will teach them the way I know.

Not the way I learned.

For the way I learned

only brought me death

disease

insecurity

hatred

loneliness

loss

selfishness.

But,

The way I know,

yes, that is the way

I will teach my children.

I will NOT look to the government

to give me my lessons

to protect me from wrong

for it does not know right...

to care for me

for it promotes disease and death...

I know the way.

My Father...my heavenly Father

He loves me

He gives Himself for me

He leads me down the path of what is right

Because it reflects on Him.

He knows right from wrong.

He teaches me because

He does not want me

destroyed.

He is not selfish

Nor does He want me to be selfish.

He loves me just like He loves you.

Yes, I will teach my children

to love My Father...my heavenly Father.

He knows the deepest recesses of wisdom

He knows the hidden places of my heart

He is perfect

He corrects perfectly.

He takes me by the hand and shows

me His glory...his mountains and

flower flooded valleys.

He allows me to fly...

like an eagle.

My government mom

and my government dad

Only give so that they

can lord over me...

so I can say "yes" to them

on ballot day.

My heavenly Father

He gives

Because He loves.

---

As you begin to make your political choices, don't be a government child who votes based on how it affects you. Choose whomever Heavenly Father tells you to choose. He knows beyond the fluff and facade what is in the heart.

---

Choose whom you want to father your children.

---

Will you choose those who hand out condoms to sixth graders without your permission...making the government their mother and father? Will you choose those who have given themselves to the god of self, the god of power, the god of Anti-Christianity? Will you choose those who will bring idolatry to a new height...who will bring in foreign gods and more sacrifices to the god of abortion?

---

Yes this is a tough post, but I do not want my blog to just make you laugh, tho I do want to bring you lighthearted stories. This time, however...it is imperative we spend the next months before the elections to seek God...to pray for leadership who will not parent us, but will point us back to the God who breathed life in this nation from it's conception.

---

In the Book of Hosea, the people looked to governments for their help. They had forgotten God except at their festivals which were just drunken orgies...laced with every kind of selfishness and injustice they could imagine. I do not want this nation who has sent the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world to walk any further away from Him.

---

Please pray with me and encourage others to do the same. We were given our liberty through Christ. Let's not stand idly by. We have been called by our Heavenly Father to rule and reign as kings and priests and prophets.

---

Speak when He tells you to speak. Write when He tells you to write. Act when He tells you to act. This is a nation which was designed as a government who listens to the will of the people. Let's respond to bills, to laws, to actions taken by government and school officials. You all have a computer...a link to the Internet...use it. Take action. A kind word to those who are ruling in a godly manner is in order...take up your pens and computers and encourage those who are doing what is right. Take action. A word of correction to those who are ruling without God...take up your pens and computers and firmly, yet in love express God's views.

---

This is a time to prophesy to those in positions of authority. This is a time to pray for those in authority whether good or bad. This is a time to see what God sees in our government leaders instead of just looking at their good or bad behavior.

---

This is a time to ask God to order lives. This is a time to know, and I do mean know God. He loves us so much...And...this is a time to express God's love to the government kids who are out there just trying to survive. They are the kids in the workplace...the dry cleaners, the grocery stores, the gas stations, the banks, the schools, and the stores. This is a season to express God's love to all.

Discipline

2007-11-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

The guilt which comes from lack of discipline.

Gotta give, gotta help, gotta repay, gotta read

my Bible, gotta pray, gotta volunteer at school,

gotta exercise, gotta eat right,

gotta, gotta, gotta.

nnnnnnn

The joy which comes from relationship with God.

Wanna give...it is just who I am,

Wanna help...because I love others,

Wanna read my Bible...because I wanna

see what God is saying,

Wanna pray...because I love talking

with my Father,

Wanna exercise...cause I wanna live

and fulfill God's call,

Wanna eat right...cause it makes me

feel better.

nnn

3 John 1:2

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy

good health and that all may go well

with you, even as your soul is

getting along well. "

A Bit of Confusion

2007-11-26T23:41:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, I was reading about the events surrounding the conception of John the Baptist. He had older parents...I totally relate. Anyway, this evening, I was recounting the story to our eight year old little man.

I was really telling two stories. Two stories about two women who had children later in life...Sarah (Abraham's wife) and Elizabeth. Somewhere in the midst of telling both stories and trying to drive home a point, "little man" started asking questions which seemed alien to what I was talking about.

"So, was Abraham before or after Jesus?"

"He was long before Jesus."

"So, if he was long before Jesus then why do they wear the same costumes?"

"They still wear some of the same styles today. Let's get back..."

"They need to change the way they dress. If it were me, I would."

"Okay, fine. Now let's get back..."

"So, you are telling me they had muskets in Jesus' day?"

"No, where in the world did you get that idea?"

"Well, I know they had muskets in George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's day!"

"Whoa, wait a minute, I've been talking about Abraham in the Bible, not Abraham Lincoln."

"Oh, I sometimes get history and Bible mixed up."

Wouldn't that be a hoot if Abraham in the Bible had a musket. He could have armed each one of the Israelites (after all, the Bible says they outnumbered the Egyptians) with a gun and powder horn and kablooie...Pharaoh would have bitten the dust in a Western kind of way. I can see it now. The Egyptian army enters the parted sea and when they start getting closer to the escaped Israelites, they are met by a truckload of buckshot. A modern twist to a favorite story.

Oh well, as you can see, there was just a bit of confusion.

It's Okay to Wish Me A Merry Christmas

2007-11-25T15:45:00.001-05:00

You might want to order these buttons at www.wmamc.com . This is a campaign to get retailers to dump the "happy holidays" greeting and return to the "Merry Christmas" greeting. This is a non-in-your-face message which if lovingly worn, will give us an opportunity to express Christ's love this Christmas to those who are tired and worn out behind the cash register's of our country.

I think it is a great idea. Much love to all and a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving...I'm on My Soapbox

2007-11-20T21:59:00.000-05:00

http://www.cbn.com/ is one of my favorite places to go for news from a different perspective. This evening I was watching a clip about America's Coming Revival. It is very short and very interesting if you want to go to this link and view it for yourself.

...

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/271279.aspx

...

It is a good reminder of our roots in this country and the power of the good news of Jesus Christ! Here is a quote from the video...

...

Finney and other revivalists believed that the Gospel did not just get people saved, but it was also a means of making the country better. The Second Great Awakening inspired a wave of social activism.

...
Marshall said, "Every single social ministry in America in the 19th century, the first mission to the deaf, the first ministry to the blind, the first prison reform, the temperance movement, and, of course, the biggest one out of them all, the anti-slavery movement, the women's movement -- all of these were started directly by evangelical Christians who had come to Jesus in the Second Great Awakening."

...

I am personally tired of those who stand on their political platforms and denounce our Christian Heritage as though it either didn't exist, or we have "advanced" beyond those roots. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about freedom. Freedom from our own rebellion. Freedom to become all that God has called us to become. My vote will not be cast for those who denounce the very God who gave me life...who gave this country life and liberty. If you think I am on my soapbox, then you are very right. It may get soapier before this is all over.

...

That's about all for now. Blessings to each of you this Thanksgiving season. We can still be thankful for freedom...for now. Let's not give up our freedoms by electing someone who will socialize our country and put a clamp on our mouths. This is your time to speak up, but before you do, take a look backwards at what ( or should I say Who ) brought us this far. Never forget where we came from. Without Christ, the future looks rather dim.

This Is For Someone Out There

2007-11-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

This is for someone out there.

It is out of Isaiah 53:4-5

" Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed."

A study in the Hebrew gives us the importance of these two verses about Messiah...Jesus the Christ.

Here is the verse again with literal Hebrew meanings inserted in parentheses.

Surely he took up (lifted up) our infirmities (sickness)
and carried (to drag self along or bear a load) our sorrows (pain or sorrows),
yet we considered (judged) him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted (brow beat or looked down on).
But he was pierced (defiled or polluted) for our transgressions (rebellion),
he was crushed for our iniquities (guilt or depravity);
the punishment (discipline) that brought us peace (shalom or completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, soundness in body, health, prosperity, tranquility, quiet, contentment, friendship with God and man and peace) was upon him,
and by his wounds (the mark of strokes in the skin...bruising or stripes) we are healed (to make healthful).

In other words He did it all for us and I do mean ALL. It looked like he was paying for His own sins. He was disciplined. Yet in reality, He was paying for our rebellion and in the process did more than just pay for our sins...He brought us shalom...completeness.

If you are not "feeling" complete today, I pray in the mighty name of Jesus the Messiah, His completeness come upon you...overwhelm you with his peace. He took it in his physical body so that you can have wholeness. Blessings to all...and have a SHALOM kind of Thanksgiving.

Hands

2007-11-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

Every Sunday morning or Wednesday evening at the end of the church service, our pastor tells us to open our palms and extend our hands to receive his blessing.

nnnnnnn

This morning as I was contemplating, praying and mostly listening to what the Lord wanted to say today, I looked down at my open Bible and read out of Isaiah 44:5. It said..."write on your hand "The Lord's". My mind went back to several days ago and a young man I noticed as I was waiting for my lens to be put back into my prescription sunglasses. His head was completely tattooed along with his beard area. As I relived this scene for a moment, my mind moved on to another visual...of a hand being tattooed...the right hand...the palm area...with "The Lord's".

nnnnnnn

What would we do if we really knew that we are the Lord's? Our hand outstretched would do what was right. Just think about it. Each time you reached to grab something you would see that inscription upon your hand. What would you do? Each time you placed your hand upon your spouses face, you would see the markings on your hand. What would you do? Each time you raised a fist in anger, you would be face to face with a decision. Who do you belong to?

nnnnnnn

I know some have used the "hand of the Lord" to judge, to condemn and to hate. But that is not the way of the Master. Some religions says that to kill another is to do God's will. But that is not the way of the Master.

nnnnnnn

Choose today how your hand is going to be used. Will you strike a deal with your hand and then cheat and lie and deceive? Or, will you extend your hand to heal and help. Will you extend your hand to give of your money? Or,will you clench your fist so tight...you forget who you are. We make so many choices each and every day. Write in your hand of blessing who you are. Try it for just one day. See if it makes a difference in the way you look at yourself and others.

Soft Heart

2007-11-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

"My Word keeps your heart soft.

When you move away

from me you become a judge."

James 4: 10-12

"Brothers, do not slander one another.

Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him

speaks against the law and judges it.

When you judge the law,

you are not keeping it,

but sitting in judgment on it.

There is only one Lawgiver and one Judge,

the one who is able to save and destroy.

But you-who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Right Turns

2007-11-15T09:49:00.000-05:00

After I was broadsided in my car seven months ago, I found myself jumpy every time I saw a car get remotely close to me. I avoided as much as possible high traffic times of the day. Well that worked until it was time for school to start. The thought of having to buck harried moms and dads trying to drop off little Susie at school and get to work by 8:00 a.m. sent my nerves to twitching.

After several days of dealing with the long lines of traffic and multiple red lights, I found a path which took a little longer, but was a lot less stressful for me. It was the path of right turns. It was the left turns which caused anxious moments for me, so I found a way to take the little man to school which required mostly right turns.

What this meant was that I did not have to turn left in front of oncoming traffic. I was able to stay in the right lane because I was going to turn RIGHT eventually anyway. I found it added about two minutes to the flight plan, but also subtracted about thirty minutes of frustration from my day.

This morning, this whole idea of right turns got me to thinking and studying. In the Bible, the right hand is the hand of blessing...and Jesus is on the right hand of the Father. This I knew. But there is more to this whole idea of right.

In Luke 6:6, Jesus healed a man with a withered right hand on the Sabbath. He restored his hand of blessing. He gave back to him the ability to work and bless. Jesus also restored the servant's ear whom Peter had cut off...it was his right ear. He gave him back the ability to hear what was RIGHT. Peter and John had an encounter with a man at the gate Beautiful. When they took him by his RIGHT hand, immediately his legs received strength and he was able to walk. He received the hand of blessing and was changed. Then, Paul, an ex-Christian killer was extended the RIGHT hand of fellowship from the apostles. They forgave him and blessed him.

God does everything within his unlimited power to bring us to a place of being a blessing and receiving a blessing.

Here's one that is a kicker. In Revelation 13, we find this strange event with a "beast" who basically takes over every aspect of life. In order to be blessed (able to buy and sell), one must have a mark on their RIGHT hand. As the chapter ends, this "beast" is revealed...it is mankind. Not too surprising. In Hosea 14 is a plea for Israel to turn back to God. God is so good that he tells the people what to say in their repentance..."neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Ye are] our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy."

This verse in Hosea has been a "brain sticker" for me for quite some time now. We all so want to be blessed that we set ourselves above God in order to be esteemed by the world and quite frankly many Christians as "blessed". We willingly let our right hands become stamped with the blessing of submitting to the beast's way of doing things. If God doesn't show up, then we take matters into our own HANDS.

In God's right hand is everything we need and desire. His is the right hand of power. He's got all the power you need. In His right hand is salvation. He is mighty to save. Your prayers may take a bit longer taking God's right turns but it is His RIGHT hand which points the way. His word sends us the RIGHT way in life and the end result will be His Righteousness exhibited in your life.

Looking for Help in all the WRONG PLACES

2007-11-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

There was a song many moons

ago which declared they were

"lookin' for love in all the wrong places".

6

In Hosea 5, God tells Hosea that His people are looking for help...for healing in the wrong places. They'd pushed God aside and forgot He was the one who created them...delivered them...loved them and healed them.

6

Such was the case of Anna...

6

Her mother said that

Anna was a gift from God.

She had prayed for a girl

And finally her little Anna was born.

Anna was raised in a godly home

with lots of love and direction.

But,

Somewhere along the way,

Anna began to look for

Love

Acceptance

Healing

Joy

In all the wrong places.

Each time she "messed up"

She would fall on her bed

And weep...crying out to God for help.

Help would come and for the time being

Anna was saved again.

Yet with each self-deciding act,

Anna's heart got a little harder

She began to seek other helpers

Alcohol

Sex, and

Partying.

These helpers began to take their toll

On the Little Gift of God...

Her mother's Anna.
6

At the end of her ropes,

Anna once again cried out for help.

This time, her heart was broken

From the affair

From the abortion.

She was ready to hear

The voice of the one

Who created her

In answer

To a

Mother's prayer.

So much time had been wasted,

But God seemed to turn back the clock...

He renewed her strength

He renewed her joy

He renewed her body

He renewed her spirit

He renewed her love.

Anna gave up on ever marrying

Because she had been such a failure.

Yet the one who created her

Because of a prayer of a mother,

Brought her one day to the

Man she was to marry.

She began to look to him for her strength

For her love

For her joy

Then she remembered

Though her new husband

Was a godly man,

He was never

No never,

No never...

To be her help...

Her fortress

Her high tower

The rock

On which

She had been firmly planted.

Anna...a gift from God

Understood

Where her help came from...

555555555555

Psalm 121

"I look up to the mountains;

does my strength come from mountains?

No, my strength comes from God,

who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won't let you stumble,

your Guardian God won't fall asleep.

Not on your life! Israel's

Guardian will never doze or sleep.

God's your Guardian,

right at your side to protect you—

Shielding you from sunstroke,

sheltering you from moonstroke.

God guards you from every evil,

he guards your very life.

He guards you when you leave and when you return,

he guards you now, he guards you always."

(The Message)

Why Have You Left Me?

2007-11-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Why have you left me?

Why have you left me?

I created the heavens and the earth

I created the sun, moon and stars

They were to be for signs and for seasons

Yet you looked to them for guidance...not me.

You set them as your gods...not me.

---

I created the grains in the field, fruits and vegetables

So that you could be filled with goodness

Yet you used them to make yourselves drunk

And forget what is right...

to forget me and those you love.

---

I created the herbs of the field

For healing and seasonings for your good

Yet you acknowledge them only, as your healer

Forgetting it was I who planted them in the beginning

It was I who died on the cross so that by my stripes

You could be made well.

---

I created you...in my likeness

So that the earth could be filled with my glory

So that we could commune together and I could

tell you the secrets of the hidden things.

Yet you say you are a worm or shun my presence

You say you do not have time for me

You have put me in last place,

Or relegated me to Sunday's only

---

You've forgotten who I made you to be

I created you to see and think, hear and speak

Yet you have put your eyes on getting and getting

You have thought angry thoughts about your neighbor

Or have made your "wise" thoughts your god

And have said I do not exist.

You have listened to the silliness on television

Or soaked up the music of the world

That tells you to do what you want...

Forgetting what is right...forgetting what is good

You have spoken words of anger to get even

Instead of speaking the words...Words of Life

You've forgotten it was I who gave you all senses

So that you might taste and see that I am good

So that you minds would be renewed with the Word

So that you could be slow to speak,

Quick to listen...forgiving, praying,

Seeing what I see

Speaking my Words

Hearing my wisdom

Smelling the sweet fragrance of my presence

---

Don't forget

Use your hands to love and heal

For your hands are extensions of my hands

Use your eyes to see where you are going

So that you don't miss the road ahead

Use your lips to sing my praises

To speak my words so that

Healing will take place

Lives will be changed

Use your ears

So that

You can

Obey,

Live,
And

Know

love

You.

------------------------------------------------

The winds of change are blowing again. God is ordering. Things have seemed chaotic but He is ordering. The winds of change are blowing.

............................

With the ordering and the change will come a radical realignment. Some have prayed for hidden things to be revealed in their marriages or their own lives. It has come...it is coming. With that prayer, expect for the winds of change to move quickly in your life or in the lives of those you have been praying for. But, be prepared for what you will see. With ordering comes...finding the hidden things...they may be moldy, smelly or rotten. They may be unsightly. They may be dusty. They may be thrown out. They may be torn out. Prepare for your prayers.

.....................

Double whirlwinds. There won't be just one change, but multiple changes. Double washings. It won't be just for others, but also for yourself. Double fronts. Just when you think you have moved through the first storm, another will come. This one will finish the process. It is a good time and a hard time.

...........

God will be your God because the leaders are slowly dying off. There is a vacancy and it will be God who will fill the void. Instead of a few leaders, He will raise up many leaders whose names will not bring them fame or fortune, but will have all of their needs supplied by God. He will move them around as He wishes and stir up more leaders as He moves his whirlwind through the nations of the earth.

........

Do not be surprised when you see conversions of great proportions of Muslims. Do not be surprised when you see whole Islamic nations turn to God...the great I AM. This will be a time of much change. Either you will be blown away by the changes, or you can get into the flow of what God is doing and ride the winds of change like an eagle. Expect great miracles. Not small here and there miracles, but miracles of large proportions.

.........

Prepare your hearts for this change. For the winds are already blowing. Pray for this country as well as for those nations who have been rocked by change. Pray for the least of the least, because God uses the least to show forth his great mercies. Pray for the nations...all colors, for the winds of change are coming in a mighty gust of God's presence.

......................

This is not a time to just lay back, but it is a time to listen...to listen intently. It is a time to make your home a house of prayer for all peoples.

......

Deception Post

2007-11-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

http://designing-women.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

The Colors of Red Hair

2007-11-08T00:08:00.000-05:00

For quite a few years now, we have been unable to do much to the house. When something broke, it was a toss up if it was going to be replaced, fixed or just left until another time.

These past few days we've had some work done on our front bathroom. For who knows how long (I think about 3 years) the toilet has leaked a little. To be very gross, it leaked you know what under the linoleum. The floor in that area was beginning to bulge and become discolored. (I told you this was going to be gross.) Thank the Lord we had the toilet redone and ceramic flooring put in. It's in the process of drying now, but boy does it look better...and no poopie being pumped under the floor.

We also had some fans put in and replaced some of the ceiling fixtures. Part of our house had flashing lights (not on purpose), so we had that taken care of as well.

The house is a total wreck, but I am thankful for God providing a way to get some fix-up done.

I had decided that I would just keep working for another couple of hours while the kids were asleep, but one of my daughters asked me to brush her hair. She was studying for a test at school and sat down in front of me so I could get all the tangles out of her almost two foot long hair.

You know how it is...when the urge to work hits, well...you just want to work. But, this was a moment in time for me to sit with my daughter and love her in a simple way by brushing her hair.

As I brushed out the tangles which seemed to be worse than usual tonight, I began to notice how pretty were the colors of her hair. The beautiful rich tones of fall...reds and burgundy red and copper and burnished gold were delicately blended to make up her shiny red hair.

With just seven months before her high school graduation, I realized that I won't have too many more opportunities to do what I did tonight. It is amazing how the simple act of brushing her hair became more important than any other activity because it showed love.

If you give a cool drink to someone, in whatever fashion kindness takes place, it will be remembered. Our hands were made for caring, healing, helping, and in this case tonight...for braiding.

Though they wear you out. Though they frustrated the daylights out of you. Though they challenge your patience to the very core..

brush their hair

give them a cold glass of water

offer an "I was wrong"

give them a hand.

Children are not forever in our nests, so enjoy them while they're home.

Prophet is Still a Prophet

2007-11-05T22:59:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wanted to run away from God?

Do you know what you were created to do?

Have you decided that if you don't do what God's called you to do it will only affect you and no one else?

Is it too big and too scary to pursue God's call?

But, a prophet is a prophet even if he/she stands in silence refusing to speak.

There are some of you who have built for yourselves a place of safety...far, far away from the world.

But no, that fort is not a place of safety, but a hiding place from God.

I don't want to go!

No, don't make me do that...it is embarrassing. I have few enough friends as it is. If I do this then I'll be left with no one.

Will you back me up? What if you don't go!

I'm not a young woman anymore. You need to take this to someone half my age.

Oh, I hear..."A prophet is a prophet". So, your call will never change.

I can run, but the call will keep calling. I can't cover my ears tight enough to NOT hear your call.

Do I want you to stop calling? Heavens no. I don't want to stop hearing your words...they are life to me, but only...

Oh, I see, but only if I heed your call. Can I want till my children are grown? No?

I don't know if I can stand the rejection!

What's that you say..."A prophet is still a prophet"?

Okay, okay. I give in. But, that is what you wanted all along. Whew...I do feel a release, but still...will I be able to live with the rejection if need be? Don't ever leave me. I won't know what to do.

Jonah was a prophet whether he was obedient or disobedient. He prophesied what he thought would lead to his death when he told the sailors if they tossed him overboard, the sea would become calm. He was right because he was a prophet of God. He was still a prophet when he pouted under the vine wanting to die. Was obeying God important? Yes...120,000 people were brought to God. Important?

There are those, and perhaps we all fall into this category, who are trying to run away from God's call...His whisperings. Who needs a God touch today? You may be the one God is calling. Don't fear, just obey. The call doesn't change. Perhaps we should.

Following the Winds

2007-11-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

We still have green leaves on our trees awaiting a hard freeze. I am so ready for the leaves to fall along with the temperatures so that I can put up my summer clothes and get out my winter sweaters and coat. However, we have had winds blowing...how I love the sound of the wind howling outside this time of year...you know there is change coming!

Winds...that is what God has been talking to me about here lately. The blowing winds of change.

I must relate a brief story pertaining to this "wind" subject. A few days ago I was picking up trash from the front yard which had blown in from the passing cars. As I roamed throughout the yard I spotted a $5 bill just laying on the ground. Cool! So, I picked it up and showed my husband the find. "Wow, that's weird!" he said.

Something in the back of my head kept nagging at me. You know, the thought that God might be trying to show you something. Anyway, as the evening fell, we loaded up the car to take the little man to a church carnival. I can't say I was relishing the thought of chasing after a bunch of little boys in a sea of people, but thankfully, I had my sweet hubbie with me who is a head plus taller than I and able to see from a different vantage point.

To tell you the truth, I was wearing down, but as we were getting ready to leave, I looked down, and on the floor next to my foot was a $5 bill. Okay, NOW I WAS sure that God was trying to tell me something. Over the next few days, I kept the two $5 bills laying on our dresser in our bedroom. Each time I headed for some clothes, I saw those bills...Mr. Lincoln...staring at me as if he had something to say.

It wasn't until today that God showed me what will possibly be the first lesson of the "bills". He said this "Winds of change will blow financial blessings your way, but you have to be where you need to be to receive those blessings." Cool huh! Yeah, but can't I just sit at home and pray and have someone knock on the front door with a truck load of $? Do I really have to do what you want me to do and be where you want me to be? Yep.

Following the winds, whether they be winds of change, or winds of correction, or winds of miracles or whatever winds God blows into our lives, His winds will bring something. In my case, it was two $5 bills as a reminder to be and do. For you it may be different, but God is blowing His winds right now and with wind there is always change. We can either let His winds blow us in the right direction, or we can stand firmly against them and miss what He is doing.

We can squawk about what He wants us to do, or get busy.

You just NEVER know what He is up to, so just follow the winds He is blowing into your life.

Menopausal Challenge of Fall

2007-10-28T18:05:00.000-05:00

Aaahhh, the brisk breezes are beginning to blow, but around here it has been just a bit too warm for this woman. I'm very happy it is in the 70's so that our farmers can get the biggest cotton I've ever seen harvested, but it is a bit of a problem for me...let me explain.

This weekend we went to a big college football game. Being a planner, I checked out the weather channel for the temps at game time and found a cool mid 70's range for the four hours we expected to be seated in a stadium. So, everyone double dressed...long sleeved shirts on the inside with short sleeved team shirts on the outside in case it warmed up more than the weather channel had predicted.

I also packed a bag with gloves and caps for a bit more coverage if need be. We were a sight to behold as we carried our comforter to keep our seats from hurting and to double as cover in case the Texas winds began to blow. You might say...we were prepared for the worst and the worst is what we got.

As we got to the stadium...oh wait...we didn't park at the stadium. We parked aaaallllll the way across campus...about a 10 minute walk with mountains of coats and such. It was perfect...I felt proud of myself that I had planned so well. The walk was pleasant and the wind brisk. We bundled up for the walk as little man frolicked...okay...ran screaming on ahead of us. (It is always good to get some of the wiggles out before a game...otherwise you spend the entire time hearing..."Can you go get me a snack?" out of sheer boredom)

We could hear the concert in the distance as the pre-game activities were in full swing...hotdogs...sausage wraps...all kinds of high calorie goodies and lots and lots of people dressed in the team colors. We joined in the color of the day and grabbed a few wraps before heading into the stadium. By this time, however, we were shedding our coats which gave us even MORE to carry.

Oh there is nothing quite like the tradition of game days. You could feel the excitement in the air...it was great. As we found our way into the stadium, I began to realize the wind had died down as I looked at the flags hugging their poles. Oh boy...here came a hot flash. Good thing it was simply a flash and not a full fledged camp fire.

Well, to shorten this story, the game was disappointing and the weather unseasonably H-O-T. Not only did I want to shed my outer garments, but also the rest of my toasty clothing. My family looked at me as I took off my shoes hoping to get a little relief that way. There was simply not enough water in the stadium to quench the outside heat as well as the heat burning inside of me. Here and there, we would get a puff of wind...just enough to remind us that outside the blazing stadium were open grassy areas where the wind could freely blow in your hair and under your armpits.

So, I guess the bottom line to these ramblings is if you are menopausal, wear your bathing suit and then layer from there. Now I KNOW why women my age are not embarrassed to expose wiggly piano arms to sleeveless tops, or light colored shorts which barely cover lumpy cellulite buns. If you don't know why, then just wait until your 40's or 50's and experience the flame...no, I am not talking about the flame of passion, but rather the flame which ignites inside during "hot flashes". For all you menopausal women who have uncovered what needs to be covered, it is okay. I totally understand.

Time For Replenishing

2007-10-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

A simple word for today.

This is a time of replenishing.

g g g g g g g g g g

Replenish: to fill, build up again,

make good, fill up again

g g g

The cup was empty

The river was dry

The heart was deserted

There was no time to cry

g g g

With promises made

And more yet to come

My mind was a twitter

I was one very tired Mum

g g g

Yet God in His wisdom

Found me a new stream

Full of water refreshing

With life it did team

g g g

"No more commitments"

He looked straight at me

"Any more doings

You'll miss me...you see"

g g g

So choose those things

Which will stand the heat

Anything else

Will just make you beat.

by Yellow Mama

Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind

2007-10-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

There is an old saying that one should "sow his wild oats" before settling down. I was reminded of this interesting quote as I was reading in the Book of Hosea...chapter 8. God gives this a different "twist" (pun intended) when he says that if we sow the wind, we will reap the whirlwind.

Whenever we sow anything, we are planting for something much bigger than the seed planted. In fact, this is a principle of multiplication. Would you rather have 100 + 100 or 100 x 100? Multiplication will happen whether it is good seed or bad seed.

This picture illustrates the difference between wind (gently blowing the seed in the air) and the tornado (destroying everything it touches). The people in Hosea's time had chosen to do everything evil...prostitution, idolatry, and generally speaking doing whatever evil they thought to do. Oh yes...they were still going to church and sacrificing, but they were about to reap the whirlwind.

If you recall, in the Book of Genesis, there were two trees specifically discussed that grew in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life was in the center of the garden. It is mentioned again in Revelation when it is described as having continuous fruit. It's roots run right under the River of Life because it is growing on both sides of the river.

The second tree is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree has fruit as well, and to those who eat it, eat death. This tree is never mentioned again...not even in Revelation. God stopped mankind from eating of the Tree of Life. In fact He placed a guard before it to keep Adam and Eve from partaking of it's fruit until such a time as a redeemer was born.

Bottom line to my rabbit trail thinking. We have choices every day to follow the wind of whatever we want to do and reap the destructive results of the tornado, or we can follow the Wind of God (The Spirit of God) and reap a multiplication of God working in and through us bringing about the fruit of righteousness. The choice is ours.

And oh, about the wild oats saying? Stupid!

Burnt on One Side...Doughy on the Other

2007-10-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

In learning to make pancakes, I found the most important element of a good pancake next to the ingredients, was the temperature of the pan. If the pan was too cool, they'd stick and take forever to cook. If the pan was too hot, they'd burn or brown faster than the center could cook.

It took several tries to find the right setting to make my pancakes turn out just right...slightly browned on both sides and done in the middle. My girls...when they were younger, loved to cook pancakes. In fact this was the second food item they learned to cook. They would barely cook both sides, leaving the center doughy. It was icky, but they said they loved them that way. However as they grew up, they stopped eating doughy centered pancakes and preferred them done through and through.

In Hosea 7:8, there is a reference to one of the tribes of Israel. "Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned."

From the top religious and government officials right on down to the people, they had moved away from God. Like a cake burnt on one side and doughy on the other side, some of Israel had become unpalatable. They had so become like the ungodly, that they were worthless...like salt which has lost it's flavor.

We are facing in our country as Christians many choices. We are a year away from choosing a President. We are daily faced with issues which either agree with God's view, or disagree with God's view. Our kids face issues each and every day they go to school or as they hang out with friends...do they conform, or do they stand out.

--------------

Standing out is not always pleasant...sometimes it is like being a pimple on a clear face...unsightly and unwanted. But the bottom line question for all of us comes from the book of Joshua. Who will we choose? Will we decided to be half-baked...or fully done, unpalatable and worthless, or full of flavor and life giving properties.

-----------------------

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Blessings to you all!

2007-10-17T06:41:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite scriptures is Numbers 6:24-26.

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine on you,

and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance on you,

and give you peace." (NAS)

Have you ever wondered what "His face shine on you" means? It means to turn His face or His presence with His light to you. It is as though the God of Creation takes notice of you. He does not show his back, but rather face to face, He turns and shows His presence to you.

Then, the verse goes on to say "the Lord lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace". The word countenance is the same word used earlier for face. He is saying...may Jehovah lift up His presence and lay upon you or appoint peace (shalom).

What a phenomenal verse and blessing! But wait...there is more. Think about what happens when He shines His light on you. Everything is exposed to the pure light of God, but what better One to have your "stuff" exposed to. He is the exposer and the healer.

When one of our daughters was born, she was jaundice. We were able to take her home but had to put her in a little suitcase looking apparatus with lights. She slept in that "thing" for several days soaking up the rays with her little eye patches on until the nurse felt she was "done". The light not only exposed her...for she lay there naked, but it also healed her.

So for you and your household, I pray this prayer for you today out of Numbers.

Numbers 6:24-26
"The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine on you,

and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance on you,

and give you peace." (NAS)

2007-10-15T18:28:00.000-05:00

A Near Death Experience

2007-10-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

She'd been caught. Caught in the very act of adultery. This time, there was no denying or hiding because the guards had barged into the room where they lay uncovered and grabbed her by the arm. She'd reached out for her lover to render her aide, but he just smiled and watched as they pulled her outside.

It was embarrassing. Sure, everyone knew what kind of woman she was, but to be dragged down the street to the synagogue totally bare was beyond humiliation.

Her heart beat quickly and the knot in her throat seemed to cut off the very air she was gasping to take. She knew the law. God knows she knew the law, but to die this way, a slow painful death ripped at her stomach and made her nauseous.

She looked around as the guards dropped her on the ground. The sound of angry voices filled the air. These were God's people? Blood thirsty...blood suckers was all they were...feeding on the mistakes of others...she hated them.

As she panned the angry crowd, she stopped at the face of one man who was bent down almost eye level with her...but he was not looking at her. Was he the one who would cast the first stone? No, she thought not...there was something different about this man...he was peaceful in the midst of this utter chaos.

She felt a ringing in her ears as though she were experiencing an out of body surreal adventure. Perhaps she would wake up with her arm around her lover only to discover this was simply a bad dream...but the sound of a man's voice...one with authority blasted through the cacophonic atmosphere as he asked this man kneeling down beside her a question.

It looked like she had misjudged him. From the question asked...he too was on trial for his life. She felt a commonality with this peaceful stranger. They were both about to die. She knew her death was because of her sin, but what was His death for she thought to herself.

You could have heard a coin drop as the stranger picked up a stick and began writing in the sand. "The one who is without sin may cast the first stone," he said as he continued to write. She prepared for the first stone to be thrown and covered her head with her arms, exposing her nakedness and her sin to the crowd.

With tightly shut eyes she heard the scuffling of sandals as each and every one of her accusers slowly and quietly left. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see the place empty except for this one stranger who had saved her life by his wise answer.

"Where are your accusers?" he asked. "There is no one to accuse me," she said.

"Neither do I accuse you!" he replied. "Go, and sin no more."

She could not believe her ears, but did not wait around for the crowd to return. As she ran down the street to her house, she knew she had just been saved from death, but she had been given more by this man than any man she had known before. He gave her a new beginning.
---
You see, Jesus did not accuse her for she was already condemned. He dealt first with the people around her...religious leaders and "church" people, ready to make an example out of her...to fulfill the law by shedding her blood. He reminded them of the malady we all have in common...we have all sinned. After the crowd left, Jesus turned to the second issue...forgiveness. Jesus did not come to condemn (because without Christ we are already condemned) but to save. He forgave her. Then, finally, he commanded her to stop doing what she had been doing.

It was first in the saving and then the forgiveness which gave her the ability to do the third...to stop sinning. Love expressed through forgiveness always gives the sinner the ability to radically change. Why? Because His gift of life...His loving forgiveness is always on our minds. We fall in love with the one to gave His all for us and our desire is to listen and obey out of love.

Unforgiveness keeps us in a prison and fuels the fires of sin. Forgiveness? Well, forgiveness lights a red hot fire within us, but not to sin, but to follow a God who passionately loves us with all of His heart.

Ickamania

2007-10-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

For a week now, my head has been full of ickamania...nose blowing, headache PRESSURE, gum pressure, foggy eyes, slow hacking cough and ickamania draining down my throat. Lovely!.

It's like I've been away from my family and everyone else secluded in a foggy room for seven days! Ah, but the light dawned again this morning as I realized God had given me six glorious hours of sleep.

Ickamania is leaving this house...why did I ever invite it in?!? As the old spiritual says..."shut de door...keep out de devil". No more invitations to sick man again and you can take ickamania with you. For by HIS stripes, I've been made whole!

Wholeness to you all out there in bloggy world. Shut the door!

Blast From the Past

2007-10-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

(This was a post from June of 2006 from another blog I no longer use...)

*************************************

Through cheery faces and smiles, we cover up the nagging thought we pay for our past...sometime in the future. We've all been taught you will eventually reap what you sow. There is always a harvesting of what we plant...unless the seed is removed and new seed is put in it's place.

========================

Here in West Texas, farmers often times have to replant as fledgling plants pop up only to be destroyed by hail. Every season, the threat of severe weather is on the minds of even the non-farmer. We all know what that means...we all know the consequences of this kind of trouble!============

In a way, that is what the storms of life bring...a chance to destroy the "bad seed" which has popped up in our fields. Yeah, I know this is a weird way of looking at things, but Job had a chance to live this out. I was reading the 11th through the 14th chapter of Job today. He had lots of time to think about his situation. Though his adult life had been "blameless", he recalled the time of his youth. "Ah, yes, that must be the reason I am in such misery," he thought. After all...your sins will find you out. I sometimes think we have this picture of our sins chasing after us. It doesn't matter how committed we are to the Lord now. In fact, in our eyes, that has nothing to do with it. Our sins will find us out and there will be "hell" to pay.

===================================

I am well aware that our past will often times color our future. An unplanned pregnancy...a poor financial decision...a word spoken in anger....all of these will make a difference in our futures, but, that does not mean our futures will be dim. I like what David said in Psalm 23...."surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life". David wasn't exactly a model of moral behavior, yet he was called a man after God's own heart. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in purity, and I believe purity is what God desires, but even David who experienced trouble even when he had been "good", knew the mercies of the Lord. Goodness and mercy followed him because whenever he "sinned", he turned aside from the sin and allowed God to bring him to a point of brokenness so he could be restored.

=======

So, are the storms of life always bad? No. There are multiple reasons for the travail we experience in life. Sometimes they are to bring life (like a birth). Sometimes they are because we have created the atmosphere for storms to occur by our decisions. Sometimes they are formed against us...not by God...to seek our very lives. But in any storm, God's mercies are there for us if we will hold tight to the only one who can make the storms cease.
************************
In the midst of his trouble, Job's life was always protected. God was never going to remove His protection from Job in that way. The storms he experienced had nothing to do with his past. God was wanting to increase Job. Job stood the test even though he vented his anger at God and questioned His love for him. In the midst of his venting, however, he still glimpsed the fact, God would "vindicate" him and hoped He would cover his sins and toss them into the deepest part of the ocean.

===
If your past is still haunting you, head for your future. As the apostle Paul said...get rid of anything which keeps you from running the race, and run to win. Paul too had a past if you remember...he was a murderer, a religious zealot whose hands were covered with the blood of Christians. He said...much is required of me...because much has been forgiven. The knowledge of his past sins did not deter him from having a future, it only reminded him of the mercies and goodness of God in his life. He desired to run the race for a God who unconditionally gave everything just for him.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So here's the question. Given that storms happen, which would you rather do...ride out the storm with the Creator of the universe who knows how to get you through, or depend on yourself to get you through? Who is the one who can speak to the storm and tell it to cease? Is your past coloring your future? Have you angrily pointed your finger at God like Job and said "I can't take this any more"? I have, yet I know I will make it through because God's life raft is bigger than what I can make with my own two hands, and I prefer to get aboard the big raft!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Heart Set Free

2007-10-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.

Psalm 119:32

To some, freedom means running outside the paths. The meadows are somehow greener, the skies bluer and the air cleaner. Because we have grown up in a generation of running paths in most city parks, we tend to think a path has to be paved or rocked or at least flattened out with caliche. But, a path is really a path. It may not be marked or easy...it may not be flat and fast. In reality, a path can be anywhere along any terrain.

When David poured out his heart in Psalms 119, he said the path he ran was the path of God's commands. We know God's ways are not always easy. We know His paths lead through the valleys as well as the mountains.

Let me give you an example...

When I was a girl, we would spend about a week each summer in the mountains of Northern New Mexico at an aunt's cabin. It was always fun. We played in the river and ran through the forests during the day, and played board and card games at night. It was an awesome time each summer.

My Aunt was a wild woman in her pink...Pepto Pink Jeep. She was fearless when she took us for rides up into mountains. The paths were not always well marked, but she knew the way. Sometimes we jettisoned off the path, but even when she took us beyond what was marked...she knew the way.

Those trips through the mountains with my aunt driving have given me memories of eating fresh wild raspberries and strawberries right off the plant. My mind's eye twinkles at the remembrance of the day she took us to the most beautiful place on earth...atop a ridge looking down into a valley full of radiant golden flowers and aspens swaying to the gentle breeze causing the entire view to undulate. It was a picture in my estimation of the glory of God. Something I will NEVER forget.

That is what the path of God leads us through. Through valleys beautiful and dangerous. To the mountain tops to view His glory. To the oceans to hear the sound of the waves as they crash against the rock. To the desert as the cactus begin to bloom. His path is freedom. It is marked with His ways and His directives. It is not boring...on the contrary, it is exhilarating.

So, David's remarks stimulate me to run that path with freedom...for he whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Faith Like A Child

2007-10-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

The last two days, I've been at my son's school as a substitute for a second grade teacher. It was VERY busy. Hats off to those of you who are teachers...definitely not an easy job.

The children were so precious and the class I was teaching was filled with every color, shape and personality. What a glorious view of mankind...and womankind I might add. I think it is impossible to walk away from a classroom of children without a few good stories.

Here is one which will touch you.

It was time for the Bible story. Each child was busily coloring a picture related to the story that day. I opened the study book and began reading about Moses and the Children of Israel's departure from Egypt. This was an impossible situation for this hoard of people who were backed up against the Sea and were facing Pharaoh's army thundering toward them. As you remember, the Lord stepped in and opened up the sea to allow His people to safely pass through and then destroyed the Egyptian army.

As we finished, I mentioned this truth..."what is impossible for man is possible with God". I told them whenever they face impossible situations in life, they could go to a God who knew how to turn the impossible into the possible. I closed the book and watched for a moment as they finished their artwork.

I instructed the children to clean up their areas and get their backpacks, then I noticed a small blond cherub looking up at me wanting to tell me something. I leaned down and asked her what she needed. She responded, "I have an impossible situation!". As we briefly talked, she told me of a friend of the family who had been diagnosed with cancer.

I was moved by the faith of this little one who recognized that the God who parted the waters could touch this friend. So...we stopped right there and I called a sweet little boy with a prophet's name (who was the "pray...er" that week) to come and pray for the friend with cancer. His words were short and to the point. No begging or sobbing, just truth. After he finished, she looked up at me with a smile then went back to her desk and I knew she had grasped a wonderful truth of the love and greatness of a God who heals.

What was interesting to me was the way God orchestrated this moment. The story was perfect...the little girl was receptive and sensitive to a need...and the "pray-er" was a little boy with a prophet's name declaring the truth about a God who heals. I don't know about you, but I expect to hear a good report. Praise the Lord.

Tear Down to Build Up

2007-10-03T15:42:00.000-05:00

"I am tearing down in order to rebuild...tearing down preconceived ideas of what marriage is...self-exaltation. I want this generation to be a generation of solid marriages, but in order for that to come about, I must rend the heart, soul and mind. I must begin again and build of a firm foundation so that My house will once again become a House of Prayer."

This is what the Lord told me on the morning of September 26th when I sat down to study His Word. This did not sound like one of those "happy" words. For the Lord to use the word "rend" made me quake just to think of it. It means to tear violently. It is an "I mean business" word!

I may not know what all this means in detail, but I do know that it is important for us to become Houses of Prayer. So what is a House of Prayer? I began going through the gospels to see just what happened in homes. As Christians, we are call the temple of God...the House of God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He sets up residence in our "houses of clay".

Here are a few examples of what happened in homes...Wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus in a home...Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law in her home...Jesus ate and taught in a publican's home about mercy...Jesus raised a child from the dead...Blind men received their sight...Jesus taught about the Kingdom of Heaven...Jesus offered honor and forgiveness to a sinful woman in the house of a Pharisee...A man was lowered into a house so that Jesus could heal him...The Passover meal was eaten in a home...Jesus was taken into the High Priest's house at night...The Holy Spirit was poured out in a house.

Along with these, there were stories Jesus told which took place in houses...the wise man who built his house on the rock...the man who cleaned out his house (his life) and the demons returned...the host who invited guests to a feast but everyone refused...and more!

Our homes must become places where there is teaching...healing...and miracles, but in order for that to happen...God has to get our hearts and minds and souls in tune with Him. Like I said...I am not sure what this will entail...it will be different for each of us who are married depending on what needs to be taken care of in our marriages. For some, it will be the most painful experience of their life...a violent tearing away of the junk cluttering their marriages. For others, the process has been ongoing and there is light coming into their homes.

But, how exciting to see what the end result will be...marriages built, not on formulas, but built on a relationship with God...two becoming one...really becoming one. Then what will our homes be like? Places of restoration...of forgiveness...of acceptance...of change. Places where all who come in can be filled with the Holy Spirit...places of purpose and boldness...places of prayer...powerful prayer...Spirit inspired prayer.

This that God is doing will be an extreme house makeover indeed!

I Will Keep My Promise

2007-10-02T06:32:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to what I thought was the sound of someone bouncing a basketball outside. It was a "snap to it" kind of awakening. Now that I am awake, I still don't quite know what I heard. Perhaps it was my own snoring or my hubbie's snoring.

In any case, I tried to go back to sleep, but could never regain that sound slumber which I had before the "basketball" sound jarred me to an upright position. As I attempted to go back to sleep, I prayed. I prayed for those the Lord brought to mind. I was reminded of what God had just recently called me to be and knew that the days ahead would be unpleasant. I knew there would be rejection, but I knew this time (I have been at this place before) I was walking into this situation with open eyes.

Open eyes to know that the most important act in life is to do what God tells you to do even if it means you might be hated. Acts of love are sometimes misconstrued as hate or intolerance...lack of understanding or meddling. At this point, I am resolved to do what is right even though I am being pressured to intervene where I know I should not be...so I won't. I won't step into what I am not called to do...or a place where I am not to be until the timing is right.

God has nailed me to the wall about not keeping promises. They may be little promises like..."Let's have lunch" and then there is no follow through. This that I am talking about is a promise, and I will keep it until the Lord tells me to step in...then the words spoken will be from Him and not from me. They will be the right words. Words of life...words of truth, but I will not go there before it is time because I know if there is to be any profit, it must come in God's timing and at the Holy Spirit's prompting.

Blessings to all of you, and may the words of your mouth, and the meditation of your soul be pleasing unto your Creator...the One who gave His all for you.

You Can't Believe Your Eyes

2007-09-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year I love,

when leaves begin to fall

And colors all around me dance...

winds blow as if to call

Oh come with me all who need rest,

I'll breathe in you new light

It's clear to see you need to come...

you're weary from the fight

I think of how this time reveals,

what lies beneath the green

The bare stark branch is visible,

no-thing but death is seen

But far beneath the earth's hard crust

there's life within the tree

When spring again burst out in joy

that life again we'll see

by C. Goforth 2007

"For the things which are unseen are more real than the things seen"

Bee Sure...Bee Certain

2007-09-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who has a bazillion different bee shirts. She has a daycare center in her home and through the years I was ALWAYS interested to see her come through the church door on Wednesday nights obviously because she was my friend, but also because I enjoyed seeing her latest find in t-shirts...bees of course.

This morning I encountered another kind of bee in Hebrews 11. At the direction of the Holy Spirit I turned to this very familiar chapter thinking I would be reading about all the men and women of faith who endured hardships, gained victories and stood steadfast under pressure. But no... As I began to read Hebrews 11:1, my eye caught the bees and I never moved past the first verse.

"Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see..." Two bees.
BEEEEEEE SURE and BEEEEEEE CERTAIN. This verse goes on to say that the "ancients" were commended for their trust in God...their bees.

God began to speak to me..."you need to get back to walking in faith". I knew there were many "things" in our lives which would require faith for there to be provision and change and stepping up to the plateness. (Plateness...a new word!) Something began to surge inside of me as I realized I already had faith...I just needed to walk in it. I began to write down my bees.

I am sure...I am certain (insert whatever is on your heart)

Creation is finished...the redemptive work through Christ is finished, so step into the bees and beeeee sure and beeeee certain of those desires God has put in your heart for your children, your spouses, yourselves and others.

BEE BLESSED!

When You Don't Know Where You're Going

2007-09-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while since my last post. Out laptop got a virus and is in the shop, so I'm using another computer (without virus protection) to get this done.

So much for that...

This morning I was reading John 14.

Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you just don't know where you are going? I mean...where you are going in life? Have you ever asked God a question, and didn't know what He meant by the answer?

Thomas listened as Jesus explained to the group of disciples that He was the way. He explained he would be going away, but would come back for them. Then, Jesus threw Thomas for a loop when He said "you know the way". They did not know what He was talking about...they didn't know where He was going and certainly did not know the way.

Then Jesus began to explain that He was THE WAY, THE TRUTH and the LIFE. He was the way to the Father. The dialogue between Jesus and the disciples continued as He prepared them for what was to come. He gave them instruction as to how to live...how to hear from God...and what to expect with His going.

As I closed my Bible, I looked up at the kitchen table where a jigsaw puzzle was laying half done and started working on putting in a few pieces. My hubby came in, so I made some breakfast for the two of us. We sat down at the other end of the table and began to talk as I looked at the light coming through the window and the unfinished puzzle laying before me. I noticed that I was spotting pieces which the night before were illusive to me, but here in the bright light became obvious as to where they were to go.

After breakfast, I decided to finish the puzzle while still musing on the chapter I had read along with the observation I had made of the puzzle. As I worked to put each piece in, I noticed that I was moving very quickly to finish the puzzle and within 45 minutes was completely finished. In the darkness the night before, it was tedious and tiring, but in the light, it was much easier and the details popped out.

Jesus said He was the way. John declared Him to be the light of the world. When it comes to making decisions as to the right direction to take, it is important to know the way to go and to have illumination along the way. Jesus is both. He is the light along our path. He is the way to go.

Jesus declared Himself to be THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE. We want...we need...we are desperate for... the way to go, the truth revealed and the life to walk the path. He is all three.

As He was talking with the disciples in John 14, Jesus gave them simple instructions for life. These instructions will guide us as well as we walk this earth. They are...

1. Know Him then you can know the heart of the Father

2. Believe in Jesus...He is the key

3. Ask in Jesus' Name (this is mentioned twice giving weight and importance to this point)

4. Expect to get what you ask for because in the answer, God is glorified in Christ

5. Love Him by being obedience to what He tells you to do

6. Receive the Holy Spirit (in this passage He is referred to as the Spirit of Truth)

7. Receive His peace

I am going to simplify this even more: Know Christ, Ask, Expect, Obey what you DO know, Listen to Truth...The Holy Spirit, Receive Peace. When the peace of God comes...the answer will follow!

Don't Forget Your Flashlight

2007-09-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

It was some years ago during the Thanksgiving season that my husband's side of the family gathered at a lakeside resort to enjoy each other's company. Each family was staying in their own cottages nestled together within walking distance of the lake and common area.

We enjoyed an entire day of playing games, eating and hiking around the lake, but the sun was setting and the little ones (as well as the big ones) were getting sleepy. Attached to each of our cottage keys was a small but intense light which guided our way back to our place of rest for the night. I was amazed just how much light came from that tiny little flashlight. It dispelled the darkness and helped us to find our cottage and kept us from stumbling along the way.

This morning, the Holy Spirit dropped this verse into my thinking as I was preparing to read. Psalm 119:105.."Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Most Christians have at least heard this verse and I think have a good understanding of what God is saying. But, somehow this morning it dawned on me that His Word (written or spoken) gives clarity to the path He has set us on.

I think it interesting that His guidance is while we are on the path. Even though we go the direction God has called us to take, more enlightenment is necessary. Visionaries often see the big picture and take out running for the prize, but when they fall or stumble they question God's leading.

I wasn't much of an athletic type even though I enjoyed most outdoor activities, but I remember listening to the coach yell..."pace yourself". Why? If we didn't pace ourselves, we would start wearing out before the goal. God's Word is a light to our path. How far that light shines as we are walking God's path, I am not sure, but this I know, we cannot run ahead of the light. God knows the pace and He shines His light so that we will be sure footed and able to see the potholes and other traps which might cause us to delay our trip.

It would be like us forgetting our little flashlight as we walked the path toward our cottage that night. Take your Bible with you...not to use as a weapon against others, but to help guide you along the path that day so that you don't stumble. And, if you do...well His Word is still the lamplight you need.

Blessings to you and may our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ reveal to you and shine His light on the dark places in your walk.

From God Tube

2007-09-14T19:26:00.001-05:00

From Wall Builders

2007-09-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

2007-09-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

Forgive The Blood

2007-09-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

Lord,

I pray you forgive the blood.

Forgive us for the blood which was spilt

Of the young who never saw

The light of day

Forgive us as a nation

For we have sinned.

We have sent our children to be sacrificed

To the god of self-will

Forgive us our fear

Of speaking out

Forgive us for our complacency

Hiding away in our homes

Forgive us for thinking

We will not be touched

When the time comes for all things

To be set in order

For you have loved us

Even though we have sinned

You have called us

To be salt and light

Yet we have hidden in the comfort of our homes

In the comfort of our churches

But you have called us to be light

Light in hearts of those who are living in darkness

Oh Lord, as those of yesteryear asked

Give us courage to do what is right

Give us BOLDNESS to love others

To speak the truth in love

To put up with the ridicule which will surely come

We want the blood flow to stop

We want our children back

We want the butchers healed from their desire for blood

We want a holy nation once again

One Nation Under Jehovah God...the great I AM that I AM

LookAtTheirFaces

2007-08-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning after taking the little man to school, I realized I needed to spend some time with the Father...quiet time. My schedule was unbelievable that day...running all kinds of errands, so I found the nearest parking lot, pulled in and parked.

As I listened to the voice of the Lord, He instructed me to go to the book of Hosea chapter three. If you remember, God told Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. With all of her wandering between lovers, at one point she ends up in slavery. Then God instructs Hosea to buy back his wife and love her even though she was a mess.

All yesterday, as I was driving or in a store, the thought of the wonder of God's love kept amazing me. Instead of looking at faceless people like I so often do, I took the time to really notice the faces of those around me. "God loves them so much" was what kept running in and out of my mind. Drivers in cars...God loves them too. Angry people...God loves them too.

I want to look at their faces from now on and realize God loves them too, and if they don't know about His love...they need to...possibility from me.

Benefits

2007-08-29T09:08:00.000-05:00

This morning, I sat down at the piano and picked out a few tunes which the Holy Spirit laid on my heart. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about how marvelous an idea it was to praise God...you know...instead of REALLY praising God. I suppose I was looking for brownie points or something.

The songs I was singing were a mixture of the old and the new, but I knew the Holy Spirit was leading...yet...I wasn't exactly focused on the purpose of praise. Finally, I listened to what I was singing and heard the Lord speak inside of me. He was telling me...stop seeking the benefits.

Wow, everything in life is based on benefit seeking thinking. I don't buy groceries just to bless the grocery store...perhaps you do...but pardon me...I don't. Then, understanding came.

"Oh, I see now...it is like marrying a man for his money!"

Some say marry for money then love will follow. Perhaps there is some truth in that, but for me...hey, I've been a Christian since I was eight years old...the love aspect should be paramount in my relationship with Christ at this stage of my walk.

So, I will have to say...benefits are part of a loving relationship...a married relationship...a parent/child relationship. The benefits of the parent/child relationship come because the parents loved the child first. In essence, love is the primary factor in that relationship even though the child has to grow in their love for the parents. (God loved us first.)

Children are benefit seeking. I remember when the little man was about four or five. We'd gone out to one of the local breakfast places for a bite to eat. He was thrilled because he could order anything he wanted. Unfortunately, he brought that same thinking home with him. A day or so later, he sat his little fanny down at the kitchen table, looked at me, and began placing his order for scrambled eggs, bacon...etc. I looked back at him and said, "Hey, this isn't a restaurant, you can have Cheerios or toast and jelly". He had that "you gotta be kidding" look on his face. He was looking at the benefits.

Children seek love when THEY need it. When little man was preparing to return to his beloved school, we took him to the hair place to get a COOL cut. The burr was not what he wanted this year, so he grew his hair out a bit and opted for a COOL porch held tight with hair "glue". Of course he wasn't interested in my taking him into his classroom the first day cause it wasn't COOL. But when we walked into a dark house late one evening, he didn't care if his hair was porched or un-porch ed, he waited at the garage door until I got everything out of the car. He wasn't about to go inside without me. The benefits of stuff wasn't as important as the need for the one who loved him to be there for him. God first loved us...

As a parent, I desire to give everything for my children because I love them...that's how Jehovah God is towards us. He wants us to have all the benefits. He even has told us to come boldly to his throne and ask. Is the boldness a demanding, order giving type? No. It is a boldness which comes from the knowledge that He is your father and He loves you.

It is time to tweak the thinking. I'm not running to "Big Daddy" who has a wad of cash in his pocket. I'm running to "My Daddy" who has outstretched hands waiting for me to jump into His arms and express His love for me. (But...BTW...My Daddy owns everything, so if I do have need for anything, He already owns it.)

AllDressedUpWithNoPlaceToGo

2007-08-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been all dressed up with no place to go? How about this...today, I was all dressed up (at least for me) and showed up at our son's class for open house and no one was there. I also had my hubby and the little man with sacks full of school supplies. Oops.
After a trip to the office, I realized I had written down the wrong day...good thing his school is close to the house!

A much worse calendar blunder occurred some years ago when I had arranged to get the kids out of school for dentist appointments 30 miles away. Yes, you guessed it. We arrived only to find out I had gotten the right day, but the wrong MONTH. We had a good time and stopped to get something to eat on the way back. I think everyone has forgotten about this blunder, or else they have been kind enough to not mention it...nah...the've forgotten.

Have a great day!

TheLoveOfAFriend

2007-08-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a good friendship. Friends to grow up with...friends to shop with...friends to laugh with and friends to be there during the difficult periods of life. Several posts back I asked the question, what happens when friendships break up...especially Christian friendships...what happens when the hurt is so deep you can't breathe.

I think the answer to healing a friendship is in a basic principle we all learned the moment we became believers in Jesus Christ. It is simple, yet profound...it is called understanding God's love.

In brief, God loved us when we were still in our mother's womb. It was He who delicately formed each feature on our face and numbered the hairs on our head. Simply put...God is Love. The very nature of the one who created us is summed up in that little four letter word...LOVE. Everything God does comes from His love for us, even His discipline. It is comforting to know that no matter what we do as His child, He will always be there...loving, directing and correcting us until our lives mirror to the world His love.

Christian friendships should be even a greater reflection to the world of the love of Christ, but as all of us know, sometimes events happen which sever that close tie. If somehow, we could step back to a place in our friendship where everything was working, perhaps then, we could know just what happened to cause the rift. But then again, perhaps looking back would just deepen the pain.

As I see this is about to get long, I will try to move to the point as quickly as I can.

We have a need to first experience the Love of God. Now this is not just something to write on a poster or glibly express to those at church, but to understand His love deeply. Here are a few points to ponder:

God's love always provides hope and a future

God's love doesn't always make sense to us

God's love is there when He disciplines

God's love is there when hard times come

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You see, God always wants the best for us. He supports our hopes and dreams because He is the one who planted them in us. Sometimes His love doesn't make sense...like when He asks us to forgive a wrong done to us or to express His love to someone whom we think doesn't deserve it. He is there when discipline comes in our lives. Though it is unpleasant, it is encouraging to know He cares. And finally, God's love is there when hard times come because He will never leave us or forsake us.

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And what about a friend? A friend supports our hopes and dreams even when things don't make sense. A friend pushes us to do the right thing even if it is uncomfortable. A friend will tell us the truth in love so that we can become all He wants us to become. A friend is there all the time for us in good times and hard times.

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But what happens when YOU have been all of this to your friend, yet they have rejected and hurt you? Jesus understands because He poured His life into twelve men and yet one sold him for silver and one denied knowing Him. Yet to that one who denied Him, He gave him power to preach the first resurrected sermon bringing thousands to the same one Peter had denied!

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It seems to me, it is about understanding God's love for us first. Because in His love is everything we need to forgive that one who hurt us. Will that friendship be restored? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Sometimes the other person cannot give love because they either haven't experienced God's love, or because they don't understand God's love...there is no other explanation. But for those of you out there who have experienced God's love, you have in you everything you need to move forward out of the hurt.

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I made a poster which reads: "Daddy Loves His Little Girl"referring to God's love for me. When friends fail, I know I am loved. You see...God's love doesn't always make sense because He loves at all times. First Corinthians 13 is a very neat chapter which summarizes God's love.

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How can we move ahead? Because God loves us. How can we forgive? Because God loves us. How can we have the courage to make new friends? Because God loves us. Just think about yourself as John, author of the Book of John, spoke of himself..."I am the one whom Christ loves". Then, turn it around to someone else..."You are the one whom Christ loves".

YesIAmStillAround

2007-08-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am still around. This has been quite a week for us.

I've been on a very reduced, almost non-existent, sugar diet. What this means is that unless God put it in a fruit, it doesn't get put in my mouth. The exception...a little 100% maple syrup last night and a little honey in my smoothies. Other than that, I am detoxifying my body from such items.

So far, I've bypassed an entire box of Blue Bell Ice cream Sandwiches which I REALLY like, along with all of the sweets we saw last night at Cracker Barrel otherwise known by our eight year old as "Crackle Barrel".

This reduced sugar thing was not my idea. The Holy Spirit's prodding to lay off such sweets has continued for many weeks, and finally, I realized I had better get with the program. I'm not sure exactly what I am preventing, but it hasn't been tough. Usually it is very tough to dump sweets, but this time I am aware that I am avoiding some problems by getting off of sugar now.

So, this last week, I had many, many headaches...a result of my body not getting the high blast of sugar it is used to. I've also noticed my vision this last week was not as crisp as it has been...also a product of coming off of sugar. My energy level was very low, so I'm going to have to find something to kick up the energy...little healthy high energy snacks or something.

PTL...yesterday, I was soooo glad to awaken without a headache. So, I guess my body has been somewhat sugar detoxified. I've noticed just how sweet apples are along with grapes and other fruit. I especially noticed this when my husband brought me a smoothie from a local establishment which had turbinado in it. Without thinking, I drank some of it and quickly handed it back to him...it was too sweet...wow what a difference.

With the fall coming and my usual desire to bake goodies, I'm not sure what I will do. However, dates with pecans in the center might be a good treat. I've also found that when I make smoothies here at the house which is almost a daily for me, I can freeze what is left over in a zippered storage bag and lay it on the wire rack in the freezer. In between the wires, the liquid smooshes into the open area...so when you take it out, you can break off long strips of frozen smoothie...kind of like a pop cycle.

Anyway, I hope to get back to posting on friendships tomorrow now that my head has been cleared of fuzz and junk.

Perhaps this is about that Zoe Life God's been talking about!

SoIWasALittleConfused

2007-08-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

This morning, I picked up a rental car. I tootled around town a bit to get some errands run. At some point in the day I looked at how much gas I had and was shocked to see only a half a tank. I was more than surprised because I hadn't driven that far.

At first I was slightly irritated that I hadn't checked the fuel gage before driving away from the rental place. Then I had a thought that perhaps this full sized car must a big time, and I do mean a big time gas guzzler.

"Just how much gas does this thing need?" I asked myself.

When I glanced down on my way to Wednesday night church, the gauge read only a quarter of a tank, but that just couldn't be right. After church, I made a quick stop to return a couple of pairs of dance tights (not mine!) which were the wrong size and then hopped back in the car to start it up. I decided if this car was guzzling this much gas, I had better roll down my windows and let that cool 89 degree air whip through my sweaty hair.

As I was about to drive out of the parking lot to go home I realized I had been reading the temperature gauge all day...not the fuel gauge which showed an almost full tank. So...I was a little confused!

ListenToTheHead

2007-08-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

I remember sitting in the pews of a small town Baptist Church in New Mexico. Every Sunday, and every Wednesday we were there or whenever the doors were unlocked. There never was a good reason to miss unless someone was REALLY ill. I am very thankful for my training there because I was FORCED to learn scripture which later in life served as a comfort to me.

One diagram I distinctly remember learning. It was a picture of a throne with a crown representing Christ on the throne of my life. Somewhere around the throne was me. I was not in charge of my life. This was a picture of what happened when I accepted God's gift of eternal life.

As I was praying and listening today, I became aware of a different picture, and perhaps for me, a better explanation of the submitted life. I suppose it is because I've been studying about the Body with Christ as the head that this visual hit home.

I was looking from the inside of my body through my eyes to the outside. It seemed I was inside a control center, otherwise known as my head, peering out. I was not in control of my head...He was. Then it was like a light bulb being turned on...understanding flooded in.

The throne picture was too far removed from me since I do not live in a country with a King, nor do I see a king as personally very accessible. But for me, Him being in control of "the control center", the mind made perfect sense. Think about it. The mind tells the body what to do...it controls the mouth, where the eyes go, what the ears hear, what the tongue tastes, and what the body feels. Naturally, there is evidence that what we think can cause sickness and disease, can create energy and stamina or can release chemicals which heal. Spiritually, it is even greater because there is not one part of our existence which cannot be directed or healed by our head...Christ.

The Head (Christ) tells us to forgive...with His forgiveness, love...with His love, give...with His gifts, heal...with His hands, speak encouragement...with his lips, help...with His insight, bless...with His blessings and go...with His feet.

Instead of listening to the hand...perhaps we should listen to the HEAD.

Abundant life to you all.