Instead of endless nails on a telephone pole for job offers, lost dogs, and house sales, this Easter week remember it only took 3 nails to show the world one best offering:

Giving the captives freedom,

Finding the lost,

And to give the Kingdom away for free.

Phone Home, Jesus will answer!

And He accepts all collect calls.

Amen!

I did not have a busy day but certainly it started early and felt long and I was so exhausted…  enough that while watching a 7pm Holy Thursday “Service of Shadows” from church thru Facebook into my living room, I was asleep by 745 on the couch. Out. With the crick in my neck I’m now going to bed proper at 10pm. But I remember falling asleep, not really fighting it. I should have fought it and have less pain.

That’s fitting for Holy Thursday, isn’t it? Falling asleep on the Lord, then oh the pain, like the disciples in the garden. We like they fall asleep when the Lord was/is depending upon us to keep watch. especially watch over ourselves but mostly watch over our relationship with the Lord. Scattered, they and we are scattered as a flock, too tired to keep it together. Flesh willing but weak.

One place I remember NOT falling asleep was the church services of Good Friday as a child, multiple priests read the passion story. Other times we would walk the stations of the cross during lent. Those memories are strong, and such witness in my mind now of my soul paying attention. I was a hungry soul. We should want to be hungry souls and stay awake to learn. Walking with my catholic school class we must have been a sight traversing the few blocks from school to church, paired up with buddies to keep us safer and ACCOUNTABLE to staying in line, easier for paying attention to have to watch out. How fitting for us to not fall asleep then in church because we were watched by strict nuns. How fitting for our safety that we were watched for, and watched out for, our buddies – whom were assigned to us, not that we picked.

But Jesus? He picked us. He warns us but does not prevent us from falling asleep or stepping out of line. How fitting for us to now be grown up, to have to know better and keep ourselves awake, and ACCOUNTABLE and find our own buddies to stay awake. This time we should look for Jesus as our Buddy.

Was it a good night for all Holy Thursday, into Good Friday buddies? Well for sure it was a long night for Jesus and a long haul to the cross. Let us get our rest, because we really need to learn and walk and pay attention to what Jesus has in store for us each day. Even in the weakness of a tired body, we truly need to remember to be hungry souls.

From here on out, Jesus in Spirit is the One Who wants to be our Buddy. We can learn from He Who goes before us. We will try to stay awake, but even if we sleep, He will remember to wake us.

Amen in desire to rest then especially to RISE.

Keep Watch.

—

Gethsemane Matthew 26

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Shhhhh Right Hand!!!! Shhhhhush Hush!!! Don’t tell the Left Hand what you donate, gift, move, do…

Just keep working, God knows what you secretly do… Matthew 6:1-4

Shhhhh Steps!!! Don’t pray for public shows.  Our most secret quiet prayers are the ones our Father KNOWS, for from Him, thru us, His Spirit who FLOWS… Matthew 6:5-6

Shhhhh Tongue, stop babbling on and on, our Father hears us before any word from our lips has gone… Matthew 6:7-15

Shhhhh Face, show only Grace, hide your gloom… in Him there’s no looming doom… for our Spirit in Christ does BLOOM… Matthew 6:16-18

Shhhhh Heart, hide your treasures only in HOLY measures… Heaven’s HOLD is endlessly worth more than ALL the world’s gold. Matthew 6:19-21

Shhhhh Eyes, hide your darkness, be reflecting His healthy heartness. Jesus did overcome with His Light, just shine His Glory, clear and bright. Matthew 6:22-23

Shhhhh Tithes, LOVE God not money, I’m not being funny. Give Him all He is due, which happens to be ALL of You. Matthew 6:24

Shhhhh Worry, watch the birds, the fields of flowers show blessings in a flurry. Days are gifts to heal life’s rifts, we are to feel His Godly lifts. Matthew 6:25-34

Shhhhh Trouble, your yesterday’s rubble. Today is a new day for walking in HIS WAY, tomorrow’s troubles pray stay at bay.

Shhhhh wisdom and eloquence, my fool shows His Rule.

Shhhhh earthly boast, YOU ARE TOAST!

Shhhhh worldly wise, seldom do those thoughts surmise that God’s love timing and His totalness is our PRIZE. 

Shhhhh put your achievements lower than low, for it is in humbleness that we GROW. 

Shhhhh, boast always and ONLY in the Lord, for we succeed only if we are on board.  Our foolishness that OTHERS spy, is that God’s Work is ALIVE, let us not be shy.

Shhhhh, Shhhhhush, Hush, Be the Fool, and GO, 

HIS GLORY is our GREATEST GLOW. 

Amen 

—-

Matthew 6

JESUS said:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

—
Prayer (5-15)
 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

—-
Fasting
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

—-
Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

—
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

—-
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

—–

Paul writing: 1Corinthians 1:17 -31

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Thank God I went to work yesterday. 

Thank God I had work to do. 

Thank God I got to go into the lab and use my skills. 

Thank God I still have skills, which shock and delight those half my age.

Thank God I was busy yesterday. 

Thank God I was alive yesterday. 

Thank God I interacted with great people.

Thank God for Your people, Lord. 

Thank God my people work is walking into Your work first and my work work second and all at the same time.

Thank God I was too busy to worry about a pandemic. 

Thank God for laughter and joy from the heart of Your people who shine Your heart.

Thank God for Your hedge of protection even in close quarters in a pandemic. 

Thank God for Your guidance of us being proactively safe in a pandemic but still working too.

Thank God for safety strivings, safety goggles, safety lab coats, safety gloves, safety hoods which actually protect the work samples from us more than protecting us from them.

Thank God for tolerance in us of an immune system surrounded by a skin barrier of protection.

Thank God for Your Spirit flowing in us to change consciousness into conscience-derived confidence in You.

Thank God for our protective God reliance on You. 

Thank God for a protected drive home in nasty weather yesterday, much more physically dangerous in the moment to me personally than a pandemic.

Thank God for no crashes but good God those crazy splashes. 

Thank God for my good tires and I got home.

Thank God for my good tired when I got home.

Thank God for me being here for serving my family too.

Thank God too for yesterday some preventative maintenance car work was at minimal expense and allowing work connectivity on the road too.

Thank God for my car and the unknown oil issue which brought me to see a friend who thanks God too for his health maintenance in a known chronic illness fight.

Thank God You give him the strength to fight.

Thank God for not just one but 3 friends yesterday who reached out to share the Lord’s Joy with me despite their own chronic illness fights.

Thank God Joy is always stronger than pain.

Thank God fight is stronger than flight.

Thank God for JOY.

Thank God for those who fight the battles already knowing that God has won the war, our war, His War, His Victory. 

Our AWE.

Thank God for our AWE.

Thank God when we can encourage with a never ending job.

Thank God for fruits of the Spirit without rot.

Thank God for making us quieter in foolish talk and boastful only in You, praising You. 

Thank God we can never run out of praise. 

Thank God we are Yours.

THANK GOD FOR YOU DESERVE ALL PONDEROUS PRAISE. 

Thank God we can be FOOLS FOR THE FAMILY BUSINESS. 

Thank God Fools for God are not foolish are they? NO FOOLING. 

Thank God we can be YOUR FOOLS even that the world sees us seemingly foolish for simple-ness of devotion.

Thank God for developing devotion. 

Thank God all we need is You.

Thank God for You.

AMEN 

—-

Psalm 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king!

Answer us when we call!

—-

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

See those daffodils, they foolishly come early, how BOLD, but extended COLD does NOT hurt, because God’s LOVE will carry and flurry. We will see new growth from old.

They WILL bloom and so will we, 

Our secret source of LIGHT is inside, you see.

God promises Future Glory for all see.

Jesus You were cold in the tomb, now You bloom. Easter is for you and me.

It is to God’s glory that You, Jesus, set us Free.

Because of Easter, we are freed to live with Thee.

When we see these daffodils bloom, will we remember today’s cold gloom?

NO, our eyes will be open and worry consumed.

So too with Jesus, forget today’s cold troubles, HIS LOVE FOREVER BLOOMS…

Like daffodils, our eyes will open and love will pour, having knowledge of how He crushed His and our worldly tomb.

Easter is upon us. Witness Jesus BOLD as He sees you: Loved and in HIS FOLD.

Amen 

—-

Jesus said: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24: 44-48

It’s noisy in the sky – light pollution. 

It’s noisy in the air – so many sounds of motors and noisy noise of people. 

It’s noisy in our heads – our thoughts, our experiences, other’s emotions projecting, there’s just mud and crud…

The Lord is the filler and filter (the maker and the shaker) to push out the rest, to give REST, to BE the REST. Now you know “the REST of the story“, not Paul Harvey’s tagline but the simple REST of the Word lived into your life.  Therefore, take the Word in and it can SORT yourself out.  Sorting importance over fluff, the Word can straighten the frayed ends, or simply cut them off. The Word can put to REST the worldly arguments keeping you up at night. The Word can quiet the arguments between your left and right hands when the right hand gives without the left hand knowing. The Word can Work when you are stopped idle or dumbfounded from exclusion and roadblocks, the Word still Works. The Word goes ahead. The Word already read ahead and wrote ahead. The Word finishes the REST of the EVERYTHING in you and that you wanted to do. The Word WILL WAIT you out and the Word will work things out in Ways that you could never have imagined, let alone heard in the noise fray until you put quiet your day.

The Word, The Way. His Way for your day.

Can you not hear the excess noise when you read the Word? It is quieted by the filler and filter. The Word rests your thoughts into give His direction. “And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” The lyric from “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” can be rewritten: “And the noise of Earth will grow strangely din, in the REST of His Glory and Grace.”

A musical REST of the Word quieting our noise.

Rest – IN THRU BY WITH FROM BECAUSE OF – THE WORD.

THE WORD RESTS ITS CASE!

Amen

—

Paul writes of God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit (excerpts from 1Corinthians 1):  “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age… No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began

…

It is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” —the things God has prepared for those who love him — these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

…

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.”

It’s the little things and big things too – and this timely reminder (a blog below that I got in email) hit home to me – it is a big reminder that the little things of God IS a big thing! God sends reminders and ways out when we are tempted – and if we check with Him, He will tell us especially that He is in charge and that we are to respect Him over any human desire or plan… Yup… 

“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight“. Luke 16:15

This hit home to me this morning when there were and are human temptations abounding! And I decided to wait on the Lord. We should all decide to wait and weigh questions of the day on the Lord, because He knows where He needs us: waiting on Him!!!! Not waiting ignorantly but intelligently and with purpose. This is not being idle but having the temptation cause us to THINK. Then making a decision with Him in mind rather than people in mind.

1Corintians 10:11-13 These things happened to them [wandering Israelites] as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Thank You Lord for reminding us to watch out for little sins and big… You send messages where evil sends confusion. Don’t wander but wait in the wonder of God and KNOW His Totality and Majesty.   He will ALWAYS be Sovereign.

Amen Amen Amen

Thanks Lord !!!

——

This is the emailed Daily Devotional – Detestable to the Lord! 3/17/2021 from “The Daily Dose”

Good Morning, Are you surprised in this verse by the fact that our loving God expresses seven things that He finds detestable?

Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

We often speak of what the Lord loves and His never–ending mercy. But we rarely, if ever, hear or talk about the things God/Jesus hates and detests. Here are some more scriptures that convey to us God’s heart, which is the “same Yesterday, Today and forever!” Hebrews 13:8 “do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” Zechariah 8:17 “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence”. Psalm 11:5  “And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates” Deuteronomy 16:22

It is important that we study the full character of God, which to me, makes his mercy so much more awesome! It is also important to study the full character of our loving God, so we will not be deceived, and begin to think that He does not mind it when we sin. We need to very mindful that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us daily any evil in our hearts, as the Lord said that thinking these things are just as bad as actually doing them. And the Jesus always always knows what is in our hearts. “Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Luke 5:22 “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:15

In summary, God hates sin. He loves us, which is why He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ as redemption for our sins. But may we never begin to think for a moment, that God does not hate sin. It is through the blood of Christ, and only through the blood of Christ, that we are forgiven. But we have free will and the choice is ours each day. We must first humble ourselves, turn to God, admit our sin and ask for forgiveness in Jesus name. When we sincerely do this, then our sin is forgotten forever and is as far as the east is from the west in God’s eyes. But even with God’s amazing grace, I reiterate that it is important that we are always mindful that God hates sin and that sin has its painful consequences.

Lord, please forgive us for ever taking Your amazing grace for granted. Thank You for Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us! Please keep us from evil and give us the desire to be more like You each day. In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Have another powerful and prosperous day of detesting sin and expressing God’s love as you serve others in the workplace and at home!

Bob Bennett

Real Men Ministries

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“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3

Copyright © 2021 Real Men Ministries. All rights reserved.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s got a plan… and a light… and a saltshaker… God opens windows and doors for His entry. A trial becomes an opportunity for God to move – and when we take the time to put on our armor of God right before the conversations, we are not caught off guard. When we put on our armor of God, we can stay outside in the fray longer and make our way from His Way.

Sometimes, when we put on our armor of God, we can actually hear the clinks of the world bearing down on the armor, taking swipes and not penetrating, but feel and know SECURITY OF SPIRIT.  After the battle quiets, then we may speak with softened hearts. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

This Easter season, let us not forget that it IS EASTER. Jesus doesn’t change, why should out attitude change? It’s not about the convenience of gathering in church as much as taking the time to gather the flock. It’s not about displaying flowers as much as getting out to reap what others, even us, have sown, appreciate what seeds have sprouted and plant some more. Hand to the plow and look forward, plow forward. Much work, few workers. It is the time for gathering what God has ripened.

Because the first Easter opened the tomb, this year and always we need to think outside the tomb. That is where Jesus is anyway…

I never figured out what the TV shows switched at Fall behind or Spring ahead 2AMs, I never stayed up on purpose, just studied the TV guide grid in the paper. Would a show get shortchanged and skipped? What was extra? Like they really needed an extra infomercial. Did anyone buy the Romco egg beater for inside the shell?… I know kids these days don’t even read newspapers nor TV schedules on them, I barely even use the TV… And time? Figuring time out, well that went out the window too. I mean who even has time to contemplate time?!!!

Time flies, TRUE. 

Time heals.

Time steals.

Time is a gift.

Time gets away.

Time is endless.

Time is short. Don’t waste time. 

Time is not enough time, never.

Now is the best time of our lives.

Now is better than never.

Never has there been a better time.

The last statement means that now IS good. Now IS the best time. Live in the present. 

It’s good to live in the present AND wait for God. Don’t just wait for time to pass but wait for God to act. God does not pass the time like we do, He makes the time.

What time is Jesus’s 2nd coming? I wouldn’t be surprised if it were at 2AM when we can’t plan His arrival based on the TV grid times, nor the times tables, only the sign of the times… then we will know,  so for now be ready, even ready on the go.

Maybe we don’t want us to think about “the End is near” as a doomsday message, rather that “the time is dear”. Time to heal. Time to understand. Time to pray. Time to play. Time to sow. Time to reap…

Time of the harvest, the fields are white. Yes, that’s true ALL THE TIME – no harvest can take place unless you put the time in to the fields. God makes the time, we must take the time. 

Therefore, this Easter season, let’s not forget that it’s EASTER. Jesus doesn’t change, why should out attitude change? It’s not about the convenience of gathering in church as much as taking the time to gather the flock. It’s not about displaying flowers as much as getting out to reap what others, even us, have sown, what seeds have sprouted. It is the time for gathering what God has ripened. Much work, few workers.  

So this Easter, let’s think outside of time, think outside the box, and best yet, think outside the tomb.

Let’s not cancel Easter Messages or dismiss Easter Spirit because it is HARD to think about Easter Joy. For Jesus LIVES We, like Jesus, must walk out of the tomb to meet the people where they are.

There’s no better time spent that walking with Jesus, including walking to bring Jesus to others…

Keep time with Jesus. 

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” 

John writing about seeing Jesus in Glory, sees and knows: His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, “Fear not; I am the first and the last:  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:8, 16-19 

Keep time with Jesus!

AMEN!!!

—–

FYI – my phone clock changed automatically this 2AM to 3AM to match the time, we should too… Jesus doesn’t change, we must adapt. Glory awaits the workers that He calls, listen ahead, no time tables are revealed, and no time grid is needed, He simply WAS, IS, and IS TO COME. 

God does not make the time for convenience; He makes the time for all to hear.

Amen Amen

Woke up from a dream about racing, and a motto in neon scroll: “Don’t grind the cross crossing”… hmmm… I awoke after a stage in my dream where I had learned a special needs person passed away from covid. This person/child was known to be pure of heart. I awoke. I don’t know this person in real life or anyone else in that dream, but I appreciate thinking about that phrase – “don’t grind the gears” thinking to instead say “don’t grind the cross crossing” – and that I interpret as: crossing into heaven.

Don’t grind your gears means don’t cause your life to be in the edge of sin as you run out of steam. Don’t use the forgiveness of the cross as an excuse to live sinfully. Don’t use the cross as a stick-shift to drive an agenda – and don’t drive so hard switching gears on the go and ruining the engine.  Nope. Be humble in accepting Jesus and your need of Him. He’s already pulling you towards the finish line, finish well – and finish fair.

This might be related to the Revelation sermons that I am listening to, and this long series has me in October or November 2020 when the sermonist mentioned the need to be demonstrating being a Christian and that means that you don’t attack or gossip about your fellow Christians in person or on Facebook. The sermonist was nearly in tears urging this, especially because he really does think we are close to the beginning of the end of times with earthquakes, pestilence and all. We are to holdfast to Jesus. And even in the tribulation years, these slowly staged segments will allow 1/3 of peoples affected to have an opportunity to get on board with Jesus, will have one more chance to say YES to FORGIVENESS by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. Every knee will bow, either in humbling ourselves or in defeat. Let us be witnesses in appreciation to the way the Lord has saved us.

Back to my dream, don’t grind the gears and don’t be rough on life… also, now that I note thinking about a car analogy, here is one more: don’t seize up the engine by running dry. Stay awake and fill your oil lamps awaiting the bridegroom. Stay hydrated by Living Water. Stay salty and not lose your flavor, be the one who doesn’t freeze the Living Water into ice, keep yourselves fluid in faith.

My car burns oil like crazy, I was first told this is normal for this model. But this month seems it is worse as I consult my records of top offs… So can the Lord, He can recall our records of trials and refills. Blessedly God in Heaven will see us only pure clothed in Jesus-glory, the pureness of peace and forgiveness. But let’s not grind the gears, let’s not overdue our oil usage for that humility knee bend time is around the bend, it is for us to gear up and to gear into.

Hear up and gear up.

Heaven is near.

Lord, reverently You we fear.

Pure of heart we can restart. 

It’s our sin You spin.

Let’s Cross into Heaven as Your Win.

Amen 

—-

Paul’s letter to the Romans ch 13:11-14

The Day Is Near

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

God’s love gives you love in excess.

Everything else is meaningless.

If the cat wants to play, play. 

Because God shows love through your cat.

Everything else is meaningless.

If the college kid wants to come home for the weekend, pick her up. Video calls, answer. 

Because God shows love through you to her. And her to you.

Everything else is meaningless.

If the hermit kit wants to go out for water ice, go. (And partake, for tomorrow you can return to low sugar.)

Because God shows His love through you to him. And him to you.

Everything else is meaningless. (And gummy bears on water ice seem meaningless, but they are not)

If it’s time to work, work. 

Because God gives time to work. Work honestly and fair.

Everything else is meaningless.

If the lonely need words, speak.

If the hungry need food, feed.

If God’s love finds a need for you to fill, fill it.

Love God.

Everything else is meaningless.  

If it’s time for praying, PRAY. 

Love listening to God.

Be quiet enough to hear.

Brave enough to fear.

Empty enough to be filled.

Willing to love and be loved.

Everything else REALLY is meaningless.

If it’s time to encourage, encourage in God’s love and your faith.

If it’s time to serve, serve in love and faith. 

If it’s time for prophesying, speak in love and faith. 

If it is time for giving, then give generously in love and faith. 

If it is time to lead, lead diligently in love and faith. 

If it is time to show mercy, do it cheerfully in God’s love and your faith. 

Do in faith, don’t overdo the meaningless, just LOVE wisdom and LOVE listening…

Focus on GOD’S LOVE AND YOUR FAITH, Everything else is meaningless. 

Amen 

—

Listen to  Ecclesiastes 1- 3 and so forth for a great understanding in the spoken Word…

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/suchet/nivuk/Eccl.1

Excerpts:

Everything Is Meaningless

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”  says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.”

—

Wisdom Is Meaningless

 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

Chapter 2

Pleasures Are Meaningless

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

4 I undertook great projects…

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, EVERYTHING WAS MEANINGLESS, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,..   I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

15 I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both……. What then do I gain by being wise?  “This too is meaningless.”

Toil Is Meaningless

22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Chapter 3

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

—

Everything is meaningless. 

20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Chapter 4

6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Chapter 5

Fulfill Your Vow to God

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.

God is in heaven and you are on earth,  so let your words be few.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

Fear God. 

Riches Are Meaningless

10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income…. the ability to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God… 

God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Chapter 6:

12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

Chapter 7

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

14 When times are good, be happy;

18 Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

Chapter 8

15 So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

Chapter 9

2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.  Enjoy life with [all yours], whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come…

16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” 

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

Chapter 11

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Remember Your Creator While Young

Everything to come is meaningless.

9 You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Chapter 12:6

Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken;

before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well,

7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 “Everything is meaningless!”

The Conclusion of the Matter

13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

I love this teaching in Revelation, I love this teaching time, one hour for my commute home. With God, we are ALWAYS learning on the go…

In the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, Jesus is dictating to John for writing to the church of Sardis explaining the importance of watching for Jesus to come in end times, and the people being surprised like having a thief in the night. Reminding us as saved that unless we are blotted out, our names are to be in the book of life, and we are to become clothed in white light when we are in heaven… Most importantly we are reminded that we are to be strengthening those in the remnants of the church, reminding all to be holdfast to Jesus, and we are especially to BE ON FIRE with the childlike faith we first had when we were reborn awakened saved, and we are to keep gathering in Christ. We are called to be out witnessing. The second coming should not surprise us. WE WATCH, WITNESS, WORK, WALK.

And the end sentence by Pastor Joe really brought it home, as I think that the devil digs so terribly at us. Pastor Joe said: “when the devil reminds you of your past, you can say: “stop”, and remind him of his future”… yup, Revelation reveals the end of the devil, reveals the fullness of Christ, the forever-more of our lives with God Jesus and in the Spirit.  Jesus is the gatekeeper yes, the teacher, the Savior, the LIGHT…

This teaching is for all! LET US HEAR!

Watch, strengthen, learn, live, TRUST. PRAY…

JESUS WILL BE CALLING, BE AWAKE!

Amen

—-

Revelation 3:1-6 CC Philly video bible study: https://subspla.sh/74b6nvc

John writing Jesus dictating: “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Words divinely sourced, simply spoke, gratefully heard:

Wait

Rest

Be

Hold

Breathe

Peace

Go

Do

Read

Listen

Wait

Move

Love

Amen to the Lord for speaking:

Simply to lead.

Soulfully to save.

Certainly to love.

Completely to heal.

Forever to hold.

Amen

Now is NOT a time, especially today, for self-righteousness, but it is time to listen deeply and talk directly with God… There’s so much going on with each person in their lives, and with the world, and with life – the best thing we can do is talk to God and not cause other people to stumble… I know Paul in one part of his letter to the Romans was talking about judging people based on what they eat because of the concern between Jews and Gentiles both in the faith. I know that the best sentence here, which pertains to everything:    

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. 

Not judging people in faith is different than not judging people in life, but it is also NOT different. Judgement that separates you from helping people goes against God’s commands. Making sure we do not cause someone to stumble in faith and life are both commands that we need to heed. Helping, loving others is equal to loving God, because He made them like He made you, HIS. Don’t separate yourself from God by being your own self, be of His-self, love, forgive, keep between you and God.

We are not worthy but we have His grace. Others also have grace.  Don’t let yourself be against God’s Grace…

If you’ve got something to say, say it to God.          

If you’ve something to judge, give it to God.

If you’ve got something to forgive, let God forgive for you, as He would forgive you. And follow HIS lead.

Give it all to God and go in peace.    

Share His Peace and Grace. LOVE MERCY. Now that’s Sharing Faith. FAITH IS FOR YOU AND GOD TO BE TOGETHER.

Amen

---

Romans 14:13-19

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.  Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,  because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

20-21 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22-23 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Found the biggest seashell I think I’ve ever found while walking the beach yesterday. I also found a green rock and a cool square brown rock that looks like toast, TOAST!   So many perfect specimens of seashells that I could be surprised people had not already picked them up – except this IS winter and just brave souls were taking walks (not brave but blessed because it was beautiful weather)… The ocean sparkled blue, bluer than the sky… The ocean is still here even if we don’t visit, the seashells and birds don’t know why people come in summer but not winter. After real winter, it was a reprieve for us to know the ocean was still there.

My friend and I discussed that when we remember to be praying more often, looking for God’s reply, He DOES answer with guidance and direction.  YES, in EVERY season, God IS still there. God is still HERE. God is still listening, always listening, and loves to hear from us. God is not going ANYWHERE. God is NOT STILL either, as His Spirit works mightily and fiercely and gently and quietly. Like the roar of the ocean – in crashing overcoming waves or the simple ripples of water creeping in when you don’t expect it – He is there.  We can look and find the biggest Holy Spirit presence to do the same, come ashore for our guidance and more. Returning to Heaven, but always in our hearts, Jesus prayed Holy Spirit help for us all. And the Holy Spirit is ready to move us anywhere. 

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:17-18

God comes with love.  Biggest Love.  All Love.  Love and patience for all. How vast are His thought?!!!

The seashells were not over picked based on my view, and God’s Love will never run dry. He is not just the dealer of love, He is the Deal, the Big Deal, He is Love.

If you look for the ocean you will find it, it’s vast, it might take a little drive, but it’s there. If you look for God, He will find you, He is more than vast, your drive, your rest stop, is only a prayer, because He is not just there, He is everywhere.

If we want to see God everywhere, we should love. If we want to bring God everywhere, we should love. Love is stronger than the ocean, wider than the world, bigger than anything measurable like a seashell, and bold.

We can live bold because we have love.

We are a moment, let us enter into life everyday in LOVE  and JOY because we know that we will only be here a moment… Let us make a JOYFUL noise, God is listening.

Be still, God is moving.  

Be love, God IS LOVE. 

Amen 

---

Psalm 98:4-9

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

—-

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

—-

Romans 12:9-12

Love in Action

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 9: 20-21

“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”’ Does not the potter have the RIGHT to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath – prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory –  even us, whom he also called,”

If you got saved or are in the process of being saved, you must get ready for the kiln. The clay the Lord uses (and is His RIGHT to use) must be put into the fire before it becomes useful. We are not necessarily super special, I am not, but we ARE made for a special purpose.  The MOST SPECIFIC SPECIAL purpose we have is to love our Maker, LOVE GOD, then love all He has made, common or special. All clay from Him is His. 

The Romans 9 scripture pertains to us all – that we are ALL formed for special purposes. And our skills give us leverage FOR the Lord to take us into fields and meet the people whom God needs to touch.

He knows best and He knows how we can survive the fire, that we must actually be placed into the kiln to become strong and melt-proof. Some are decorated after firing and some are not. Remember that our earthen clay pots hold God’s purposes. He fills, we hold still and strong as He fills.

We might always get flack for doing God’s work… but we are made strong by Him… 

Alas, there are others, sadly many, who fail to see the wrath that awaits if they neglect their roles and their eyes and ears are shut. Clearly in these times, we can see a mix of people and privileges. We might get jealous, but Paul is instructing in the book of Romans (to them and to us) that God has the right to show love and patience for the people whom won’t make it, whom become the goats. We should pray to be more sheepish!!!. And we must be grateful that He gives us patience and guidance. And we MUST stay true to His call, to withstand the work, stop complaining, and understand the riches we enjoy.  An eternal life is priceless compared to treasures on earth, we must burn off what hinders (remember THE KILN IS HOT), be upright and be true, and be His. We can do special things in common ways and quietly in God’s whisper before our one hand knows what the other is doing… 

Just give God the time He already created for you. Yes, it’s surprising to me that just being generous with time is a surprise to people… and they spend time fretting whereas others have time to simply work… Well, it’s God’s grace that works, He decides what activities He gives Grace to. He decides what to make out of His clay. He makes us special for His purposes, not just our play. 

We feel in trial by fire sometimes. But purposefully we have to appreciate the kiln! Remember you are NOT alone in the fire… You are in company with the King of kings, Jesus. 

Amen 

—-

Daniel chapter 3: 15-29 wrote: 

King Nebuchadnezzar said: Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.  The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

I’ve been blessed with the slowdown and have sped up my bible reading (and listening with my commutes an hour each way in the Way). Plus a cat AND the Lord who wake me up 2 hours early, before I ever start thinking about preparing for the day. (Even on a Saturday)

It’s purposeful studying the bible with the understanding that Jesus is the script of scripture,  He is speaking, He IS. We are to listen to the backstories like BONUS MATERIAL.  He can say “In My Day…” because it IS His Day, every day.  … In His Day in a Good Way … we are not asking Him into our day as much as we ARE entering into His Day.

Filling up for the day in a scriptural way. There’s no better way to start than with a filing of Jesus in our cup. For some of us, simply this slowdown can be us being “in between rounds”… retooling for renewed vigor KNOWING that we are learning, yearning, doing, moving. Fill up faith and feed a feverish soul, old testament new testament, because we all have a reNEWed testament role. We all have gifts to share.

If we’ve been listening to the wires, then we will know He’s planning on us kindling new soul fires. 

If we find if it’s quiet enough to read the bible, then it’s quiet enough for hearing whispers. God speaks in whispers of wisdom. Wait on the Lord. Read ahead and be fed. Let us always be HUNGRY enough but satisfied in supply. Take not a scattered approach to bible study, but a BLENDED approach. Remember Jesus knew all this to live it, to walk it, and He lives in His Word. We can too.

Because I do believe that I personally need to know more bible stories, to connect the plots and the dots more, I am blessed to be in multiple online offerings, and reading myself (I’m in the book of Romans). For example: simultaneous learnings of Samuel and the Psalms, oh how the psalms make more sense when you learn the backstory of David, Solomon, etc. I couldn’t more highly recommend the online resources to fill in gaps. Gaps you didn’t even know that you have. I’m also blessed to be with ladies from California and Texas zoom-ing the book of James, a great book teaching us to “Be Mature”. In addition to my favorite churches’ pastors’ sermons, I’m listening to current Revelation sermons and Matthew sermons, on the edge of my seat, about end times, the tribulation. I find it is easier to walk forward towards the end of time when I am seeing the LIGHT leading, and knowing that we will navigate NOT the easy road but the steady path continuing with an urge to do right, to have compassion, and skip the complaining of the craziness, because really it is foretold for the world to get much worse than better… REALLY… 

Keep walking… keep sharing… there are pockets of people ready to hear… keep trusting the Lord to bring you to them… the fields are white, ready for harvest… this does not mean you need to work harder but work smarter... actually work SIMPLER… just LISTEN and OBEY. there’s no better way. 

In His Day

Listen and Obey 

Don’t tarry away.

Lest you would sway. 

Focus on Him today. 

Tomorrow’s worry causes delay.

Holy Spirit pray to stay.

Let us walk in His Way.

Still waters, green pastures lay.

Jesus knows the Way.

Watch what you say.

Be patient and pray.

Be ALIVE in Him, yay!

Jesus is the Way. 

Listen and obey. 

Be in His Day.

Amen 

—-

Paul’s letter to the Romans 12 NIV

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In His Day

Listen and Obey 

Don’t tarry away.

Lest you would sway. 

Focus on Him today. 

Tomorrow’s worries cause delay.

Holy Spirit we pray you stay.

Jesus knows the Way.

Let us walk in His Way.

Still waters, green pastures lay.

Watch what you say.

Be patient and pray.

Be ALIVE in Him, yay!

Jesus is the Way. 

Listen and obey. 

Be in His Day.

In His Day.

Know.

Go.

Preach, you heard the call.

Teach, His Word to the hungry, big and small.

Reach, His call is collect, Jesus accepts the charges for all.

Hear, the call is strong for a select few.

Believe, the call is specifically ringing for you.

Rejoice, declare, extend the call,

Reach first God’s chosen people, THEN CALL ALL.

Go, go with the Good News.

Be Beautiful, Be Bold, Be Light on your feet.

Speak of Salvation, ever so sweet.

Reconcile the world, chosen by Grace, ears to hear.

Bring LIFE to the dead, have no shame, nor any fear.

The Message in your mouth and heart is from Jesus, held dear.

He is always near, the Message is forever sincere.

Jesus IS the Saving Word.

The Word yearning to be heard.

Preach Teach Reach.

Know.

Go!

Amen

---

Selections from Paul to the Romans:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

—-

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”

—

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

—

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

——

Whole scriptures: Paul’s letters to the Romans, chapters 10-11:

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Chapter 11:1-15

The Remnant of Israel

 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:  “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”?  And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear,

to this very day.” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

Ingrafted Branches

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Since we don’t know who knows the Lord or not, we must treat all with respect and compassion. Let others witness our waiting. I waited patiently yesterday at the store – I think the person in front of me was trying something sketchy but not really making a scene but maybe was making a distraction to steal something – or maybe not – I could be totally wrong… He could have been one of those folks just easily frustrated, he hung up both self-checkouts and then bumped the regular line. I could have complained what was rolling thru my head but waited where I thought I should.   Waited and prayed instead of fretting… Waiting and praying was my best course of action since didn’t want to make a scene either. I felt bad either way at his anxiety, maybe he was fine, but it was weird. I am no saint, Jesus knows. We wait as a judge all while ignoring our own judgement. No salvation comes by us to us, only from Him. Me knowing Jesus doesn’t justify my judgement of others, only strengthens my need of Jesus. We need to need Him. We wait upon Him now and in His return.

We wait.

I’m blessed to be waiting for my vaccination turn. I’m grateful that I am still well, well enough to work, well enough to wait. It is something I look forward to getting. We will see the double whammy of reduced cases soon. Our spring will be sprung. We will see the sun. I am also looking forward to Easter coming up, with new life, new hope, a renewed sense of peace. We will see the Son, we will feel hope, we will see the Risen Lord.

When we know the Lord, we can see how He gives us such peace so we can wait and await all these things – simple as that. So, let’s witness while I wait. (I will whistle while I wait too: Safe thus far!) … If we have already accepted Jesus – we should not worry. Yes that is easy to say and hard to do, but okay we must be with knowing He has our hope.

But we are NOT okay, as a whole population, knowing total renewed life, now and/or life after death, all reaching salvation, because there are so many people who don’t know the Lord. (Or sadly who’s rotting branch is now fallingdown ready to crack.) So let us offer a prayer of hope the Lord will find them in time during their time here on Earth… Let us say to them “Don’t wait. The Lord is great”. Our witness may help them not wait. Demonstrating FAITH in a fire is a stronger FORCE in us than fear. We should remind ourselves and others that if you focus on the Lord, everything else fades away. Wait not in anxiety but in wonder. 

We are NOT to wallow in our existence or tribulations. We are to tremble in the powerful presence of God and feel blessed with the gain of the Holy Spirit directing our lives. We are to actively walk with Jesus. How is your walk? I was grafted into understanding the importance of rooting myself in the Lord, knowing my graft to the Vine Jesus, my anchor held behind the veil, my dependence on His Spirit. How about you? Do you feel like you spiritually grew when you hear Jesus say: “Hey, I know you.” I still need His daily Vining – my daily cross carrying – our daily bread.

Paul’s instructions to the Romans AND us: “… you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”

This morning I was at the convenience store to get my son a breakfast sandwich before school. It’s close to my house, so I just wear my PJ’s, I’m ok with that and a big coat to cover me. The couple in front of me found the leftover coins in the change dispenser, placed them in the donation bucket. She told the cashier that she does that often, or she gives her change to someone if they look like they need it.  No, they didn’t give it to me, I apparently didn’t look THAT disheveled, especially with my fabulous polka dot mask on… So as I thought about their sweet intentional gesture to see the people in need, that this also relates to how we should relate to the world.  We need to give hope. We should think about people in the need of prayer and we should think about blessing people who don’t know the Lord. Pray for them. Share with all. We should live as saved people and be grateful. Share Jesus, friendliness, patience, goodness, and hope (and more than a few coins of compassion) with those who don’t know the Lord. In action and verbally we can support the root of our hope, the Lord whose Goodness allows us to bear His fruit.

Greater is the Lord we know than the tribulations in the world, if all the world could know that. We can be well enough to WAIT and well enough to WITNESS. Let us not harden our hearts but be soft in speaking and solid in understanding.

Let others WITNESS US WHILE WE WAIT.

AMEN

---

Romans 11: 13-27

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

All Israel Will Be Saved

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

Finally got to scrubbing the dishes so many back-logged chores… I have been very busy… Work is taking seemingly extra time, life is taking time, and the Lord?  Well since He made time, He’s the One that gives time and it is up to us to determine how best to use it… Yup. He asks me (and I feel He makes me) to give back Time to Him for Him. How better than to keep going in life under His tutelage. There’s no time to lose.

I have been listening to a great Bible teaching on the book of Revelation and if you want to get your head straight and not worry about the small stuff and really understand our roles as Christians, it’s actually REALLY GOOD to think of the end times and how we are to help others know Jesus before we all get there. 

Salt and light.

Being the SALT in conversation means to spice it up, to engage in conversation to make it more lively and to help everybody think, including ourselves…

Being the LIGHT in conversation means to give HOPE. It means to remind people and teach people that the world is in HIS HANDS. To teach about JESUS… To share His PEACE with others. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

So that’s a renewed purpose for us all: to CONTINUE SHINING and to SPICE UP LIFE. Always look for opportunities to be the Light.   You don’t put a burning lamp under a basket, you continue to shine it. You will never regret the time to shine His shine. 

I finish scrubbing my sink and my stove top, it has a nice enough look but it will always have a slightly dull shine.  I then noticed that fallen between the two is a big empty container of salt…  Not sure why it didn’t get thrown away, except I remember that there was a little bit of salt left and I did not want to waste it. That’s us as well, we all have at least a little bit of salt left in us to share – actually we have a ton of salt available, because we know that One who minds the salt and mines the salt. We all have a LOT of SHINE left in us to share. Actually the smallest amount of salt and shine can be HUGE in the situations that need them the most. 

Go be the SALT today.  Go be the LIGHT today.  You have nothing to lose, only the Lord’s work to gain. Love His children. Love His Ways. Keep Running the Good Race. 

Amen 

---

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

---

And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Mark 4:21-25

---

The Beatitudes
Jesus said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12

“Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? How then can a mortal be righteous before God?” Job 25

Job learned to respect the Lord and so should we.

We should respect AND reflect You Lord, share LOVE from Thee.

Jesus points out where to clean up His Reflection mirrored in us, you see.

He wants to model the person we ought to be. 

Then in God’s eyes, from His hand of judgment, we will stand free.

Jesus, I pray, Shine Your Life THRU me.

Humility is a human’s best trait before God. Before man, one best trait is showing respect to God. Old Testament Job learned this. He listened to advice like this above and realized his own AWE of God. Job did not have experience of living with knowledge of Jesus, but we do. We see Him as a humble human and have His merciful mannerisms to model in our lives, to reflect Him going forward, to refuse to look back. Job could look forward to the time the Lord would give him rest. We have a mirror of Jesus into which we are to be viewed. Then God will then choose to not see our sins because they are covered by the Lord’s blood and He will know our bodies are broken but that His Holy Spirit permeates our souls, if only we make room for Him to work. God loves us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, to save us, make us worthy and although our sins were and are weighty, He lifted up freedom from eternal death by banishing sin’s death and He restored life. Jesus Saves.

We can say:

Mirror Mirror: God is Awe.

Who IS the Savior of us all.

Jesus, Jesus You came to Save.

Lifted up, walked beyond the grave.

Let us worship Him all our day.

His forgiveness we do crave. 

Daily Bread is Eternity’s SAVE.

Amen

—–

Job saw the weighting of sin, and the wait for redemption.  But knew God would provide: Ch23:2-17 Then Job replied:

“Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say to me.

Would he vigorously oppose me? NO, HE WOULD NOT PRESS CHARGES AGAINST ME. There the upright can establish their innocence before him, and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

“But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him.

God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

—- 

This is sound advice given to Job preceding: ch22

Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast.  He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. Romans 8

---

It’s HOT WATER, not innocence, that we are all in.

We are in judgement when Jesus comes again to convict the world of sin.

His first visit was an ultimate sacrifice, burnt for us, so now He will SOON come again.

His Forgiveness will feel like we also jumped out of our skin.

Grace is ours IF only we accept Jesus as our kin.

But first we must give our sinful ways over to HIM.

Living by the Spirit involves not thinking of flesh desires which haunt us.

By the Spirit is NOT justifying sinful things in our past lives behind us.

By the Spirit is NOT letting us long for sinful things in our lives not yet before us.

Living by the Spirit means praying for a peace of mind mindset set in a place above us.

If we focus on HIM, choosing life and peace, He reduces the sinful desires of our natural sway.

Jesus gave up living in His skin as HIS sacrifice for all for God on that first Easter Day.

The earth shook that crucifixion gray day, the veil torn, the stone was rolled away.

His body gone, even the linens were left in the tomb that day.

Let us repent and have remorse, pick up our cross and be Reborn everyday.

Now our record of earthly sin can be moved out of the way.

May we ONLY be seen by God’s Mercy to have chosen JESUS as OUR WAY.

AMEN! and HOORAY!

---

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Romans 8:1-11, Paul’s letter to us all.

• 

I had quite a few trials this week, but I trusted the Lord and then watched the Lord give me back blessings twice over… it’s too complicated to explain, but who can explain how the Lord works…

A poem of praise.

Double Double:

The Lord gives double, this I know,

because scripture truthfully tells me so.

Double trouble, no.

Double blessings YO!

▬

If I gave something away,

I saw it come back in double pay,

There’s only one thing that I can say,

The Lord is blessedly behind this ALL THE WAY.

▬

Then there’s projects going astray.

Let the Lord handle it, that IS what I say.

He will figure it out, in a specific way,

Plus teach you a lesson in how to pray.

▬

Doubling our joy.

It’s no secret ploy.

He’s clearly working from above.

He gives us double all because of His Love.

▬

A double portion we may ask.

But splitting in two what is One is the Lord’s task.

He is already One, nothing can be more.

Yet He still gives us a feeling of double portion because it is we He does adore.

▬

Keep walking, You say.

Keep in You, forever we may.

Amen to You Lord, All the Way.

Your LIGHT we always pray.

▬

Amen and Hooray

——

And THANK YOU Lord for my trials this week and always – and THANK YOU for helping me quietly accept them.  I understand Long Suffering a little more deeply now… But thru these trials I did get to see you work them into blessings, DOUBLE TIME. I realize trials are not about me surviving, but about You providing.

DOUBLE DOUBLE, You are both walking with us and walking us closer to be with You.

Watching You is a gift from Thee to me. It both the trial of learning my blessings as well as seeing them delivered thru the trial, even if it takes a week, even if it takes forever. EVERY day it is the walk WITH YOU that means the most. You teach all the while that You stay with us. Even if we are to walk towards the end of time, we are walking the arrow with You, and our walk is more straight and narrow because of You…

We will walk towards the end of time, so that our time with You will NEVER end.

That IS a double portion.

Amen Amen

—–

2nd Kings 2   Elijah taken up to Heaven

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.’

But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.

The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’

‘Yes, I know,’ Elisha replied, ‘so be quiet.’

Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’

And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went to Jericho.

The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’

‘Yes, I know,’ he replied, ‘so be quiet.’

Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’

And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them walked on.

Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’

‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.

‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.’

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Hear and believe – Jesus raps on my door.

Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Hear and live – Jesus raps in my ears.

John 10:27-28 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Witness and see – Jesus wraps Himself in Light 

Psalm 104: 1-2 

Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent…

Witness and Live – Unwrap the Word

Proverbs 4:22-23 TPT 

Then, as you unwrap my words,
they will impart true life and radiant health
into the very core of your being.
So above all, guard the affections of your heart,
for they affect all that you are.
Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being,
for from there flows the wellspring of life.

Believe and know – Jesus wraps up our hearts

Paul to Colossians 2:2-3 TPT 

“… that your hearts will be wrapped in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love’s fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God’s great mystery: Christ. For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered—heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge.”

Be His – Jesus wraps creation together

Proverbs 30:4

Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down?
    Who holds the wind in his fists?
Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak?
    Who has created the whole wide world?
What is his name—and his son’s name?
    Tell me if you know!

See and believe – Jesus’s wraps are left behind for us to see.

John 20: 6-9 

Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 

Be wrapped – Jesus wraps in righteousness
Isaiah 61:10

I greatly rejoice in the Lord, I exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Be Saved – Jesus wraps up our lives

John 3:16-17

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

Be raptured and encouraged – Jesus raptures into forever

1Thesoloians 4:16-18 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Ah…. such a needed reminder that I gleaned from an emailed devotion: Trust in God, wait on Him, and listen to what He will have come from your own mouth in times of trouble, fed from your heart… Don’t let the devil get a foot in your mouth or your heart. Let the Lord flow…

The song that just popped in my head, after I was thinking about something stressful was not a praise song but a true song: Talking heads: “Stop Making Sense”…  Meaning FOCUS ABOVE and not trying to make sense of this world, situations in this world, and people in this world…

Stop making sense and instead taking advice FROM the Lord. To quote below:  “By submitting ourselves humbly to God each day, and realizing that He is our Deliverer from evil, we are humbly admitting that we cannot oppose the enemy in our own strength. We are proclaiming that we ONLY have the ability to resist the devil in and through the power of Christ.”

YUP!!!

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The Daily Dose – Resist, and he will Flee! 2/24/2021

Good Morning, How are you doing with resisting the devil?

James 4:7-10  “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

It is not coincidental that in James 4:6 that he first begins the guidance on resisting with talking about God opposing the proud and being humble instead. By submitting ourselves humbly to God each day, and realizing that He is our Deliverer from evil, we are humbly admitting that we can not oppose the enemy in our own strength. We are proclaiming that we only have the ability to resist the devil in and through the power of Christ. 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded”. James 4:6-8

Jesus is telling us not to worry in Luke and stand firm in our faith. In other words, we should be resting in His faithfulness to us and He will supply us with all we need to defeat our adversaries.14 “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.” Luke 21:14-16

Lord, please pull us into a deeper and more intimate walk with You. Please do not allow us to become proud and deliver us from evil. In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Have another powerful and prosperous day of resisting the devil as you serve others in the workplace and at home!

Bob Bennett  Real Men Ministries

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3

The last few minutes in this podcast bible study from the book of Samuel, about David, Nabal, and Abigail, are teachings about patience, about responding to correction, about turning the other cheek. This advice is so perfect for explaining how to act when you get something that you don’t expect.  It’s ok, and the Lord fights our battles so that we don’t fall off our horse! Oh, so much waiting on the Lord… And He willingly will wait on us, and we are blessed to have correction as well…

Just wait on the Lord. Trust me, it’s better to wait than anything.

Abigail went to mend the rift with David, and became a servant for the cause – sparing her family and nation. We are to wait on God to determine what HE needs us to do.  We are to wait on the Lord…

David was convinced by Abigail that avenging the situation would have been futile and bloodshed on his hands rather than a direction from the Lord… She both saved the lives of her nation but also woke David up from his stupor in selfishness. He returned to listening to the Lord. David wandered often but returned to the Lord most strongly.

David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”

Amen

—–

https://subspla.sh/y43ndx5  Based on 1st Samuel 25…

Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.

A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.

While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

“‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”

When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.

Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13 David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”

Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs[b] of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

“Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.”

David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”

Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”

When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”

Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”

She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

Wait on God.

Wait out the situation. 

Wait for Him to give direction. 

Wait for you to actually hear.

Wait until He gives you the all clear.

Listen and follow, go not stuck but sure.

Listen to His uncommon sense make your common sense become crystal clear. 

And I’m just talking about waiting out a SNOWSTORM, but this is truth for ALL SEASONS:  Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” 

YES! WAIT FOR THE LORD.  In ALL things. All activities. All scarythings and good things alike. All strife. All life. In things that are unpalatable, stop eating – in stuff that doesn’t make sense, stop doing – in stuff falling from the sky, put up an umbrella – in stuff falling around you, put on the armor of God.

If it is scary to drive in snow, don’t. If it’s better to wait for the plow, then wait! If you have to venture out, make sure to pray it out. If you can wait it out, wait. And wait. Listen. If you know how to go then go.

If it is a wonder whether, then wait for God to answer. If you feel lost, wait for direction. If you have to venture out, make sure to pray it out. If you can wait it out, wait. And wait. Listen. Then GO. Go with God.

Waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing. 

Yesterday, was supposed to be rain, and it was wet snow.  (SO PRETTY). I am not afraid of snowstorms but respect the situation and either wait or venture carefully. Yesterday 9am snow, 3 quick inches in a few hours. Was I worried? No, I was BOTH super busy already at work so barely had time to worry even if the window showed the best snow show AND I knew the conditions would improve with a plow blazing the way and salt to melt the way and temperatures to rise. I knew to proceed with careful driving when it actually was time to go. It was good and fine leaving normal time, not wasting time worrying.

That’s waiting on the Lord: Good and fine. Be busy in your work in the meantime. Don’t sweat the small distractions stuff, keep working. FOLLOW JESUS – FOLLOW THE WAY.  Let Jesus blaze your trail, make your paths straight. Let SALT stay tasty and liven up the path, let salt in conversations melt the scene. And be careful when the Lord says LET’S GO. Proceed with Christ. He is NOT slow to answer. 

Wait and then go with grace. That’s better than going in haste.

God gives good things, therefore why wouldn’t He give you of His Time. 

Pray in the meantime. Pray all the time, the Talking Time is on God’s Dime.

Amen 

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(PS – this year there are many activities which slowed to a halt and many which didn’t happen. I think it is a great time to hone our listening and decide upon what path God will provide.)

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Here are more great scriptures for waiting on the Lord, which I pulled off the web:

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.

Psalm 37:34

Wait for the Lord and keep His way,

And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

Psalm 37:7

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Psalm 39:7

And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

Lamentations 3:25

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Micah 7:7

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Psalm 62:5

My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.

Psalm 31:24

Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 33:20

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.

Psalm 38:15

For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.

Isaiah 40:31

Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Jeremiah 42:7

Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.

Psalm 130:6

My soul waits for the Lord

More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

Isaiah 30:18

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

Psalm 25:5

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.

Psalm 106:13

They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

Psalm 104:27

They all wait for You To give them their food in due season.

Psalm 25:3

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Psalm 59:3

For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;

Fierce men launch an attack against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,

James 5:7

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

1 Corinthians 11:33

So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Hebrews 6:15

And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

Galatians 5:5

For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.

Isaiah 33:2

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.

James 5:8

You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Psalm 37:9

For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

Hebrews 10:36

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

Jude 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Numbers 9:8

Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

Psalm 69:3

I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Isaiah 8:17

And I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.

Proverbs 8:34

“Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

(Scripture Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Waiting-On-The-Lord )

Here is a blessing – that if we fall asleep, others will look out for us – as we should look out for others as well… Their falling asleep may be from weariness on the road they travel. We can pray them well. Our roads are never going to be without trouble, but our roads will firmly be there. Keep walking… there were churches even in the apostles time which came and went. But we can always keep walking…

Luke’s account of Paul’s travels and teaching in Acts 20: 7-12
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”  And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were greatly comforted.

I would be greatly comforted if I saw someone raised from the dead whom I wished was not dead. And I would be comforted if people I knew/know who do not believe in God, would be raised from the dead because of something Jesus said and it resonated JUST at the right time. I wish that we could just walk by the open windows and see who fell out and help them up.

I’ve been thinking about an old advisor of mine who professed his form of atheism and even railed against the belief system.  It wasn’t just ignoring faith, it seemed to be a personal vendetta against it – as if it was against any other system we could believe in as fact. I don’t know how he came to be that way, or why he was so adamant against God and so against how people believe in God. We have seen strife inflicted due to abuse of power and you have a recipe for ruin. Some people can’t see past the hypocrisy and find the truth of Jesus when their anger, not just their blindness gets in the way. It is sad in so many situations.

God Raise His Soul

Sometimes people are so really angry against God, but at least they believe in God. I really loved this sweet but “sullen-ed by the situation” gentleman. Both as a recruited listener to him and with a daughter-like set of ears from time to time, I was familiar with his situation. He would vent to me about the strains of work life and work politics, and I felt sorry for him. I also feel sorry for anyone who strains to be more upset than I think is warranted, who finds fraud and fault in a system that they think would be perfect, but never could be.  Truly I am not them and not living in their shoes, I can’t judge their justification. Yes, justice should prevail, and we all need to rail against big gaps in our smooth trail, but don’t lose your peace through it. Our peace is the only thing that should not fail. Perhaps we will help others by picking up life’s pothole-filling detail.

We could say “God Rest His Soul” – but if someone doesn’t believe in God, a better statement and prayer is: “God Raise His Soul” – Lord please raise them because they are Yours. Yours to raise in so many Ways. RAISE as in nurture and RAISE as in resurrect. God Raise Our Souls. God Praise Your Whole.

Surely, there will be so many goats when the flock is separated (Matthew 25:31-on). Can we pray for all the departed to not be discarded? Our message is for Your Mercy Lord. Retroactive remorse as a matter of course? When raising of the dead, whose regret will You forgive? It is only in You that we will live. I will pray, for those hearing and not.  God Raise Our Souls, because there are a lot!  

Amen

Be His Fleet of Love 

Life takes its toll on everyone. We are living in a world that is not our home, yet we must travel thru. Many will experience road weariness as well as delight in seeing the sites. Many will make the best of everything and lighten our lives. We love their love. 

We have often seen how fast a bad pothole in the road of life can knock us off our travels. This is true for slower progressing illnesses and immediate deaths. Some potholes of life cause irrevocable damage. Some we can shrug off. And some make us call out for repair.  I’m talking about life travels, not simply vehicles. We are in fleeting times, hold on tight. 

Drive on.

We are all at different speeds. Sometimes see some others pass us fast, some slow. We are this too when compared to other’s points of view.  In life and in death, we see our friends and family simply run out of gas. We too will someday. Meanwhile we are all navigating the way.

Follow The Way.

We must respect death and respect life. We must respect that others are on their side excursions, we are all sometimes seemingly wandering off the path, as we are human. Perhaps we only stop a moment to see the view. Some are adjusting their mirrors to see behind better. Some are cleaning their windshields to see ahead. We must respect all traffic especially because we too stray from time to time. We must be gentle and genuine in our bumper cars and not knock out someone else off the road. We must sometimes help grab a tow truck to deliver aid. We must often refill our gas tanks and carry extra for those on the road. We must watch out for bad weather, not get distracted.  We must put our seat belts on and SLOWDOWN. We must have our affairs in order and be prepared to stop at any moment. 

No road map thru life or thru death exists from human power, only written heavenly.  We are already knowing that life travels on this broken beat up road. There only is certainty in that there’s MUCH NAVIGATING to do. We must actually read the map, put air in our tires and carry a spare. We must read the signs, use the tools placed before us. We must follow the narrow path home. 

Acknowledging our lives are not our own, we are simply are RENTING these cars of us on earth. We are but a RENTAL fleet of His Love.

Love and respect all – that is our Dispatcher’s Call. Turn on His Light and Drive Right. Take the Fare, be ready to Drive Anywhere. 

Life is Fleeting and so are we. Let us be the Fleet of Love – for Thee.

Amen 

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What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1Corinthians 6:16-20

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure – not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing. Jeremiah 10:23-24

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

Matthew 22, Mark 12, Luke 10

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13

I was chomping at the bit to write as soon as our guest pastor, of the neighboring AME church, started her powerful preaching on Ash Wednesday. I LOVED the Lord’s Strength bolting out of her. I loved that she spoke of her time in New Orleans, and all the while I was wearing a Mardi Gras mask under my other mask.   (and please no worries, I was appropriately social distanced at the service… I was actually seated behind the ZOOM iPAD and I loved seeing smiles from the home folks.)

A BLESSING to be in the house of the Lord everyday – and especially Ash Wednesday.

Here’s my devotion:

BE DUST, 17FEB

What a blessing to receive ashes tonight from a pastor who felt like she was so DUST, so worn out by covid and related challenges, that only the Holy Spirit could have taken her from ashes to showing her BRILLIANT LIGHT of Spirit and splashes and flashes of faith. A POWERFUL sermon indeed, urging us to find strength, pray in humbleness and praise in sacrifice. To represent to the world what the ashes really stand for. She felt like she was dust, as in how much more can she and we take? “You have a sense of humor, God?” She battles being a covid survivor “Longhauler”, battled for keeping her church open, tackled the zoom gatherings, and even the vaccination side effects knocked her down…  But I could see that she had not just risen from the ashes as much as it WAS and IS the Holy Spirit that keeps RISING her to KEEP GOING!!!! 

We should all be such DUST, that only the Holy Spirit is left to move in us. We should be the hard pressed clay, filled with the immeasurably magnificent Lord to make His strength known. 

Her tremendous message (her first in a church building in 8 months) spoke of giving and seeing the Lord providing back everything and MORE. She urged us to humble ourselves. Pray. Sacrifice. Go further. Be healed…  Our awareness in these times of turning our sacrifice into a sacrifice of praise can pivot on this scripture: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2nd Chronicles 7:14

Let us all BE DUST and put to rest our human self.  Let us all turn our assets into HIS ASHES and let us rely on HIS POWER. We are BLESSED to be called by HIS NAME. 

We need to choose to kick up a STORM OF FAITH IN HIM. We are HIS DUST.

BE DUST. 

AMEN

---

---

2nd Chronicles 7:12-14

12 And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.

13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

---

2nd Corinthians 4:7-11

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.

Funny how there was something SO very important – so seemingly DIVINE – in my dreams when the cat woke me up at 430am. Do I remember it? No. Was it divinely earth-shattering? Yes. But me and we have all pushed the “snooze button” on God too many times. boo…. 

We are blessed with the Lord waking us up EVERY DAY not just when He has something to say… So did I “interrupt” the divine telephone line? Was the cat in cahoots with the Lord? or did I just stumble into something we don’t usually tap into? There’s plenty of time to sleep, but never going to be enough time to listen to God…

I do feel this dream thought chain was important enough to say that these thoughts were NOT my thoughts: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

How often what gets planted in our brains (all of us, not just me) are CRUCIAL tidbits to expanding our faith – from being re-wired, re-vined while God has us in downtime… You know what? none of it is FROM us anyway – the Spirit speaks from the Spirit. We are the filters to catch big chunks and small little whispers and the more time we take listening, the more refined the connections. Now, I’m NOT saying that this revelation in my dream would change or save the world because the truth is there is only ONE savior for the world’s people and He already did just that – if only people could and would hear… I wish I had more to say of what the Lord says – but the truth is: He already said it all when He gave it all.

Oh, what does the Lord say?

Maybe tomorrow it will replay.

We are to assemble the Word in a Worshipful Way.

And Savor working His Work for one more day.

Listen and Pray.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday

as He is today.

Amen

Jesus, I DELIGHT in what You Say. 

Lord, Please Don’t Let My:

Heart Sway

Soul Decay

Mind Stray

Strength be at Bay

Heart Play

Soul slip Away 

Mind Nay

Strength Fray

Lord in You, Please Bless My:

Heart to Pray 

Soul to Stay

Mind make Hay

Strength to Splay

Lord for You, My:

Heart Delights Today 

Soul Leaps Today 

Mind Worships Today

Strength Works Today 

…

Because You Give Light to the Day, 

I want to Love in Your Way. 

I shall DELIGHT in what You Say. 

—-

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 NIV

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

---

Luke 10:28-37 NIV-UK

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’

The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’

‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Whose son is the Messiah?

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?  David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

‘“The Lord said to my Lord:

    ‘Sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies

    under your feet.’”

David himself calls him “Lord”. How then can he be his son?’  THE LARGE CROWD LISTENED TO HIM WITH DELIGHT.

---

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

---

Mark 12: 30-31

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

---

Leviticus 19:16-19

“‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.

“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

“‘Keep my decrees.”

…

32 “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.

It’s the sweetest thing to behold a baby, but what a huge obligation of protection, nurturing, safety, precaution and love to see them thru life…. it’s both that we still worry when they are older and we are thankful they are older as they navigate life OK on their own without us…. wow, the stress and bless lifestyle of a parent… They do carry our guidance and love, we pray they will always remember our love. 

What does the Lord do with us? Raise us until we are on our own then jet off to His own doings? NOPE. We are still blessed with both Fatherly oversights and older brother Jesus’s guidances for sure AND also benefit from the Holy Spirit moving, a hedging protection for us, making things happen, stopping us in our tracks when we forget guidance… IF WE WOULD ONLY LISTEN!!! WOW, baby, we have never been so blessed and coddled… God says: “Baby, BE MINE!!!” (Let us be HIS Valentine)

Let us not baby our faith as much as the Lord babies us. Because the maturity of faith is in the following BY faith. The Lord is herding cats when He probably would rather have sheep. But He knows how we are,  He knows the decision is ours to accept His guidance or not, and He does ask us to walk with Him, not crawl uninformed. He knows there are worldly perils and wants us to walk above the fray. We know our rebellious choices or just sneaky moves might sway us and distract us from seeing His shepherding. He doesn’t overlord us as much as Lord over.

He doesn’t want us to run ahead of Him like a cat criss-crossing our walking legs, thinking they know where you are going. But urge us to follow behind, to follow in order to pause and love. Stop and smell the roses sure, but it’s more like stop and plant the roses, cultivate the roses, hand out the roses. Be the rose for Him that He cultivates on the Vine.

See, we are but babies in a forever Kingdom, we are getting old in tooth but not old in spirit. We are just getting our feet, we have much to learn from the Lord.  If we are sensitive to listening, He is merciful to us in many ways.

The Lord wants us to learn how to live to SHARE LOVE. Wants us to walk in LOVE. Wants us to BE THE LOVE. BE HIS LOVE in the world. 

I’d rather be a baby in the Kingdom and toddling along to learn how to love, sharing love FOR Him, than to crawl in darkness looking for love for me. I’d rather stop to learn the love lessons, than zoom so fast ahead and run until I realize there’s no road map because there’s no road. Remember, Jesus is the Way, He knows the Way, He made a Way where there is no way. 

I appreciate that Jesus walks WITH  us, so let’s walk WITH Him.  LET’S LIVE TO LAVISH LOVE, ALL ALONG THE WAY. 

AMEN 

---

2nd John 5-9, writing a letter:

“I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ASK THAT WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. “

A soaking thought when I went to bed was still in my sponge soul when I woke up, that I had to write asking that we pray for all people: for a softening of hearts thru hydration for the soul – to become a sponge spiritually soaking up Living Water.

Tears soften our hearts to our plight and to the plight of loved ones and those who simply touch our hearts. Love, which comes totally from God, softens the soul. Jesus taught that the thirst for Life was only quenched by Living Water, worshipping In Spirit and Truth (John 4). Our sponge wants to soak Him up.

In John 4, Jesus is said to be baptizing people, however it was (and still is) His disciples baptizing – but we all know now that Jesus at that time provided the atmosphere of Living Water in which people were drawing nearer to Him. (He still does)

Isn’t it interesting that instead of us drawing water from a well like the Samaritan woman, this Living Water of Jesus draws us to Him, we seek the Well because His Water is good. He wants to refill the sponge of our souls. And not be stale water holders, but fluid active conduits. We are to be not just Jesus sponges but Jesus wicks. Jesus Himself as human needed to drink well water on a hot day. We too run dry and need to rehydrate in water wellness and Living Water Well-ness. If we soak Him in, we become filled with not stagnant water but “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

I’m remembering to refill my humidifier each day (wish that had an endless source).  The fan draws electricity and waves of moisture from the wick draws even more water from the tank. The moisture spreads throughout the air, helping us all to breathe easier.  The ultimate moisture droplets we pray to fill the whole atmosphere are from Living Water, and we need to soak it in, to plug ourselves in, to draw it up like a wick, and then SPREAD HIM as Healing Hydration to the world from the springs in us. The closeness of His Well allows the Waves of His Love to waft thru.

Let us pray: Word of Jesus, water our sponge-soaking souls, please warm our hearts, fan our wicks, and make us a wave of Your Living Water to spread knowledge of You where want Your Love us to go.

Let us worship in spirit and in truth. Wick our Way.

Amen

—-

John 4:1-26 NKJV

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John  (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),  He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour [noon].

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

The Super Bowl commercial which had me roaring in laughter was so funny to a level that my son, sitting next to me, did not understand. People handing M&Ms bags to others, specifically the scene in the Catholic church, visualize a great old wooden confessional box and a man re-opening the door at the end and handing a bag of M&Ms inside, saying: “I wish you didn’t have to hear all that.”

I laughed from a deep spot of surprise and understanding. It was too long a discussion to explain to my son. I just laughed. I’m still laughing.

Lately, I’ve been watching MASH reruns, and it’s one of the rare TV shows which included discussions of God including a tremendous portrayal by William Christopher as Father Mulcahy. Real discussions as well as jocularity. Intense moments of comfort and prayers shown plus reflection for many characters made possible just by the presence of a man of God. (Sometimes our faith helps others just by seeing our steps). We also see Father Mulchahy’s own wrestling of his faith in war. What any military minister experiences in war must be a challenge. This 1981 episode “Identity Crisis” has an injured soldier in a grave sin. Literally, as he switched dog tags with his dead friend who had orders for discharge, with intentions to to fake his way back to the states as a dead man rather than risk his own skin again. Grave sin in a dead man’s skin. Because of the info on the stolen dog tags, they gave him the wrong blood type; his friend’s dog tags which also had him notated as Jewish. The doctor noticed the symptoms of switching blood; the priest noticed the symptoms of confusion over him saying “yeah I’m orthodox” but not knowing much of Judaism. But when he did finally confess up, in confessional, there was no confusion about the steps to absolution of his sin. Father Mulcahy, in the middle of the private moment said so plainly: I can’t grant absolution when there’s no repentance. How can I?… He needed this young man to level up on his own. He presented encouragement to own up, reading him letters from the dead man’s own blood relatives. 

Confess UP. Level UP. It’s both to give UP the truth and acknowledge that the Truth is UP.

Confessional forgiveness only comes from acknowledging your own sinful skin needs saving… and Christ forgiveness comes from Him, and we need to acknowledge that our own sin needs repentance. It is not just worldly sin we make, it’s our broken inheritance of original sin, our default of being lost, blind, and in the mud. We climb UP from the mud, but we need to seek the washing clean up from Jesus. We need to empty our sin and our skin of our ways and fill up with Him. Jesus took our skin and our sin and replaced it because He is our Kin.

Forgiveness only comes from UP, meaning from our Heavenly Father UP above our world, by allowing Jesus who gave UP His worldly skin for our worldly sins. Jesus put His Godliness into a tight space of one human form, but His Power over death was and is uncontainable. His death was ripping open the direct path to God. Our death is just part of passing through His ripped body as our confessional. No M&Ms needed, not even the wrapper of your earthly body enters thru, UP into His glory. 

Jesus hearing our confessional AND knowing repentance won’t need M&Ms to sooth His ears. He already knows your rap better than the crinkling of your wrapper. 

Asking somebody like a fellow person for forgiveness might seem like you are putting them through a rough spot, but asking Jesus? He helps us feel that JOY in spirit now – He already went thru the roughest of death – we need to confess we can never understand how rough it was for Him. Jesus takes us UP away from sin – ours and everyone’s who sheds their skin to Him. Let that sink into your skin.

Praise Him. Raise Him. Confess UP to Him. 

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great JOY — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” Jude 1:24-25.

AMEN 

The icicles have been growing, every day I can watch them lengthen in my window. If there wasn’t plastic sealing on this window, I would have already grabbed one for fun. This is a real winter for a change, with real snow and real treasures. Isn’t that one of those great childhood joys of winter? Playing in the snow, giant icicles, hitting them with snowballs and sticks. And how long could they grow? Feet long at my parent’s house. How fun to hold one that long without breaking it. My Aunt told me that on the back porch of the farmhouse she has some many feet in length from gutter to ground – I can see them in my mind.

Endless memories of fun formed by the sun. Cycles of heat, sun, cold, making the melting into more.

Isn’t that like thinking about God’s Endless love.  Watching it grow longer and stronger and more than more. It’s forevermore. We can realize His Endless Love is Love in the present, not just the past or future. Love has not ever been anything but Timeless. 

How does God look at us with adoring Love? Adoring Love is unfailing Love even when we are not ourselves unfailing.

Because His Love is from Him, it is Endless and Unbroken like Him. His Love does not depend on us. And because His Love existed for us always, not as love for the world, but love for the workers in the world, it is adoring Love because it is as specific as it is wide. The length of His days are as long as they are short. It is God doing the looking at us in Love so wide, so forever, so deeply from the depths of His Heart. He has memories of our spirit before we are even born. He remembers our youth like yesterday. He longs for us to be home with Him forever. He watches us with love and longing. He is a generous God as much as He is a jealous God. He is God loving not in cycles but forever.

We can watch and reflect on the progress of our life, but God watches the progress of our LOVE. 

Amen Lord, You are Endless Love, Faithful Love, Forever Love.

You are Love.

—-

Song: You Are My Strength  – a favorite we sang in praise band

https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/you-are-my-strength-hillsong-worship/

You are my strength

Strength like no other

Strength like no other

Reaches to me

You are my hope

Hope like no other

Hope like no other

Reaches to me

In the fullness of Your grace 

In the power of Your Name

You lift me up

You lift me up

Unfailing love

Stronger than mountains

Deeper than oceans

Reaches to me

Your love O Lord

Reaches to the heavens

Your faithfulness

 Reaches to the sky

I don’t take much downtime – but this slowdown and these really cold winter nights plus semi-isolation time and the fact that my one child is off at college, well I take more downtime… The weekends have never been more open. Work is busy but downtime is not – you can only clean this house so many times before you realize it will never get in order.   Instead, a movie was in order – Netflix and the sleeping cat next to me – imagine that…  The story in the movie “Fatima” (actually I googled most of the plot as I watched) is a classic, always watched the old film at Easter time and this version was well done.  Deep complex characters, hitting the same the classic themes: faith needs no data and unbelief can NOT be bridged by anything but faith… Unbelief builds upon itself just as much as faith builds upon itself… Also seemingly hypocrisy feeds itself and unbelief sometimes pushes the thought that belief is only looking for obvious miracles as well as should bring miracles to that person – as if there is a magic of perfect living, of instant answers, and of “plain as day” revelations. But we know that life with faith doesn’t depend upon perfection, our timing or on our sight. We as people should not pigeonhole God and His Godly Ways to fit our boxes. Life with FAITH depends on HOPE, TRUTH, KNOWING, LISTENING, BEING, and of course LOVE. Faith is ours to grab, hold onto, and appreciate. Blindness is not boldness.

Probably the best movie moments (fictitious or not) in this movie rendition are the conversations back and forth of the unbeliever journalist and older Sister Lucia (who lived until her 90’s). He had tough questions that she answered in a stare down of truth. If she didn’t pick at his shell of unbelief, she wouldn’t find or know of his soft spots. We don’t know from the movie if she made any progress on him, but we should all be poking at the artificial shields and praying for unbelievers so that God can make some good soft spots in their hearts towards Him. Work the soil of the non-believers and perhaps something will grow.

There’s interesting intrigue in this story too, yes, SECRETS, things that even the lady didn’t want revealed until the proper time… Predictions of deaths and hell, assassination and war. It’s been said by later interpretations of Lucia’s own words that nothing predicted was unexpected and Lucia only was giving her testimony as plainly as she experienced… As for apocalyptic visions, regardless of timing or placement, if you have read the book of Revelation, you know that it’s NOT gonna be pretty. Enough said.

I have read so little about this story but these people in 1917 knew wartime AND a flu epidemic. They knew suffering. The visions that Lucia recounted didn’t promise a lack of suffering. A favorite movie line is sadly true: people will still not believe even if they look at the face of God. Yet so many faithful do HOPE, they and we believe in hope, however bad a circumstance is. Hope is stronger than any storm. We who suffer little in comparison to those who suffer(ed) much still must believe that faith is the foundation for everything that brings HOPE. Faith keeps us moving, not faith in our own faith, as we are so fallible, but our faith in God’s ability. God still moves regardless of our faith. He doesn’t need our approval or attention, does He? Let’s give it anyway, in faith.

I have faith that all will be revealed at the proper hour. Jesus said, speaking first to his disciples: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” Luke 12:1-3

Therefore, I have no intent to discuss validity or not of any of the Fatima predictions (but I would love to travel there in Portugal as well as Lourdes in France) – I present these theories of the testimonies because they are interesting, with a link to the description of “the secrets”, but really I include the below link and text because I appreciated at least three (and more) statements by Pope Benedict (who stepped down but is actually still alive) describing Fatima’s Lucia: 1) you have to check EVERYTHING against scripture – YES; 2) he spoke of “data” – God coming to man naturally produces the data which allows man to come to God – YES! God knew I needed data for my brain so that my brain then would both stop getting in the way AND participate in the Way. Jesus sees the heart flares rising and comes a calling! and 3) Jesus as God Himself ‘took on a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.’

We worship best by placing love first, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).  Let us let God have the Last Word, because He certainly had the First.

Amen  

—-

from https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html

2 excerpts:

“It is called a Revelation because in it God gradually made himself known to men, to the point of becoming man himself, in order to draw to himself the whole world and unite it with himself through his Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. It is not a matter therefore of intellectual communication, but of a life-giving process in which God comes to meet man. At the same time this process naturally produces data pertaining to the mind and to the understanding of the mystery of God. It is a process which involves man in his entirety and therefore reason as well, but not reason alone. Because God is one, history, which he shares with humanity, is also one.”

—-

“The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word. From that time forth, the word that prevails is this: In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33). The message of Fatima invites us to trust in this promise.”

Took an older post, very early post, and made it into a rhyme…posted on my other blog site where I am revamping the earliest posts from 6 years ago – I promised the Lord and myself that I would do this – finally starting again!

https://learningtoflyasadaugtherofgod.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/jesus-our-hero/

JESUS – OUR HERO

Snow, real and deep, is not a show.

Sound-dampening air-pocket filled piles of big beautiful fluffy flakes covering the muddy-ucky ground – preventing hustle and bustle – World Peace mimicked just from SNOW.

Snow = no driving, no school, no work, no fuss, the world takes a rest, you know.

World peace is a wish. Perhaps you might hear God say “Be Still and Know”.

Perhaps you might remember that God makes the SNOW.

Accepting Jesus – He is always wanting us to GROW.

But like waiting for snow, you have to wait until God tells you so.

I thought I would wait years but instead God said “Come-on, GO!”

Naaman not only dipped himself into the river – he had to get out of his own way – he had to 100% completely LET GO.

Allowing God to baptize him – and us – we have to BELIEVE 100% – to become purer than Ivory SNOW.

We have to share our stories – it is incremental – sometimes it feels fast and sometimes deliberately SLOW.

I had a dream of Jesus – asking me to drink from His cup – oh those many years AGO.

And now – I just so appreciate that He is in me and I just want Him to FLOW.

Christianity is a journey – ongoing – forever a trek – no promises for easy walks – sometimes high and sometimes LOW.

Follow Jesus – He is the Way – He is the ultimate in promises fulfilled – He IS our RAINBOW.

Jesus, You ARE our rescue HERO.

YEAH, I am going to enjoy this new Zoom Bible study – there are 4 of us ladies, 3 from the west coast and me on the east… it is nice to be just a few of us so we don’t talk over each other, LOL…

The book “Be Mature” is about the scriptures in James and how James (Jesus’ brother) is teaching spiritual maturity. We are doing one chapter per week – pre-reading and then sharing the reading during the session. But how did I connect with another church a coast away? I got on a mailing list, well they invited anyone to a zoom bible study for the book of James and I happened to have been reading the book of James when that email came thru…. God does not make mistakes, and God can cross the country, why not??!!!…

The moderator explained that she too attends/is affiliated with multiple churches and wanted to put that out there in case people were confused or taken aback. I chuckled as I feel SO BLESSED to be “attending” 2, and catching up with a couple more services later in the week… yeah, God is Criss-Crossing us all in a stronger support network… Let the Lord strengthen and enrich the network of His net! Spiritual maturity means we eat solid foods rather than just spiritual milk, therefore why wouldn’t the church become a hardy strong intertwine of strong branches, and not just sapling trees all competing for the light… the weaving of a basket, enriching the net, vining the garden to bear fruit, making a stronger ONE church…    Cool…

(from the great Monty Python movie, with a few “adaptations” https://youtu.be/-ea_y8zpzqU )

“There it is, the Bridge of Death. Oh, great. Look, there’s the old man from scene 24, What is he doing here? He is the keeper of the Bridge of Death. He asks each traveler five questions. Three questions. Three questions may cross in safety. What if you get a question wrong? Then you are cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril…    “…just answer the five questions. Three questions. Three questions as best you can and we shall watch and pray… I understand, my liege. Good luck, brave Sir…., God be with you.

“Stop, who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ‘ere the other side he see.   Ask me the questions bridge keeper, I’m not afraid.

What is your name?

My name is ….

What is your quest?

To seek Spiritual Maturity

What is your favorite color?

Blue.

Right, off you go.

Oh, thank you, thank you very much.

That’s easy.

…

Stop, what is your name?

It is Arthur, King of the Britons

What is your quest?

To seek Spiritual Maturity

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What do you mean? An African or European swallow?

What? I, I don’t know that!

Aaaaaaaaaa.

“How do know so much about swallows?  Well, you have to know these things when you’re a king, you know”….

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (plus some, LOL)   https://youtu.be/-ea_y8zpzqU

…….

What REALLY is our quest?

Saved and accepting Jesus or traversing and being pulled towards that free “grace space”? In all, we are to desire SPIRITUAL MATURITY, moving forward from spiritual milk to solid food to our Daily Bread.

How easy or tough is it to be on a quest for SPIRITUAL MATURITY? Is it really as easy as answering a question about your favorite color and moving on? Perhaps it is just taking life, one question at a time, and answering with truth and NOT be wishy washy (“blue? no yellow! aaaaarrrgggghhh” like in the movie the traveler is tossed into the chasm). Spiritual maturity is just something your Spirit has been wanting your whole life. It means continued daily walking with the Lord and emulating Jesus. Accepting, then doing, living, and maturing.

Is it first necessary that you WANT spiritual maturity? Well sometimes it is thrust upon you like a school of hard knocks, learning to trust the Lord when you especially DIDN’T.  Tis much better to walk along your quest. Tis much better to follow the Leader, Jesus, and answer the questions (“FIVE, no THREE“), just be like He… And actually it’s best to let Jesus answer any question FOR THEE.

“How do know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you’re a king, you know.” Yes, Jesus knows all the answers better than King Arthur or any earthly king (make believe or not). God knows the swallows and the birds – and God cares for them. Jesus tells us how much MORE we ae cared for.

How do we approach growing? Read? Write? Walk? GROW. We should live to grow. Keep asking “now what?” Better to read ahead in our bibles and walk our faith, ask for direction before we have to ask because we are lost.

My mother recently said simply, when I mentioned my writing was not forced but I just had to do it: “Well, if you can make pies, you make pies. If you write, you write.” She really said that. Yeah. She’s really is a great apple pie maker… How to make a good crust, well that’s from lots of practice and not overworking the dough. She’s an excellent bread maker too. Over work the dough, or underbake it, switch to inferior ingredients, these things will all make a pie crust or bread worse. I guess I have a different task than pie making, and my quest is not necessarily the writing, is BETTER WALKING – it is actually better reading scripture and reading life in the light of scripture… Incorporating and walking WITH the Lord, not anything else. Learn from the Smart Kid. Walk in His path, like sure steps in deep snow.

How similar to the making of pies, to the meat of it. For the writing or reading scriptures, and being walked further into spiritual maturity, is the same: overwork it, under think it, switch to inferior thoughts, these will all make a less desirable impact in you.

Spiritual Maturity? Why do we want it? I think that Life would be overworked, overwrought and have you overstepping your daily bread to overstressing your life into toast. Don’t become toast. Life would be underbaked, raw and less palatable without continued LEARNING and WALKING WITH THE LORD. Don’t stop short of God’s plan for you.  Life would be inferior and made from scraps or fluff or something other than what the Lord feeds us on, HIS WORD. Don’t get distracted by false prophets or worldly things or sugary pie fillings. Life would not be Life to the level of Life without Life IN the Lord… We should all want to work the Word and have the Word work thru us. Jesus IS the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.

To keep maturing and wanting spiritual maturity – that IS our quest.

What about our daily bread? Isn’t that much more sustenance than food? Bread of life IN the Lord, of the Lord, brings a daily direction and sustenance to our steps: don’t overthink it, under prep it, or look elsewhere. Daily bread is only enough for today, new manna for each man every day, not too much or too little. Don’t save daily bread for tomorrow as it will grow stale, moldy, and NOT a treasure on earth to keep.  Daily bread for TODAY and not for tomorrow’s worries. Tomorrow will take care of itself. As the Lord WILL take your burdens today for today, let Him lead, and then tomorrow He will be there too.

Keep QUESTING the Spiritual Way, not questioning.

Keep the faith not falling behind in our walk.

Keep the Walk WITH Jesus, because HE KNOWS THE WAY.

Cross the bridges of everything in life by KNOWING the Lord.

Knowing the Lord growing IN us, IS OUR QUEST.

AMEN

—-

Proverbs 11

The Lord detests dishonest scales,

    but accurate weights find favor with him.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

    but with humility comes wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,

    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,

    but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

    but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;

    all the promise of their power comes to nothing.

8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,

    and it falls on the wicked instead.

9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,

    but through knowledge the righteous escape.

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

    when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

    but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,

    but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence,

    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,

    but victory is won through many advisers.

15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

    but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,

    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,

    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,

    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

19 Truly the righteous attain life,

    but whoever pursues evil finds death.

20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,

    but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,

    but those who are righteous will go free.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

    but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25 A generous person will prosper;

    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

26 People curse the one who hoards grain,

    but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,

    but evil comes to one who searches for it.

28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,

    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,

    and the fool will be servant to the wise.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

    and the one who is wise saves lives.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,

    how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

I don’t knock the snow or complain “too much” if it snows – God knows why He needs that snow – think of all the things that He could use to get our attention or stop us in our tracks for His purposes… Snow is one of them…  and often we DO see it coming. How can we complain if we know the game.

ICE? well, that is another question – and we seem to get more ice than snow lately, LIKE TODAY, where I sit on the classic ice/snow corridor- but why wouldn’t God use any and all circumstances to His advantage? Ice is even more halting, more stopping power than snow. Ice is nice if you want to skate on it, not brake on it.

I love snow as you all know – but with folks worrying about the snow, I have to share these important blogs to me that were early on in my awakening, where the snow and the ice were CRUCIAL to my awakening… So, I don’t knock the snow, God is IN THE KNOW!!! Your inconvenience may be someone else’s awakening, like mine…

GOD SENDS SNOWFLAKES AT HIS RIGHT TIME. SNOWFLAKES timing may be divine.

Don’t Knock the Snow, God is in the Know!

Snow is divine! Just ask Job if he knows!

—————-

blogs where I KNEW God was pushing me more mature in my faith

https://debbieupper.blog/2015/12/23/god-decorated-my-christmas-tree-27jan-42/

#42 God Decorated my Christmas Tree, 27JAN 2015

Oh crud (not the word I used)…I just realized that this is nor’EASTER snow…not Christmas snow but Easter snow….guess Easter’s roller coaster is here for me to start my ride…  😉

I see God decorated my Christmas tree even more beautifully then I could have ever done…. Countless tiny decorations…Not the snow amounts I expected, but the snow I needed, and it’s still coming…and I thank God for SNOW and Christmas…

—-

https://debbieupper.blog/2016/01/30/sheds-snow-be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god-20mar-101/

#101

Sheds, Snow, Be Still and Know that I AM GOD, 20Mar 2015

“Be still and know that I am God.”    I think about that scripture a lot… and yet I’ve always thought that doesn’t mean I have to be idle. I was thinking so much about God, about me, about the church, and about bringing people back into the church… and about the conference I’m going to tomorrow about why people leave church.

Maybe we should ask why people stay in church rather than why they leave church. Maybe people are not being fed with spiritual wholesomeness, maybe they just don’t have time for light church activities, maybe they stay when they really feel connected.

If I hadn’t reached out with my faith questions I wonder how long it would have taken for someone to ask me (in love): “Hey there, Debbie, where are you with your faith?”  You know, I think people really had already asked me that, perhaps I really didn’t hear them talking to me!  An early person to whom I told about my faith questioning said something like: “Oh, you are a church leader… we really are not doing a good job of tending to our own are were?”. But well, it’s OK – no one knew – I know that everybody’s busy… it’s not really anyone’s fault…it’s no one’s fault that we are so busy… there’s so many people to attend to….  If I felt the time in the place to question to vocalize my struggles years before, I wonder if I would have done it. It took me awhile to get over this embarrassment of my faith questions. So, who knows where I’d be now…. it was God’s timing – not mine and certainly not anyone elses…. It’s always God’s timing… God took the corrective action on me now, after I was already well established in my church community, so maybe I’m the one that is supposed to now ask you people, you friends, “Where are you in your faith?”

People say read your Bible everyday, I didn’t… I did certainly talk to God everyday and I had just said to myself:  ’well I get devotions emailed to me everyday… I see God everyday… the bible scriptures seem to come to me while I am moving asking on this life… do I really need to pause to read??? I really am only idle when I write…. “… Well it was JUST then, immediately, that God ANSWERED my question. See, I’ve been cleaning out the shed and talking to God….you know idle hands do the Devils work, right? and for me moving hands frees my brain to think, and to talk with myself, and to talk with God. I had just finished getting the shed ready for somebody who is currently homeless and we are going to store some of his stuff. It’s okay we have some room. But that’s NOT why God blessed me in His attentiveness. That’s not why you are blessed. It is not the good works that cause God to give us Grace… We have it already. God made us human to get work done – He gave us two hands, two feet, a brain and He certainly gave us a mouth.   Sometimes we are to use our mouths to comfort and sometimes to keep quiet….when we know that we could say something, but the fact that we don’t speaks more volumes… Maybe we are to ask somebody everyday “where are you in your faith?”  and then shut up and listen..  I had just finished these GOD thoughts when I walking back to the house… it starts SNOWING! I stopped – cold – dead in my tracks. God, I really stopped, I was truly shaken to a stop… for two maybe three minutes looking at the small precious unique snowflakes.

Stopped IDLE in my tracks… looked up in tears and said:  “Thank you God, for the snow….Thank you God, for listening to me… Why did you choose me to witness your glory? Thank you God… for making me still and know that YOU ARE GOD.

Be STILL and KNOW that I AM GOD.

—–

More snow blogs:

In my last few days of awakening and not being at 100% yet with Jesus – I was an emotional softening heart… God knew me to place me with the right people, who knew His heart but didn’t know what was going on with me… here’s a crucial one:

https://debbieupper.blog/2015/12/23/and-god-sent-ice-18jan-32/

#32 (connected  to #31 before this)

This is an important follow up to last night’s post… It is not lost on me that while hot tea would be appropriate to drink here on the cozy couch by the Christmas tree (I wrote this after the Ice storm) that instead the extra drink from my kids’ happy meal is (yes) ICE tea…I am drinking ICE tea…

And God Sent ICE, 18Jan2015

After my fails at belaying and trusting during rock climbing, I couldn’t wait to get back this morning to try again. Luckily we stayed overnight; I had good therapy of silly moms until 1am, a good solid five hours sleep. We had 2 hours to climb in the morning. but I knew I had to leave an hour early to get to church class… and because of Girl Scout falling ill with fever, I was leaving even earlier – which meant only half an hour of climbing for my daughter… she was not happy at the least because rock climbing appears to be her life calling now…

But then God sent ICE. Icy freezing rain covering everything… Church  at 8 o’clock cancelled 9 o’clock canceled… I zip through social media , phone calls, texts … will my 10 o’clock class be cancelled too?.. prayerfully hoping (not that we should have left anyway because the roads were the worst…  shut down, many car pileups)…ICE…terrible to say, but the JOY as I knew they would cancel, and they did…I could tell my daughter that she could climb the whole two hours…and climb she did, wow she is amazing!

After the flurry of texting etc about church canceled, I turned my attention to myself…it was time to retrain, refocus, retest …it was time to belay again, this time I was so determined, practiced and said I will belay my own daughter…I will never take my eye off of her…I would give my whole hand to keep her from falling…not worry about a possible pinch like I got last night. Well, she was too exhausted, I asked for a volunteer…guess what?  The daughter of my friend who I left hanging last night when I pinched my hand…she is the one who volunteered…yes I would give my hand for this daughter too…

With steady, even-keeled serious Keith our trainer, by my side, we started the test…she climbed, I belayed, I gave her advice for foot holds…I had good technique Keith assured me…I didn’t take my eye off her… She was to randomly fall four times in my test…she did, I found the right position for my hands…I didn’t drop her or forget about her…I saw her safely back to the wall…and safely down when we were done. I passed. No, I didn’t make a fuss…quiet victory, humbled achievement.

Now that I am certified, and my daughter will be wanting to go to the climbing gym, I know there will be more pain and pinches ahead…but I have better technique, better focus…it is not just rock climbing I am taking about…it’s counseling, it’s reaching out to people, it’s LIFE. Focus on your technique, never lose sight of the climber, keep the faith, and pray for God’s guidance.

The ice gave me extra time to climb my personal mountain, made us slow down and not be over confident on our drive home… And on my ride home, one of my teenage passengers was named Grace. I drove home with Grace, the free and unmerited favor from God.

Thank God for the Ice and the Grace.

——

And more with snow

https://debbieupper.blog/2015/12/23/rain-a-floating-rain-18jan-34/

so close to Feb 1st – God was softening my last ice blocks to 100% – I felt the ice jam ready to go…

https://debbieupper.blog/2015/12/23/weird-dreams-snow-and-jesus-26jan-41/

I woke up in the edges of a dream where I saw dangling letters, chunky cartoon-like letters in upper and lowercases, hung on strings, blowing in the breeze hanging from the roof of my mind (wow what a cave!)… I guess these letters dancing will remind me to finish this writing of how the Word’s word “genuineness” looked like “gentleness” to me in my reading:

It’s not unusual for me to multitask, not just with my hands, but in my brain I might have 3 conversations at the same time. Yup. That’s why music that fills 2/3 of my brain possibly keeps that part busy and allows that last third of my brain to get work done.

I read this passage as my brain was mulling over what I could say to my family members (really anyone) about their belief in an afterlife, about knowing and acknowledging Jesus. Many of us wonder how to share and see someone’s commitment to Christ within our family and friends. Really, except for the obvious oblivious, it is unknown to use whether some people are saved or not, we can’t measure their mustard seed of faith, as Jesus does the judging,  we just do the nudging… and in my triple tasking mind, one third sleepy, one third talking to myself, it was in the third third that God morphed an important word: “genuineness” appeared as “gentleness”. YES, as it is the Spirit directing me to continue sharing faith, the Spirit is also reminding of nudging in GENTLENESS (as well as GENUINENESS)… Maybe my eyes morphed and SAW “Gentleness” in the softness of my heart, but I know in my soul that the Word which does NOT change, and the Word brings clarity.

Gentleness is what happens when genuineness in faith gets you thru the trials of life. Peter’s 1st letter (ch1 v6-8) is where my morphing eyes probably got the other letters from these dangling in the breeze thru my swiss cheese mind:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven GENUINENESS of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

Faith by fire is almost a guaranteed position we are placed in… but either you are IN the fire (ouch) or near it’s warming warmth (ahhhh…). So genuine gentleness, AND real witness of saving grace, will demonstrate that your faith IS more valuable to you than gold… and gold is VERY valuable as a solid rock of interest. Well, our rock of faith is unseen but joy-filling. Our rock IS Jesus the Christ. Our lives sometimes inside a rock tumbler, but our faith is what is shined, genuine-ed and refined…

Another rock reference: Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ … and, ‘A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’   They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1st Peter 2

I love how God uses real tangible things like rocks to describe Himself and His plan… ESPECIALLY since He doesn’t want us to listen to the rumblings of loose rocks in our head but feel the FIRM Rock of Faith in our souls, the Rock which makes us stumble when we don’t listen or obey, the Rock who rocks our perceived notions of God, and the Rock of which we are to build our faith upon. The Rock of Jesus…

Jesus is genuine gentle God.

Jesus is the rock that stumbles and saves.

Gentleness is not catching more flies with honey, gentleness is about being yourself (and gentleness in my family is treasured) – so gentleness is genuine for me. We are also to hear the rattling of the reminders that the unsaved are running out of time, and hear loud authoritative types warning of accepting salvation, saying: “repent or die!”…

I love this cartoon posted recently (attached) which shows a doomsday prophet’s day job with an orange hardhat in a construction crew, his sign says: “The bend is near”. Well, we could look to the end of life or even the next bend in life, the next tumble in the rocks of our life tumbler, OR we could find our Rock of Faith in Jesus, build on it and make straight the path for Him, to Him, with Him… then, you who believe in him and have received His mercy can be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

We can be the gentleness of HIS genuineness – and warm (and warn):

THAT THE END IS NEAR BUT THE SAVIOR IS HERE.

Amen

I have come across Psalm 139 like 3 times in the last couple days…  I think it is one of the best psalms since it really hammers home the message that we are God’s and He will find us. He loves us so much to hunt us down. He knows everything… and David prays what we all should pray: if there is anything offensive in me, set me straight, lead me to everlasting.

What makes this psalm more real to me is when I am singing it (verses 7-10). I would raise my right hand to grab His so strongly – He will never let us go, but I still think it is SO important to hold on tight.

I appreciate that verse: even the darkness is light to you. We think about times when we are not sure what the next step is, how this life on earth will go down for us, and we wonder sometimes: “what am I missing here?” Well, God knows the words before we speak them, He is watching us react to the Light He unveils for us, He thinks about us endlessly. He also wants us to realize that “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” This means we will be alright. Remain the Lord.

God’s knowledge of us is from before we are born. He Himself knits us together – no one given to Jesus will fall out of His Hand. We may get scared into Holy Fear if we stray, but Jesus won’t let us go.

Psalm 139.

God knows… Jesus holds… the Spirit flows…   

Amen

——

Psalm 139 For the director of music. Of David.

1 You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you’re there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will [bring me home] hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

The mystery of God becomes so clear when you look behind the curtain: IT’S LOVE. 

When Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz appeared before the “all powerful Oz”, she quickly realized the Oz man was not a god but a man putting up a bluff. “Don’t worry about the man behind the curtain.” He had to separate himself to look powerful. Well, there was no great power or purpose except for the make believe. He may have thought it was because the world of the Emerald City wanted a great and mysterious ruler, but Dorothy quickly found out that there was no power and he couldn’t help her, nor could he even control his hot air balloon. But he helped the others, the tinman, lion, scarecrow, realize that they always had what they desired. Wisdom is a gift to all of us, if we ask for it.

We might see some mysteries, but those blinded by glitz will look for escalating glitz. How defeating it is if the mystery becomes fake. We should desire to see plain truth.

In faith, we can see thru fake. We can and will see real truth when we start walking with opening eyes.  We can especially feel the truth when we let our eyes of the heart lead us, not the eyes on our head. We can see and know the mystery of the Lord includes what we don’t yet know, not what does not exist, but what we have yet to see. We don’t have fake or need to fake anything, we have REAL truth to love, real hope to honor, real Spirit to guide, and real love to share.  The great mystery of all, Paul writes to Ephesians and to us, is “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep IS the love of Christ, and to know THIS LOVE that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God“…. YES, how intense the LOVE IS, how lovely GOD’S LOVE IS. These are mysteries of faith, but as real as real can be. 

And we have direct access, no curtain, no separation.  The temple curtain which separated the people from the innermost chambers of worship was the most thick. It split right thru when Jesus gave up His Spirit and died. There was and is NO barrier to God, no blockages for our travel. There was no mystery behind the curtain that we cannot see, we just haven’t been around long enough to know everything. But there’s NO mystery that behind the mystery of God is LOVE.

“My anchor holds within the veil” – we are to ENTER into the inner chamber, we are to anchor our lives IN that love of God from God. He loved us first. We are to worship in Spirit and Truth because God IS ALL these. Jesus revealed that thru Him, and our acceptance of His invitation, we will NEVER be separated from the LOVE of God.

That’s what’s behind, below, around the curtain: LOVE 

No doubt, real TRUTH is that Jesus is BOTH the “mystery” to those who only could prophesy about His coming but did not live to tell of the actual coming – and that Jesus was and is the mystery IN us, who’ve come to know that His Spirit in dwells in us.

Paul discovered and wrote about this truth – We hold the MYSTERY of faith, Jesus, right inside us. We are the ones who get to learn by living thru Him. 

We learn that with God, it’s ALL LOVE.

Amen

—–

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Paul to the Colossians 

—–

Matthew 27:50-54

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Cake is cake. It’s still cake. 

I had to decide what impromptu birthday treat I would bring to work. Yes, I can bake elaborate or simple cakes, I can buy cakes. A question of time or money or convenience or shelf life (not just flavor). And yes, I am too frugal and want to make a dollar cake over buying a $20 one from a store. BUT, it is covid time and the convenience of single serve cupcakes that they can “trust” seems better. Nowadays in healthier eating, we can skip the cake and carbs but when it’s a birthday, a “token cake”  is the visual sweetness you like to see… and if it surprises someone out of the blue or seems very specially made for us (like from our mom), it is special. OR if it’s not even wanted, any cake for remembering others and being remembered, it is nice. Cake is a personal take.

Doesn’t even matter if you bake or not. Maybe the sight of cake melts our moment.

It doesn’t have to be an elaborate cake, from scratch, the best bakery, the most expensive, or the smallest cutest cupcake. It is the thought counts to the thinker and the receiver. But to the basic birthday, it’s still cake.

It’s still cake.

Ever put a candle on a can of catfood for your cat? It’s still cake for a cat? It’s still cake. 

Remember that you were born and still live well? That’s having your icing on your cake.

Ever think about your faith in Jesus? Does it matter how you come to know Jesus? NO. Coming to Him is the only thing at stake. Childlike faith reborn birthdays make!

Eyes opening to see Him, ears opening to hear Him. Saving Grace is His gift to you on your birth in Him. Know that He already knew you – that is like having cake and eating it too.

Does it matter how brainiac book smart your knowledge of Him is? No. It’s enough to just know and believe. There’s the dividing line: you have to BELIEVE, not just be familiar. You have to have firm faith, not just a fancy for it. You will want to see, hear, and taste of your salvation. Jesus just needs your faith.

It’s still faith. 

It’s faith.

It’s still Jesus. 

It’s Jesus.

Amen to Faith – Amen to Life – Amen to Jesus – He says to rebuild the Kingdom is at stake.

Salvation Makes Rebirth Birthday Cake

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1st letter of Peter 1-9  “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

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FAITH.

It doesn’t matter your preparation, your expectation or even if it came as a SURPRISE.

In faith it matters for you to have OPEN EYES.

It matters feeling His Birthday inside you ARISE.

Accepting Jesus is the re-birth PRIZE.

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Your sin is what Jesus takes. 

Don’t let life’s trials take your cake.

Eternal Life is forever yours if you Faith partake.

Jesus our lives we forsake.

Reborn in You Jesus, Salvation Makes.

Jesus Reborn in You, Salvation Makes.

Your sin is what Jesus takes. 

Don’t let life’s trials take your cake.

Eternal Life is forever yours if you Faith partake.

Jesus our lives we forsake.

Rebirth in Jesus Salvation Makes.

FAITH.

It doesn’t matter your preparation, your expectation or even if it came as a SURPRISE.

Rebirth by faith makes you have OPEN EYES.

It matters that His Birthday inside you did ARISE.

Accepting Jesus is the re-birth PRIZE.

You Noah, 02FEB

(Best first spoken to get the rhyme “you knowwa”)

You Noah you are goingna have to WAIT. 

You Noah there’s a big snowstorm out there.

You Noah this snow represents anything you are excited about but takes forever to get here.

You Noah this snow represents anything you dread but can not change. 

You Noah this snow represents anything you have to WAIT OUT.

You Noah it’s all in your attitude. 

You Noah it’s not done snowing. 

You Noah it was coming. 

You Noah it would take a while. 

You Noah that you had to prepare. 

You Noah that you would be stuck in the house. 

You Noah you really could get out but shouldn’t. 

You Noah it’s ONLY snow. 

You Noah you were safe at home.

You Noah you are not supposed to be bored but be blessed. 

You Noah it is weird to be stuck.

You Noah it was a LONG storm. 

You Noah you just had to sit it out.

You Noah that someday it will thaw.

You Noah this too shall pass.

You Noah you used to be more excited about the snow. 

You Noah that you’ve a long way to go. 

You Noah time will pass.

You Noah that God’s got this. 

You Noah you will just be alright 

You Noah, just sit tight.

Noah, be alright. 

Right.

1062

Sunday, yesterday, I went to the 911 Garden of Reflection, knowing the high probability of all being snowed in today Monday FEB 1st, my 6th anniversary of knowing that I was 100% believing in Jesus, February 1st 2015… The same place I visited on that day I knew… I reflected that the Lord had changed me forever over the course of 2 intense months writing, praying, awakening (see writings 1-50, 1000 writings ago).

You could say that IT IS MORE IMPORTANT that I LIVE IN THE PRESENT, but I like to REFLECT on where the Lord has taken me. Reflecting is not looking back as much as looking at the trajectory the Lord has taken me on. Six years, huh? A lifetime with His lifeline…

But I didn’t feel major tears or grand moments at the park, like previous years… it started to snow and my reflection at the word “reflection” made me realize that if you look at any light or object beam as it enters a pool of water, when the pool is calm, it will appear back as a clear beam of REFLECTION. An inflection reflection. A reflection out from what goes in. We are to reflect the Light of the Lord, and if the water is calm, all the better the picture we have of Him beaming in. This is NOT novel an idea, but if I think of the calm nature of a pool as a calming of my seas, I think about His peace, and how these 6 years have passed Him thru me for me, to be more into peace. I have to believe that I am much more calm but I HOPEFULLY am not any less ON FIRE. (And yet, you know that we ALWAYS could become MORE ON FIRE.)  It’s the PEACE of the Lord in our souls that allows us to see Him more clearly AND reflect and beam Him more clearly. The fire intensity will send the beam as far as the Lord takes it. 

My beam angle/direction has changed, the direction has pivoted, but my reflection has stayed strong. It is normal how many reborn people mature, their beam will change in angle, but they are to NOT cloud their view of Him. Our work for the Kingdom often changes direction. Mine includes still writing, but the VBS years, Sunday school years, UMW years and praise band years were angled in my past and they are not my current beams. I will re-beam some of those at some point, I will plan new tracks but TODAY I will be ok to beam just in the angle in which the Lord has me positioned, and beam strong.  And there will be new directions. Pray I hear Him just as clear as He urged Peter: “… Do you love me? Feed my sheep. Strengthen the others”

In looking at the statue I-beam of the Trade Center, placed as a rememberance. Is it angled into the ground or out of the ground? Interesting thought of perspective. Both or neither, or who knows.  Different thought: if the Lord is Light into and onto our path and the Lord DOES NOT CHANGE, then it doesn’t matter if His light is going into you or out from you, it doesn’t matter the angle, it is STILL from Him. Lighting your path to Him or with Him or service outwardly from Him, in one beam angle or another, it’s still a guidance with the same Spirit. He’s working ALL angles. And our reflection of Him should hold as true to Him as possible. 

Before I left the garden, not with grandiose instructions or inspiration, I caught the sight of a bird, a ROBIN, in my view. It’s a snowstorm, it’s January, it’s winter, it’s an early sign of spring? Sure these birds travel less these warm years, not a surprise in my eyes but a prize view to my heart, this bird, me, we are taken care of. Is this bird hungry? What can I feed it? Is that the message in a whisper? I think so. Be still the active bird, taken care of and giving hope, like a robin, for others. I will always look forward to the spring but enjoy the present. I will hope, to see and share paths moving forward in serving Him, and I in the present am alive to serve. The bird, taken care of helps me look to the spring, forward. How could it not be a message that sharing HOPE to those who need it is CRUCIAL, especially this winter. Sharing HOPE still is the future direction the Lord is taking me, taking all of us: HOPE COMES VIA HIS WAY…It’s winter, turn your fire of the heart up.

Yes, HE IS A GOD WHO WHISPERS so that we PAY ATTENTION… Look, lean in to hear Him.

Yes, HE IS A GOD WHO WHISPERS, not screams, so that your peace stays intact, and your reflection pool is calm, and your vision of Him, as well as reflection of Him, stays most CLEAR. Look, lean in to see Him.

Reflect IN the Whisper.

God WILL take care of me/us. 

God needs me/us to give others hope. 

God encourages a true and clear reflection of Him.

God knows we need to go strengthen the others.

Feed My sheep. 

“Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep… Then he said, “Follow me!”

AMEN 

I whisper amen…

I stumbled upon a PUZZLE, Noah’s story is SO interesting and yet we have SO little information and REALLY we have NO IDEA what Noah and his family mentally went through!  How could we know what 100’s of years of life would feel like! What I do know is that while reading further into the story of Noah’s preparations for the flood as directed by Jehovah, the scriptures mention 7 sets, not only 2 pairs, of animals… see the scriptures below… I AM NOT KIDDING…  “seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.”

RIDDLE ME THIS NOAH, how come no one remembers that!

So 2 by 2 in multiple sets (for the clean animals) is a possible scenario of how we have embedded 2 animals into our mindsets. OH, this might help the math of the geneticists who have always been scratching their heads at diversity by so few starting animals. Perhaps, maybe, I don’t know, the multiple sets allowed for a food source (or maybe they took dried meats with them in the preparations), it turned out to be a year on the ark, maybe they stayed vegetarian as a friend suggests, but if Noah had anything like my son’s eating habits, beef jerky was a staple. But really, we have SO LITTLE UNDERSTANDING of how the Lord keeps this planet spinning let alone how every creature came into being. I believe the Bible is Truth and whatever we believe or don’t understand does NOT diminish how the Lord did it all.  I believe that we will learn what we need to know, when I need to know it – which is NOT necessarily now. Maybe that backstage pass, that I have been asking the Lord for, will appear in Heaven for me, maybe I won’t even worry about it then! What we DO need to know is to NOT pigeonhole the Lord into what WE think is possible… Noah lived to 950 years old, let us pause for a moment and say how CRAZY that is – and Noah was hundreds of years old when he built the ark and building it alone took 100 years!!!!!!!! (I don’t feel as bad about my untouched sewing pile anymore, but Noah probably worked every day on that ship.) So, Noah was not just an anomaly of old age, all those people must have lived so very long, his ancestors certainly did. In the sad drifting of the people away from the Lord, Jehovah started to limit life to ONLY to 120 years. However, Noah stayed committed to the Lord, and thus the Lord was so pleased with this Noah – decided to save him. Then God told Noah about preparing for the flood…. 

God didn’t tell Noah the details of the flood, only how to prepare for it. 

We should listen to this – we won’t know WHAT will go down in the future, but we do know to trust the Lord to carry us thru.

This all being a puzzle – a mystery – let us try not to over worry what we don’t understand – especially since we ONLY have up to 120 years here on earth (likely only 80 or so with my family history).  In this mystery, we will just wonder… In the meantime, let’s think like Noah and just remember that God asks for our faithfulness for a VERY LONG TIME. We are to wait on the Lord, just like Noah, faithful and active all that time. Plus, the Lord gave him resources and direction and preserved him and his family on that unknown boat ride for a whole year to save him. The unknown ON the boat was but a fraction of that 100 years that it took to build the ark. And that one year was only a fraction out of nearly 1000 years that Noah was alive. So, if you were counting the days, which they probably didn’t have time for in the time of Noah, this one year on the ark and the 100 years building were time well spent. 

Therefore, looking at our ordeals and the troubles and the rocky boat rides, we MUST remember they will only last a short number of days in comparison to our Lord’s forever and His forever for us…  Our issues are but to strengthen our resolve that the Lord will solve not the issue but provide for the petitioner…  

Keep praying, Keep reading, Keep the faith!

AMEN

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PS – attaching the email conversation when I had to check my eyes with my biblical professor friend…. Never keep your questions quiet – I believe that we CAN ask and reach for resources, this is how we all learn. i WILL NEVER KNOW ENOUGH BUT THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT – I WANT TO KNOW THE LORD AND HE IS ENOUGH.

AMEN!

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HERE IS SOURCE MATERIAL:

Genesis 6:5-22

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood, 

This is the account of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Genesis 7:1-10

The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.  Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came.

I have not truly hunkered down but I certainly have nested in more this year and lately… Subtract one kid away at college and I am blessed and bothered by the silence, wow… I am not sad but reminded to make hay in the sunshine (be busy) and just be. After my scripture readings, in the book of James, I just now finished watching a tremendous National Geographic show: walking the whole Grand Canyon, 200 plus miles by river is actually 700 plus miles by foot. Wow. (the show on Disney Plus).  Breathtaking, beautiful, bold landscapes and thought provoking discussions about development and economic growth compared to sacred land and preservation… how blessed to be nestled and on the move. 

Isn’t that bible reading too? Nestled but on the move. “Even angels long to look into these things.” Yes. How could we not?

One documentary hiker, hiking four segments in four times over the course of a year, stated that he learned humility and insignificance of one person, him, and saw mental layers of himself removed, which changed him as a person.  Amazing and awesome… 

I found his insignificant observation significant, because in the all vastness of the Grand Canyon, even we, small as we are, are all part of all the vastness of God. Spiritually, significant importance is that God’s Word is With Us, ALWAYS. So, as we decrease importance of human us in our layers, more and more we can discover that we are His. As we lose layers of our humanness, we expose our deepest core, bare bone, soul of Spirit and Truth. He is in us. He walks with us, but most importantly, He walks us.

I would like to hike, camp, be outside warm. (Snow storm coming tomorrow, “camp me” will stay at base camp… ) Imagine sleeping outside under the ribbon of stars. See it all. Be. But even if I travel, I won’t walk myself any fraction of a distance compared to how far He will walk me.

At base camp, I still sit and be absorbed in the vastness of all, while still on my couch. Where can I go in my quiet self? Walk the Word. Read the Word. Stay in Spirit shape. 

I am reading methodically thru the bible, in James right now as well as 1st Samuel. So, if I read thru the WHOLE bible, even in segments, it’s amazing to know there are vast places where He will take me. This is especially since it is not me reading my bible as much as THE BIBLE IS READING ME. What? Yes. Our bible scriptures are reading us. The Word, OUR WORD, works thru us because the Word wrote us into His love. He knew us first.  Jesus is the Word, walk His Way and He will walk you His Way too. 

Jesus will walk you His Way. Wear good shoes. 

In the Grand Canyon, they would die without water and food sources. We too. We need Spirit Source-water. In the Grand Canyon, the river of water flowed and formed the land. We too. We are cut from His Rock, water etched in His image. In the Grand Canyon, they captured photos and video, images and emotions, imagined life and death. We too. We are imagined into life from His death, reborn into His new life making us whole by way of Heaven. We are the captured ones. We are the Walk of His WORD. 

Where is Jesus taking you? Enjoy His View.

Amen

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1Peter 1:16

If I didn’t know the Lord, I would be super super bored.

If I didn’t know the Lord, I might be driven crazy or overboard.

If I didn’t know the Lord, I probably wouldn’t even write. 

And whether my writing was in rhyme or not, it would lose the point, right?

But we do have the Lord, and the Lord has us. 

So, I write and so I rhyme thus.

If I didn’t know the Lord, I would be a super glum Gus.

If I didn’t know the Lord, I would probably make such a fuss.

But now we DO know the Lord, now our whole living in Him becomes a plus. 

We DO know the Lord, oh my what good from Him we can discuss. 

We DO know the Lord, our hope in Him sets up framework to life, us living in trust.

We DO love the Lord, we can live for Him, for He lives in us.

Amen, Amen for us

I keep thinking how Jesus offers the Way, but many are just ignorant of His Way, or blinded, or going to wait to commit. I don’t fault any of them any more than I fault myself for not knowing that Jesus was calling me. For 45 years, I didn’t stop to answer the phone, perhaps I thought it was a call for someone else. Maybe I listened in like a partyline but didn’t hear my name clear. I heard when He got my number– He ALWAYS had my number – I could see from the caller ID that He was calling for me.

We do worry about those who might hear the callings yet push the HOLD button. I also worry they, like me, are hearing too much SPAM. I was one asking in trying to be understanding faith within the noise: “Where’s the beef?”

Jesus is Legit.

Like the rich man who was asked to give things up to physically follow Jesus, people don’t know how much control to give away. They can’t even know what they are missing if they don’t know what to ask for? Maybe puzzled by missing bits, they need simply to hear more. Actually, they have to hear TRUTH. And totally they have to trade human reasoning for increasing FAITH. And FAITH means trusting the Lord to provide the Way. Jesus is Legit. 

Recently on the news, there were 6 extra vaccine doses in a car stuck in snow that left a mega clinic when they got stuck in a traffic backup, they offered the doses to others stuck in the jam as well, so they wouldn’t go bad. How random would you feel if someone knocked on your window and said: you want this free shot?  How bizarre… Trust them? but perhaps all seemed legit. One lady was stuck in snow making her way TO the appointment and here the shot made it to her. Her blessed lucky day even stuck in the snow. I imagine it all seemed legit. 

Jesus is like that too. You can come to Him, or He will come to you when you are stuck. You will know His voice. He WILL knock on your window. He will ask for your TRUST. Jesus is Legit. If you doubt, He will show you His scars. If you wait, He will wait with you. If You listen, He will speak. 

Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

Some people, like someone I overheard in the store this week, are WAITING for what they perceive is a BETTER vaccine shot or one they TRUST more, based on their own reasoning. Surely, we must walk into faith with our eyes open, and Jesus asks us to TRUST HIM based on FAITH and NOT our own reasoning.  Some people will take any “messiah” they can get. That’s dangerous if you don’t look clearly for pitfalls or deceivers, backroom money makers, too good to be true deals. The Book of Revelation says watch out for deceivers, watch out for falsehoods.  Well with Jesus, it’s not who you know but if you know your WHO. Jesus is the WHO. And reading scripture and checking everything you hear against scripture is the BEST PLAN to discern HIS VOICE from deceivers (see 2nd Peter). Know Him above the noise.

Some simply just don’t know what to do, for vaccination OR salvation.  Some will wait.  With Jesus, there’s more than enough for everyone. But yes, there IS still an issue of running out of time!

Jesus wants to be known, and we have to search for Him, but He is really easy to find because He was stored directly for us. He is buried in us, not from us but buried in SAFEKEEPING until we awake in Him. He is true Life. Deny ours for His. He must be raised FROM the Word planted as a seed in us. We have to become a tender and willing soil of a soul to allow Him to grow, to let faith take us farther.  Money won’t buy Him but Love WILL find Him. If we reject both the appealing and the revolting aspects of the world’s noise, and listen within, we will find Him. James scripture writes:  humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

I do know that as we continue walking in the world, it will cloud our view.  It’s “anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4. THEREFORE, Listen for the whisper of heaven: “…the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3

Pray to make the best decisions… Accepting Jesus is like that. Accepting His Way over our way, acknowledging He’s trying to get to you so you become integrated into His team to help others. Placing you ready then to help others. People and Christians sometimes forget that Jesus wants us to awaken, NOT as the “end recipients’, but as the conduits. It’s NOT “TO” us as much as “THRU” us. 

We pray to ask God to open ears and eyes, soften hearts, especially ours, for BOTH purposes of individual salvation AND WHOLE KINGDOM WHOLENESS. 

We pray Jesus to be sought after by being studied WITHIN. 

Jesus is Legit. Just ask Him.

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2nd Peter 1:19-21  We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

I took so many road trips when I was a kid. I asked my parents all the time: “ARE WE THERE YET?” 

So NOW we are asking this more and more to our HEAVENLY FATHER, to our BROTHER JESUS traveling with us,  and to the HOLY SPIRIT who buckled us in their car seat and told us to “hold on” for this tremendous road trip until the end of time. It’s “the ride of our lives” for sure. 

Are we there yet? Many people are asking if we are at the time when Jesus will return.  Perhaps if we look out the window and have pre-read our “Triptik” from John’s AAA’s Book of Revelation, we would be able to judge distance.   But unfortunately, I don’t think it’s like playing travel bingo with very obvious signs. The scholars are always looking, so we are also simply asking the Lord: “Are we there yet?” 

What would He say? He would want us to KEEP BUSY, to read a GOOD book, to play nice with our seatmates, and to look out the windows.  He would tell us to look at the license plates on the other cars and realize we are all family with everyone in the world, all traveling, even if we come from different states, different countries.  He would have us realize that we are all traveling at different speeds and not everyone knows where He is taking us. In all, we must be courteous to each other, firmly teaching AND following the rules of the road.

“Are we there yet?” God is surely saying: You will know it when We get there.”

When will we be at the end? Or the beginning of the end? Because the beautiful blue sky and peace of the moment is not fake. How will we know? The book of Revelation certainly was written down so that we can try to discern, surely to prepare and be aware of false prophets, of beasts, of creatures who may be deceivers… And keep on the path… Surely signs of the times are best interpreted by the spirit in us, not us. So buckle on your seatbelts and keep busy.

There is a TREMENDOUS scripture teaching from the local big evangelical church, a recent teaching posted online, speaking about where we are in the process of Jesus coming again.  

Pastor Joe speaks of us being in the time of the “Braxton Hicks” stage, like in a pregnancy, before all breaks loose. For we are awaiting real birth of the beginning of the end… we are in the pre-stages, and what we observe in our time, even with covid, is RESTRAINED compared to the real setting in motion of the Tribulation. I remember the teaching to discern for yourselves by reading this book of Revelation. Just know that we are to keep looking to Jesus. 

Even though I’ve read the book of Revelation and listened to it much, it’s tough to absorb, I still don’t have the whole time structure in my head either.  So this teaching REALLY helps me:

“The Beginning of the End” according to the book of Revelation (these are web links but I listen to these 20 minute bible study teachings from Pastor Joe each morning on the radio at 7am or on my “CC Philly Straight from the Heart” app.)  Part 1:  https://subspla.sh/n8kbh22  and Part 2: https://subspla.sh/9nngbr6

I appreciate that Jesus told John to write this all down, to warn us to NOT be surprised and to KEEP WORKING, sharing the Word. Keep moving forward. Don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Better yet, JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!                    

Amen 

————

PS

I always remember my writing, early on, about us in the board game perfection – that we are to be working the board and not just sit in our peg seat and wait… we are to be out and WORKING the board and helping the Lord…

https://debbieupper.blog/2016/12/23/perfection-07sept-258/
Perfection, 07Sept 2016 – #258

Ok, so you’ve accepted Jesus, accepted you were loved enough by GOD to be saved thru the bloodshed of Jesus, and yes, you have even been treasured so much that you still have to question: “This was all for us? For me???”

Ok, now what??

Yeah, you aren’t on your death bed, YOU actually pray that you have energy to live out God’s plan picked for you….

Perhaps you feel that you need to accept God’s command to go make disciples?…
Yet perhaps you feel more work needs to be done to clean out every corner of your heart first?…
Perhaps God says DON’T wait….

Yes, God says sing your praises and share His Grace and HE will see you thru each storm as you arrive at it… But God ALSO asks you to work the soil in the lives of the people around you, as well as within your own life….at the same time…

God wants wholeness from society, not piecemeal pockets of salvation…. He wants perfection and HIS game is no game at all, He wants a time where we ALL accept our salvation at His appointed time.

Perfection, one of my favorite games growing up… Fit all the pieces in the spring-loaded puzzle board before that timer is up and POP!… The whole board pops out throwing all the pieces everywhere… Finish the board and the timer is stopped… Perfection for eternity…

Each piece must be fit individually into the unique spaces. Each piece is different from all the rest, some are tricky, they all must be studied (or shape memorized) for uniqueness… and they ALL must get into the board before time is up…

Each SOUL must fit individually into HIS plan. Each soul is different from all the rest, some are tricky, they all must be studied (or shape memorized) for uniqueness… and they ALL must get into the space marked by God’s plan before time is up…

And whenever that is, when time is up, are you going to have your skull and soul “safe” nestled into a space? Done and just pray the board will get finished before time is up? Or perhaps you might consider to be out ON the board, finding space for all the other pieces? Since you know your space is marked out, saved for you, and you know how to hop into it at the last minute… Well perhaps it would behoove you to work on the other pieces, to help God… Especially since time could be short or time could be long…  Be busy and help God work on their souls by sharing your unique tool set to support them. Help set as many of these pieces of God’s plan upright so it’s easier for all of us to prepare for eternity… It is God who will grab them to fit them all in before time is up… Before we all pray…

Shareholders, we are ALL shareholders in HIS plan, we all have a stake… We can work for the company or wait gathering dust while we slowly turn into dust. We can find use for our lives by being out there, working to increase the return on the investment of God’s capital… We can’t finish the job unless we are working in the job…

Who wants to help God?
I DO…   DO YOU?

It’s the plan for us ALL to be in God’s plan.
I want to work the plan…   DO YOU?

When you donate Power Red blood in a church, it’s great to be reminded WHO gave HIS BLOOD for ALL… BLESSED by the blood of JESUS! THERE’S POWER IN THE BLOOD !!!!

After I donated power reds, I noticed the banner behind me that said: “The blood of Jesus will never lose its power”. AMEN!!! 

(And I passed my iron screening as well, 13.3!!!! Woohoo!!! Took iron supplements for the last week before today, and steak last night!!! Now I’m set for another 16 weeks, power reds take double cells but give back your fluids plus some, I HIGHLY recommend it over regular donations. There were very few people at the place, so I felt covid safe…. And I got mini oreos… yum)

So true, God wants us to do what the Word says, as scripture urges. God desires this sacrifice of praise, and that’s a good idea as well as a command because it keeps our words HOLY… What comes from our mouths should be praise, only praise, so that it becomes our spoken sacrificial offering. Speaking of God is a good and is an apt sacrifice of our time. Our words for praise and sacrifice don’t mirror the old time sacrifices of animals because it is offerings OF words to move THE WORD, which IS Jesus, which is needed. Jesus completed God’s mission for Him on earth… Jesus was the sacrifice that saved the people for God’s cause, for our Father’s sake so that He would have us all free from sin and able to come Home. But was that sufficient to save everyone? ONLY IF THEY KNOW ABOUT IT AND AGREE! Our sacrifice of living in praise helps to bring Heaven on earth to those ears that have not yet heard… We are to speak OF GOD and speak in support of God. 

“Sacrifice of Praise” lyrics is in a favorite praise song of mine, quoted from Paul out of Hebrews 13:15-16, and described in Hebrews 10 (see 23JAN writing “Once For All”). We are able to speak in sacrificial words as well as work in sacrificial acts. Jesus was and is BOTH. Jesus spoke of God and Jesus lived as God. Jesus was and is ALL. Jesus praised God and Jesus sacrificed for God. Jesus sacrificed for us, God sacrificed for us, we can sacrifice our time and lives for Him. These are all trades of sacrifice of earthly freedom FOR ultimate freedom. That is what we praise, that we can do the same.

Our HOPE is found in our praise. Our re-imagining of ourselves to be more like Jesus, IS a choice,  we are to speak in praise and acknowledgement of God: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.“

Because this is a choice, that is what makes a sacrifice of our own desires necessary.  And yet any praise we can give is both worth our time and our lives, as that praise IS a fruit of the Spirit maturing, because the Word is planted, grows, fruits, nourishes sweetly. James commands us in a similar thought thread: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” 

Therefore as Paul writes the Ephesians, let us: “follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.“

Let us therefore instead of making a sacrifice of other things, let us make as sacrifice of us, and we be the offering, the fragrant offering of Christ in our walks. Let us be a SACRIFICE OF PRAISE. (It’s well worth our time, and His.)

TO YOU LORD!!

AMEN 

Well, I caught up to the scriptures God had placed me in. No wonder God waits for us to read His Word.

Sounds weird but the phrase “by faith” which I mentioned previously (as in “we will do things, by faith, if the Lord allows”) has now shown up now in Hebrews 11-12 LIKE CRAZY… Plus there is so much history referred to that I had to go back to read in Genesis about these people, and wow they lived lives 600 700 800 900 years – well, if they didn’t live “by faith” then they would not have survived that long. God limited our lifespans to 120 years (wow) but yet we must still live “by faith” – how could we NOT? – or we won’t know where we are going or supposed to go. The “ancients” “BY FAITH” meant they were looking ahead to heavenly destinations, not the places they came from. Our “by Faith“, explained in Hebrews 11 verse 1, is: “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” That is the same as my favorite movie’s most famous line: “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.” Well, my common sense tells me that by faith I have to believe in Our Lord because Our Lord, Our amazing Lord, is not something or someone common. By faith we believe because it is FAITH that is gifted to us to live BY. Live in, not Live next to, but Live by. God WILL commend us if we live BY FAITH. 

I don’t understand the logistics and the workings of “the ancients”, of the creation of the world, the heavens and the earth, the stars and the sand particles, but BY FAITH I believe that I can NOT and will NOT force my God into my limited brain power. BY FAITH, I know that OUR FAITH has to go wider and deeper and longer than our brain power. Even Abraham, especially Abraham, believed God could raise people from the dead, who was he to doubt the Lord.

BY FAITH I know that this journey for the Lord creating the World for His pleasure only to have people scattered could not and must not have been easy. Human vulnerability to evil influences, including jealousy and rage, are tops on my list of pain for the Peacemaker. His Heart was “deeply troubled” (Genesis 6). My God I can NOT even imagine the fraction of the magnitude of Your pain. Ugh the distancing of Adam and Eve, Oh the death of Abel at Cain’s hands, where a shepherd Abel was taken from life by Cain, a worker of the earth (Genesis 4:1-12). And isn’t this is SO foretelling of Jesus the Shepherd being crucified by human hands influenced by their worldly wants. 

AND IT IS JESUS – He was the One that we know and yet they “the ancients” had to WAIT for – they lived “by faith” because they never got to THE PROMISE in their lifetimes… God found favor with Noah and many because of their living “by faith“. So we now know and are told that it is by Jesus, Who is God’s Promise, that “the ancients” and we now will be reunified into His perfect future.  By the death and resurrection of Jesus, “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

It is these “ancients” that Paul demonstrates are a “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding us so that we too can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

BY FAITH, We consider Jesus so that we do not grow weary and lose heat. We witness God’s awesomeness and love His lovingness. BY FAITH, we will wait upon the Lord for His calling. BY FAITH, we will know in advance where we are going: HOME. That is the Promised Land PROMISE.

Amen, Keep Walking (and please read the “by faith” examples below)

Amen Keep Running with Perseverance BY FAITH.

Amen

——–

Paul to the Hebrews chapters 11, 12 v1-3

Faith in Action

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what “the ancients” were commended for.

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.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider JESUS who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  

We have had many moods during our year-long pandemic.   I have been thinking about the moods that I have had and would have when at home, which I rarely am therefore I MOSTLY have had much relief to be home, like opportunities to be stuck in a snow day that I was able to prepare for and that I know won’t last. But over the course of a year, we all can have so many emotions… to realize being in the same place can change based on your attitude. Above all, we can care about the way we take on every day. 

Are you stuck at home OR blessed at home OR just home…

If you were home, would you feel glad, sad or mad? If you were home (stuck, blessed, just) would you be fearful, sheltered, careful or actually forgetful of the pandemic? If you were isolating would it be from exposure caution or contemplation? Careful consideration of other people or closet closure away from society for yourself? Hiding or Healing? It’s the same house, how could you have so many different feelings for being home? It is the same place, so WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? OUR MOODS. 

I think that’s our Christian mindsets as well. Our mood and our mode. Are we aware, are we grateful or are we just there? Our mode: are we going anywhere or nowhere. Are we being a disciple to the Lord or dis-placed rather than placed in His service. Are sitting at His feet or not?  It depends on our mood.

If we think of the discipline we sometimes get from the Lord, are we grumpy or grateful for it? It depends on our mood. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13

If we think of how much forgiveness, mercy and grace we get from the Lord, are we feeling embarrassed or feel embraced and enlightened?  It depends on our mood. Either way it’s the same forgiveness, for any and all sin weighted equal. Hebrews 12;5-15 gives words of encouragement: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 

James writes (ch 2): “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you KNOW that the testing of your faith produces PERSEVERANCE. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. “

I am wondering, this year of covid, if we made it a good year or not. If we paid attention to His leading or led ourselves down our own sorrow or ignorance of the opportunities. I would think that so many of us took the opportunities that the Lord placed in front of us – knowing you all, I know you would and you did. THERE IS STILL TIME TO START. We may take CAUTION in our lives. We should CARE for other’s lives. And ALL IN ALL, we MUST acknowledge that we are COMMISSIONED by Jesus to follow Jesus and share Jesus.

No matter what our mood is, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

We can care about the way we take on every day.  Let us take HIS WAY today.    Amen

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.   Hebrews 12:14-15

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.   Hebrews 13:8

Well I am floored, Lord.

I can say Lord that lately: I’ve NOT been bored.

I never knew what You had in stored.

There’s plenty of opportunities I have not yet even explored.

And so many blessings that are not by my own accord.

It’s Your Spirit in my brain that has roared.

It’s Your Spirit in my life that has soared.

Piercing my heart and soul, Your Word like a sword.

Into my mind, Your thoughts You have poured.

My pleas have never gone ignored.

You calm me in stormy seas, I welcome You all aboard.

Your Word in me, Lord You have struck such a Spirit chord.

Writing and rhyming, almost like lyrics that You have scored.

Your presence strong like strands intertwined into my cord.

You have given me peace when I felt so out of my gourd.

Directed me endlessly and yet never made me feel chored.

Sharing You Lord is purposeful, for You I could NEVER hoard.

For the rest of my life, Lord, I pray to You Whom I walk toward.

You have given me an ultimate feeling of wonderfully adored.

Lord, You raise me up, I’m forever floored.

Floored.

Be BOLD. 

The temperature says it’s COLD. 

Your breath you certainly HOLD.

However the sunshine feels like GOLD. 

Don’t let enjoyment of life be STOLED.

Life is watching what God will UNFOLD. 

God’s LOVE needs to be TOLD.

HIS LOVE was FORETOLD.

HIS LOVE does not SCOLD.

HIS LOVE never gets OLD.

Lord, You are LIFE and LOVE to BEHOLD.

LIFE from You LORD, I’m SOLD.

You LOVE me into being BOLD.

BOLD. 

The Holy Spirit is amazing, God is amazing, Jesus is amazing. How can we wrap our heads around the amazement? We can’t, because we are not around “it”, instead “it” surrounds us, we are surrounded by “it”, ACTUALLY we are all a part of “it”…

In old testament times, they sacrificed animals and plants to the Lord. Fragrant and smoky, these sacrifices carried through the air. Then it was time for God to reveal the New Convent, one that the Lord had always intended to make with His people, FOR we ARE His people. The Lord sacrificed a phase of earthly life, took Himself into a transition that did not change His God-ness but did change Him into Human-ness, for He came to earth to burn off the sins that were hindering all of us from reaching Heaven. Jesus became a Fragrant Sacrifice of our sins. Jesus was “ONCE FOR ALL” offered by Our Father, which Jesus offered of Himself. Once and done. That’s “it”. Love for all, in all, from giving all.  In one act, Jesus made a huge sacrifice of LOVE, in LOVE, because LOVE is so integral to the Lord. A sacrifice made because of the sin of one man, Adam, which cascaded sin to the world, broke a system that the Lord KNEW would need fixing. We are whom God wants in His Kingdom before we are born.

Paul writes to the Hebrews about Christ being the sacrifice above all sacrifices… In their history back thru old testament 1000’s of years, year after year, the priests made sacrifices. Paul said the sacrifices will never “make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.“

Paul continues speaking of Jesus as the blessing we partake in: “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”

I love how Paul doubled back to repeat and explain Jesus’s sacrifice and that we are the ones made holy from His offering: “First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.”

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest [JESUS] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”     THAT’S US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”

THAT’S FORGIVENESS: sins sacrificed and burnt to a crisp. That’s why Paul, writing Ephesians separately, said: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

FOLLOW HIS FUMES USING HIS HOLY SPIRITED-FUEL.

Paul writes Corinthians that IF WE DON’T FORGIVE,  SATAN WILL USE THAT TO EAT AWAY AT OUR PEACE: “Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” 

FORGIVENESS IS WHAT SETS US APART FROM THE WORLD. 

Paul continues: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 

See Paul, in his letters to Hebrews, Ephesians, Corinthians, writes about the love we ALL experience. The fragrance of faith is just that: Jesus burning up sin ONE FOR ALL. Not needing us to annually remember our sins but forever remember His Love. Then walk freed, walking on sunshine maybe, walking on air not exactly, walking still – walking IN faith IN the newness of “IT” – in the fragrance of His sacrifice.

“A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE” – I never fully understood this lyric to a favorite praise band song, are we praising that we can sacrifice for the Lord and for His mission? We sacrifice our time and serve? Only partially, as HIS SACRED SACRIFICE is PRAISE that we need to share with others. And His sacrifice is fully worthy of praise and we ARE to continue to be that sacrifice, that aroma of Christ, the giving up of ourselves to carry on His Work, to serve ‘YOU LORD” – “A Sacrifice of Praise to You, to You Lord”

Paul closes this letter to the Hebrews section with a call for us all to Persevere in Faith: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the HOPE we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Amen 

Whew, had a terrible dream/nightmare! Something bizarre had happened to a friend, and me trying to help them was hitting roadblocks… It woke me up at 1am. Ugh. I prayed for peace and I prayed for Jesus to rule over the evil one biting away at my peace. I lifted my hand in reaching for the Lord to pull me out of the water only to lower my hand to a position of realizing Jesus being NEXT to me, Him having my hand AND touching my shoulder. Two-handed Jesus. Saved AND guided. Whew – and me realizing I was NOT distant from Him at all, as He was guiding me thru that pothole-filled section of my dream all along. He really is in the healing business. The Spirit walks us thru Life.

So later this same morning, I had a second separate dream of checking in on this same friend and he was alright, whew. I told him about the dream, we reconciled about how worried I was and others were of him.

It’s been really good that I’ve slept more in healing ways with healing dreams over this past year. When I asked the Lord to guide me in the pandemic, He said “REST”. And I have actively taken much rest, repair, and realization that it is a gift. I truly have seen the Lord going back in my brain to heal those ruffles in my memories. I know He is actively repairing pieces of my peace… I’ve also had more quiet times this past year than ever – certainly also because my daughter is away to college and with my son doing his own thing, but the elephant in the room is not loneliness, it is bold quietness that permeates the space.

What’s more, thru all this processing, I have actively felt Jesus working. I’ve dreamt about my faith lately. I’ve never done that until about 3 or 4 months ago. It’s like the Lord had THAT MUCH repair to do in old ruffles before He could get me to my current me. We were in repair of backroad stretches for a while. Like you can only lay down new roads to peace AFTER the Lord and you together move all the messes blocking the paths. Plus, the LORD has to source all the repair materials when you give Him time to shop and when give Him the dimensions of your life into His Hands. He knows, but if you call out the measures of your pain, He will measure out your healing and then some. Even more, Jesus wants to write the next blueprints of what you and Him are going to build together in your life.

Potholes in the road to peace are sometimes patched, sometimes eliminated in road rebuilds, and sometimes LEFT ALONE but Jesus steps you OVER or AROUND them. Sometimes it takes quite a while to go around the big ones. Jesus ALWAYS takes the scenic route.

The Lord heals, a Lord-given PEACE measures at unfathomable levels, PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING… We may not be at that peace yet or completely, or the pothole filling is so fresh that it may not stay in, but don’t stay down in that pothole, call out to the Living Water to float you out.

In between those dreams, I went to some of my failsafe methods of finding peace, including texting to that friend (but NOT hitting send in the middle of the night). I could shake off that nightmare knowing that the Lord would rescue. And of course, He does. I know where my anxieties lie, because the Lord leaves them on the ground to step over as you leave them behind. 

Actually, the Lord knows EXACTLY where to step with you because He IS the only one who saw ALL THOSE moments in the making. He remembers making wide open spaces on your life map. He would love for you to use Him as your blueprints for building the new you.

Keep walking with the Lord.

AMEN

“If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.”

I heard a lot of things lately, but that quote stuck with me recently, it is still with me. It stopped me in my mental tracks while I walked listening to my radio app bible teaching, a great series about Samuel chapters 10-12.  Samuel warned the people about wanting a king over listening to God. And found himself defending his actions: “Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.” The people found no fault. 

We too must consult the Lord and walk in His steps. Like deep footprints in the snow, it’s a path that we are more sure in taking. We see the next step and we also see the set of steps way ahead of time. And we are more secure in following. The Lord knows where we are going.

I have had challenges big and small. surely you have too, This quote was and is timely.  “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.”

I can hear the judge in “Miracle on 34th Street” speak “I’ve consulted with the highest authority possible.” He was just saying that to say it. But I believe that if we consult with God, we will see that He HAS gone ahead of us to fight our battles. 

The radio biblical scholar quoted that famous “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.” quote within a segment of advice to walk with people who are on fire for the Lord. This is so good for us. We don’t want to walk with people dulled with their life experiences and shrinking from the Lord. We want to be on fire and keep with people on fire for the Lord. Iron sharpens iron. And their witness will help us to listen and obey.  The scholar reminds us: “If you will serve Him, and you AND your King will follow the Lord, He will go before you.” Yes, the Lord goes before us. We have to let Him lead.

Walking and listening to the Lord has pulled me out of a jumble of thoughts quite often.  It has protected me from the devil chipping away at my peace of mind.

Samuel continued:

… “do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.  Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. [This is when they slipped up and felt God’s wrath and begged Samuel] And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

So much I appreciate the scriptures and the support of the Lord. And I appreciate that when we are still, we and He have time to mull things over. When we stop worrying about tomorrow and focus on today, as Jesus suggested, we have more peace. 

Just recently I took time to be quiet, rare for me, but I had a burden that I shared only minimally, but maximum-ally with the Lord. Wow, the peace was real and the steps were there, and He kept me from getting ahead of myself. He allowed me family conversations that taught my children my thought process and developed theirs. And He gave me step by step peace. Another good thing about walking in the footsteps when they are nestled in snowbanks is that the sides steady your foot. The Lord steadies you when you step out in trying to follow His steps. He steadies your feet AND your leg AND your mind. The Lord supports you as you pause to rest too. With Him, it’s always “consulting with the HIGHEST authority”. 

“If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.”

Go with God today.

Amen 

—-

Paul to the Galatians 

Doing Good to All (Galatians 6)

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We do care about many things – but what to care about first?…  SO much going on in the world, and the scriptures remind us that it is a broken world – not a world will be fixed but the PEOPLE who will be made whole. Whole only if they remain holy. So, looking at life I think, “What would Jesus do?” Remind you to look for His direction for HOPE (and would help too). HOPE is not in earthly things but in Heavenly Power. Heavenly Power then powers the rest of what we CAN do…

We are not perfect, the world is not perfect, but if we tend to dwell on our non-perfections more than we dwell on the One who is perfect, we will miss out. And Jesus IS perfect…  What would Jesus do? Instead of dwelling on HIMSELF, HE did His Father’s Will. He had to pray hard to not focus on His own needs and temptations, and so do we. How can we keep sharing His message? spread the news of where our HOPE lives. My HOPE lives in Jesus. His Life is Life itself. I hope to remember that for me, sure, but more importantly, I HOPE for the world’s people to know that too. Hope for the people is different than the hope for the world as a whole. The HOPE of the people of the world relies on people following Jesus – I hope someone tells them that – yes, someone has to tell them that!

I was watching the news of thousands of refugees trying to migrate thru central america – wow (we have no idea how our lives compare to the lives of others outside America and even inside America, we are VERY blessed as privileged). Even if we take a wider lens to our news, we find that may still be limited to what is really happening in the outside world. These people, and many refugees, are trying to move ahead – move to safety – move anywhere but where they currently are. Is there anything we can do? These are not easy questions – there are not simple answers – the world is broken and so are our lenses… Tough times… But in all that, I would hope that there is HOPE. I would pray that the people themselves are driven by HOPE. God Bless those people. Also God bless the homeless of our area, the countries without clean water, still dealing with diseases that we have long forgotten about. The plight of the hopeful masses. God bless the workers who bring HOPE.

I visited Ellis Island and the train station to take people to places far and wide – we have nostalgia for this place but it was a rough road over rough seas to get here – and we have pride in our ancestor’s grit and determination.  But really what did drive them to a better future? Their HOPE.

In a pandemic we have fears, distracting circumstances – but we still need to HOPE. And we still need to sacrifice things in our lives to keep delivering HOPE to others…  If we were working in a warzone, we would venture out to spread HOPE. If we are staying inside, we can continue to call out, write out, type out, pray for the outside – send HOPE… And we show care for others by letting them know that someone is paying attention. Everyone HOPES someone is paying attention. Shining LIGHT, we HOPE that they will HOPE.

We can’t solve everything today – in a broken world – we are supposed to remember that God knows these situations – and we petition by prayer. If you don’t know where to start, start with the HOPE. 

“Jesus is a better HOPE, by which we draw near to God”.  Paul wrote to the Hebrews about the old law and the new HOPE. He compared the priesthoods of old and the sacrifices of old and spoke to educate about JESUS and how He fulfilled all these things and He is better than the law – He also IS a new covenant – He IS the HOPE.

Keep spreading the HOPE!

AMEN

From Hebrews 7, 8…

14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better HOPE is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”  Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

…

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.   I will be their God, and they will be my people.

A germaphobe I am not, I eat things that bounce off the ground. I do stop short however at stuff that gets covered in cat hair. And I’m a tosser of sketchy fridge stuff (which reminds me that the salmon I ate last night must have been OK – which means I know what I am having for lunch!). A superstitious person I try not to be, the Lord gives us direction and confidence that he has things under control. Superstition is distraction and the Lord is Truth. I still won’t walk under a ladder, however, that’s just plain not good. It’s not Irish luck I should pray for, but awareness and gratefulness of things I already have. I will laugh about wearing lucky socks, but the fact is that I am not lucky that I have many socks, even ones that match, but that I am blessed to have feet that need socks! Feet that take me places and I am grateful because they are just there and they still work… I am blessed and I do know that the Lord has provided… None of these blessings came by luck.

I went to Target, not my choice, and the massive volume of people, especially in these covid-concerned times, was a bit much. I put on my mask and my armor of God and increased my prayers for a hedge of protection. But I had to realize that I was just as much of the problem as everyone else there, because I was there too… I don’t know where they’ve been and they don’t know where I’ve been. Don’t think of me as virtuous because we all have this collective unknown of potential bubble bursts moments.

That very moment of these thoughts, standing in the sweetner aisle, I looked up and on the top shelf I saw the blue box with the word: “EQUAL“. Yup.  At that moment I felt the EQUAL of being just as much of a problem as everyone else. Humbling EQUAL. We are all the same. ALL IN THE SAME BOAT. We are all EQUAL. This is a wind out of your sails humbling, rather than a raise the sails for superiority. No one is superior here.

 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 ESV

“As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one…” Romans 3:10 ESV 

But OF COURSE this blog is not just about shopping and covid. When I say we are “all in this together”, I know that I’m not just speaking about a pandemic, I’m speaking about ONE BODY IN CHRIST. EQUAL is our sin weighing equal with everyone else. We are all equal. And we are all wanted by Jesus to be together in worship, in helping, in healing. Together.

SO, so many sins including ones we don’t even think about on top of original sin. Sins like “thou should not covet”… yup… and everything in between.

Jesus said: “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible“. Matthew 19: 24-26

Equal, the sweetener, attempts to be thought of the same as any other artificial sweetener (of course they want to be considered better). There are pros and cons to the pink stuff the yellow stuff the blue stuff the green stuff and the white stuff and the brown stuff (raw and yummy but not any better for your waistline).  Sweeteners are not all equal. Sinners are. And we should not think of ourselves as better or less than the other sinners. All EQUAL. Humbling… Yeah…

We are not “lucky” that we have Jesus, we are BLESSED.

Jesus’s life purpose is EQUAL to the task.

AMEN!

How perfect these Proverbs scriptures! Proverbs 16:4,9

The Lord works out everything to its proper end.

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

These scriptures came to mind when I think about how the Lord paces us – I felt that way with my shoulder surgery few years back, I feel that way when we have to pause and think of our next steps… you probably feel that way occasionally… PACED.

And the Lord is fair. The Lord knows to pace our steps for calmness and peace and precaution.

Scriptures of encouragement? The Lord works out everything to its proper end.

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

That time had passed – almost forgotten now – and yet the Lord’s protection and pacing and peace will NEVER be forgotten.

This devotion email reminded me of the Lord’s Refuge:  Refuge in Times of Trouble 1/15/2021

Good Morning, Is Jesus Christ always your first choice for refuge in times of trouble?

Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

We live in an evil world and evil has the ability to find any of us at any time. As a family, in June of 2012 we experienced this evil first hand with the tragic loss of my daughter-in-law. I am thankful that this horrible, evil act did not cause me to live in fear each day. I am thankful that instead, it caused me to cry out even more for the Lord’s mercy and protection over my family and not take a day for granted. And while I often wrestle with the “Whys”, as do many other believers who have experienced tragedies on this earth, I still and always will trust in the protective power of our awesome, faithful God. I have built my faith around God’s word and it truth. One such verse I use is Proverbs 3:5-6, which I often say this out loud to myself throughout the day, “I will trust in the Lord with all of my heart, I will not lean not on my own understanding, I will acknowledge Him in all of my ways, and trust that He will always be faithful and make my paths straight.” The harsh reality is that our only true refuge is in God through Jesus Christ. Christ offers us an eternal refuge that is filled forever with His goodness, peace and joy.

And while there may be places on this earth that are safer than others, we are reminded so eloquently by David, that our only true refuge is in the Lord.” Psalm 11:1 Psalm 14:6 Psalm 16:1“God is our refuge in times of distress” Psalm 59:16 “God is our tower of strength against the enemy.” Psalm 61:3 “Our salvation and glory rest in God, Who is the Rock of our strength.” Psalm 62:7 “We must learn to take refuge in the shelter of His wings, and not the things of this world.” Psalm 61:4

Jesus Christ must always be our refuge in times of distress, as we fight to abide and remain in Him daily. John 15:5 As we approach the end of days, the safest spot in the universe is in Christ, the perfect refuge only God could design. “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” 2 he Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies Psalm 18:1-3.

One key to abiding in Christ is to discipline ourselves to set aside time each day, in order to spend some quality time with Him in the Word and in prayer. It is during these times that we insure that we are engrafted in Him, Who is our sufficiency. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” 1 John 5:12. “Jesus Christ is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life”! John 14:6 

Let’s all attempt to find our refuge in Christ each day and not turn to the things of this world first for our comfort and protection, as Jesus Christ is our only true hope, our only true refuge, and our only way to salvation. And Jesus is as close as a cry, an outstretched hand, or an upturned heart. He is only one thought or prayer away. From any location, anyone can instantly arrive in that safest of all places. That is our ultimate hope as we approach the end of days.

Lord, please help us to trust more in Your faithfulness to us. Do not allow us to be deceived into thinking that this world offers us any true comfort and refuge. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us! In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Have another powerful and prosperous day of remaining in the comforting refuge of God as you emulate Jesus Christ by serving others in the workplace and at home!

Bob Bennett, Real Men Ministries

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3

Copyright © 2021 Real Men Ministries. All rights reserved.

How quickly our lives run thru the days…

Rest is often forced, not forged. Today is half gone before we know it. Tomorrow either never comes fast enough, or too fast. We just don’t embrace enough in the moment. But TODAY is a good day to be living in the present. TODAY is a day God has set aside for us to HEAR. Today if we soften our hearts… No wonder Jesus said let tomorrow worries take care of themselves. !!!!!!! Listen today, take care of today. 

Today is Monday, and I didn’t finish this writing on Sunday, the Sabbath, but it’s OK I was living in the present yesterday and I rested some too, and I was busy taking my daughter back to school, shopping, and sightseeing in a window of opportunity. I enjoyed yesterday. I also rested. I relaxed a little too. There’s a DIFFERENCE. The fortune cookie saying I have taped inside my cabinet says: “Take time to relax especially when you don’t have time for it.” That’s good advice, but that also is DIFFERENT, REST is NOT the same as relaxing, because rest is RESTing in God’s moments, LETTING HIM HANDLE THINGS, and also to HEAR to SOFTEN OUR HEARTS to  “enter His REST”… Ah, Rest takes movement to enter, takes understanding and it’s not just waiting, it’s actively understanding Rest – and for that we must take time to understand God.

Our rest is not just about napping, our rest is demonstrating that we comprehend that even God took a day to Rest from His Works, but not His Word. 

I appreciated the last bit of an online sermon, which put this end cap on my day while driving on Sunday night, driving home from my busy day. The pastor preached at the end of a sermon about John the Baptist, that Jesus said “follow me” to new believers and if we go to where He is, trusting Him, following Him, THAT IS where we will see Him working, see His power. If we follow Him. Today we need to be hearing His voice… and TODAY WE DEMONSTRATE OUR FOLLOWING OF JESUS.

We rest AND follow because of this scripture: “Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest,…, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” …. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

That’s why we take the Sabbath for the sake of REST, sharing the Word and living it too, take it so that we help others MOVE forward into where He is. Everyday and especially TODAY we pray for a moving rest for softening of hearts, ours and theirs.

Our dedicated following of powerful Jesus will let us see “where His power RESTS“… 

Amen (and please read the scriptures)

—-

Paul to the Hebrew church (ch4): 

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.  For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,

    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

    do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.  Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

We are poured out like a drink, as we get older, that’s how Paul sees his life. And ours. We have such as a short time on this earth, ever being made aware of that as we get older. Let us pray that we also get wiser! 

Paul is really instructive on people getting wiser. If we have heard Jesus calling us, then surely we want to move deeper in our hearing of His Word touching our lives. Many times scriptures speak about spiritual milk, so when Paul reminds the Hebrews (chapters 4 and 5) that they are selected by God to grow in faith (just as we are, just as Jesus was), he tells them to desire maturity enough to EAT SOLID FOOD and not regress to just milk.

Craving milk then solid food as a progression, that’s basic growth in our human needs… my daughter just had her wisdom teeth out and it’s quite a process moving to solid food. There’s a time when you just don’t want to eat the soft yogurt or down protein shakes anymore and you just want a cheeseburger (and five-guys fries). With desires to heal, you have a motivation to not undo the stiches, but you need food. It’s a taste for more sustenance.

The sacrifices of old testament peoples were of real animals, probably ones they could have eaten, but didn’t. Their Spiritual feeding was met by meeting with God. What’s our sacrifice? Our time.  100% our time. Add sacrificing our desires to control our own lives and you can see where God wants your commitment. This is not all bad, this is direction. This is the ticket to peace. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” 

In our own motivation to mature, we move from faith sound bites to reading deeper into the foundations of faith, scriptures for the soul… We are given motivation to mature by God Himself who calls us not to be glorious in our own eyes but in His, to listen to our guts and inner spirits about our lives and where to take them. Our internal compass is set by God’s direction, if we take our hands off of it. 

It would be too easy to continue just on milk (or milkshakes) in our eating but that’s not going to keep satisfying our continued growth. So, as we all know, it is time for us to eat some solid food of faith, real meat, maybe some five-guys fries allowed too… We are to enjoy the Word and make it heard.  Make the most of your meal!

AMEN 

HEBREWS ch4: 1-5, 11-14: ch5:1-12 

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’

….

Warning against falling away

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

—

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case – the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

So busy yesterday, but in quiet moments I remembered that a good friend of our family, an uncle by love not birth, had passed away. He was my godfather, best man at my parents wedding, one of the sweetest people on earth.  A kid at heart and a man of God. I will still see him as forever young. 

We know he’s not gone in God’s frame of mind. He is physically gone from here, and he will be missed. We will remember his love. I spoke briefly with his daughter, she remarked that she couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t hear his voice anymore… that’s a missing sound that still runs thru our heads not our ears. A Spirit that permeates God’s space. He as father loved his children deeply and forever like God Father loves us. I can crisply see a memory of him holding each of his children’s hands taking them up the stairs to church. He held them IN love in his hands. 

“[Love has given me great joy and encouragement, because love refreshes the hearts of the Lord’s people].” from Paul to Philemon.

A Facebook post from his niece showed a video of him playing beanbag toss with her then 2yr old daughter. Every sense of who he was shines thru his SMILE in that archive snapshot video, 100% joy in the journey in individual steps. His smile WAS infectious. That’s a smile that we can’t see in person, but we can still feel in our hearts. A Spirit that permeates God’s space. As my dad did get to speak with him twice recently, I know my parents kept him close to their hearts always. Such friends like brothers and better as best friends, not always physically present but there. My thoughts lean on the hope that friends and loved ones’ voices will be some of the FIRST we will hear on that eventual day of our passing. I’m praying ahead. I’m thanking God for all the voices that will be present in Heaven ahead that will and do recognize our piece of the Godly puzzle and point out a space in heaven where we fit. And I know it is the Holy Spirit who tells us here on earth where we fit. A Spirit who fits into heaven and works from heaven is a Spirit that will never quit. 

I have a bump on my forehead, silly bump accident running into a door, it is not visible but when touched it still hurts. Pain in losing loved ones is not always visible but it still hurts. When touched by the heart, we remember. When touched by the memory, we smile. When touched by the loss, we tear. When touched by faith, we quiet and still ourselves to remember their and our very short journeys in this earthly place. Journeys of spiritual strength to keep moving thru God’s space. We teach our children to love, we model love. We teach our children to love God, we model God. 

God, we are thankful for long and short times with our loved ones. We share life with them, and they share life with us. God, we are all in a time of ache and heart break. We know that time is precious. We know that time is a gift. We pray to gift our time back to You Lord, by loving others in this space You currently place us in. God, Father, as we thank our earthly fathers for raising us, we also thank You for raising up all fathers and mothers in God and into Your forever peace. We will remember them by Your Love touching our lives. Forever we pray that our hearts may sing your praises and not be silent.

Amen and Thank You. 

Psalm 30:4-12

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm;

but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

I love reading the bible!!!

Three plays on words today in just one scripture chapter: CROSS-REFERENCE, FOOTNOTES, FOUNDATIONS…

In reading foundations of faith in Hebrews chapter 1, there are tremendous cross references and footnotes. Yes of course the CROSS of Jesus, but also CROSS-references to other scriptures seen in the electronic (and scholarly notations in printed versions). So much good information buried to be raised!!!

The author of Hebrews speaks of the old testament prophecies and matches them to Jesus. That is important both to learn about Jesus AND God’s plan for Jesus and angels and us, AND to learn that the old testament writings hundreds of years prior were LONGING for Jesus to come. Prophecy cross-reference “mix and match” never was so blessedly fulfilled… (FULL-filled, filled with the FULLness of Christ)

The FOOTNOTES not just signal the position of extra tidbits of notes, but note the FOOT position of Jesus “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” …

And in this great writing, we learn of FOUNDATIONS of faith by knowledge of the physical foundations of the earth at God and Jesus’s command:  “God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”  (Don’t you love Jesus Joy!)   “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the FOUNDATIONS of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain;  they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

So much information I have learned in stepping thru the bible these last few months… lots of “Oh, that’s where that’s written” – KEEP READING MY FRIENDS! There is no better foundation than that which God laid. Learning never ends. God never ends.

All of Hebrews 1 is below. The cross-references AND the footnotes AND the foundations. 

Cool!!! Amen…

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PS: Here’s a great history discussion about the authors of the bible, and Hebrews. The best conclusion is of course that the Holy Spirit wrote it regardless of who put pen to paper. An important note where the sections of the new testament are discussed: Hebrews “outlines our faith and defines faith itself in the same way that Romans defines the tenets of Christian living. It closes the chapters of faith alone and serves as a prelude to the chapters on good works built on a foundation of faith in God. Cool…..   https://www.gotquestions.org/author-Hebrews.html 

See: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%201&version=NIV&interface=amp#cen-NIV-29974Y

Hebrews 1 God’s Final Word: His Son

1 In the past God spoke(A) to our ancestors through the prophets(B) at many times and in various ways,(C) 2 but in these last days(D) he has spoken to us by his Son,(E) whom he appointed heir(F) of all things, and through whom(G) also he made the universe.(H) 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory(I) and the exact representation of his being,(J) sustaining all things(K) by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,(L) he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.(M) 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.(N)

The Son Superior to Angels

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;    today I have become your Father” [a]? (O)

Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” [b]? (P)

6 And again, when God brings his firstborn(Q) into the world, (R) he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.” [c](S)

7 In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits,

    and his servants flames of fire.” [d](T)

8 But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;(U)

    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions(V)

    by anointing you with the oil(W) of joy.” [e](X)

10 He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,

    and the heavens are the work of your hands. (Y)

11 They will perish, but you remain;

    they will all wear out like a garment. (Z)

12 You will roll them up like a robe;

    like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same, (AA)

    and your years will never end.” [f](AB)

13 To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand (AC) until I make your enemies

    a footstool (AD) for your feet” [g]?(AE)

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits (AF) sent to serve those who will inherit(AG) salvation?(AH)

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
2. Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
3. Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
4. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
5. Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
6.     Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
7. Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1

CROSS references

1. Hebrews 1:1 : Jn 9:29; Heb 2:2, 3; 4:8; 12:25
2. Hebrews 1:1 : Lk 1:70; Ac 2:30
3. Hebrews 1:1 : Nu 12:6, 8
4. Hebrews 1:2 : Dt 4:30; Heb 9:26; 1Pe 1:20
5. Hebrews 1:2 : ver 5; S Mt 3:17; Heb 3:6; 5:8; 7:28
6. Hebrews 1:2 : Ps 2:8; Mt 11:27; S 28:18
7. Hebrews 1:2 : S Jn 1:3
8. Hebrews 1:2 : Heb 11:3
9.     Hebrews 1:3 : Jn 1:14
10. Hebrews 1:3 : S Jn 14:9
11. Hebrews 1:3 : Col 1:17
12. Hebrews 1:3 : Tit 2:14; Heb 7:27; 9:11-14
13. Hebrews 1:3 : S Mk 16:19
14. Hebrews 1:4 : Eph 1:21; Php 2:9, 10; Heb 8:6
15. Hebrews 1:5 : Ps 2:7; S Mt 3:17
16. Hebrews 1:5 : 2Sa 7:14
17. Hebrews 1:6 : Jn 3:16; S Col 1:18
18. Hebrews 1:6 : Heb 10:5
19. Hebrews 1:6 : Dt 32:43 (LXX and DSS); Ps 97:7
20. Hebrews 1:7 : Ps 104:4
21. Hebrews 1:8 : S Lk 1:33
22. Hebrews 1:9 : Php 2:9
23. Hebrews 1:9 : Isa 61:1, 3
24. Hebrews 1:9 : Ps 45:6, 7
25. Hebrews 1:10 : Ps 8:6; Zec 12:1
26. Hebrews 1:11 : Isa 34:4; 51:6; S Heb 12:27
27. Hebrews 1:12 : Heb 13:8
28. Hebrews 1:12 : Ps 102:25-27
29. Hebrews 1:13 : ver 3; S Mk 16:19
30. Hebrews 1:13 : Jos 10:24; Heb 10:13
31. Hebrews 1:13 : Ps 110:1; S Mt 22:44
32. Hebrews 1:14 : Ps 91:11; 103:20; Da 7:10
33. Hebrews 1:14 : Mt 25:34; Mk 10:17; S Ac 20:32
34. Hebrews 1:14 : S Ro 11:14; Heb 2:3; 5:9; 9:28

A friend of a friend thinks about the world dynasties that come and go – like the Roman Empire, the British Empire, and maybe maybe the US fading in the future. Maybe the rise of China or India will have the next global impact. Maybe we don’t know the future!

How IMPORTANT therefore that we remember the world is BIG, History is LONG. How important, even in these tumultuous times in the US (and especially in these times), that we remember the end of the world is not dependent on our observations or on any ticking time schedule, but ONLY in the timing that the Lord has. (and it sounds so very elaborate!!) ALL in ALL we are present on Earth in a VERY short blip of time.

When we stress about the brokenness in the world, we also worry about the rips in the American melting pot, the pockets of coldness, the boiling over factions, the segments flying off the ladle handle. What should we do with America? (perceived or actual) The #1 thing we should NOT do is NOT worship it…. We are NOT to worship the ground we or anyone walks on, it is beneath us. (I just made up that quote – cool…) We are to worship the Lord.

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE AMERICA – I LOVE the freedom – I love the opportunity – I love the flag – I love to wear my red white and blue. No matter who is in ruling power, the red white and blue are a blessing to me and you…  I do love America and freedom, yet I am reminded to NOT worship it. I am reminded to NOT worship people (even rock stars). I am reminded to NOT worship the world. Don’t worship what won’t last. We are to WORSHIP THE LORD AND THE LORD ONLY!

The best thing we can do for America is to do something for Americans – teach them about God. The best thing we can do for the world is to do something for the people – teach them about God. Teach and show them Jesus in our lives. Model Christ-like behavior. Acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers but know the ONE who does. Stand strong sharing the Word not for the Word’s sake but for the World’s HOPE.

Do we know the future? NO. We actually don’t even know much about the past and we repeat history all the time…  Therefore we don’t know the immediate future. What we have learned in the Book of Revelation is that the world does not last. God knows the World is broken and knows what happens. In this truth is where we learn that we have to be lifted from this world, be in the world but not of it. And in the Book of Revelation is where we learn that God and God alone sets the new Kingdom into place. 

How do we get to this new Kingdom? Walk. Keep the Walk. Walk the Faith.

I love this quote I just heard from St Francis of Assisi: “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching”. 

Be prayerfully worshipful – put your prayers in the Peacemaker not in the place – and put your place into Peacemaking

Amen!

(all my opinion – just to put that out there)

(God IS in change – that is the truth!)

I had a great dream, I had to write it down.  I was flipping through an illustration of the birds in the bible – coloring pages and beautiful pictures nestled as inserts for each time there was a reference to birds.  (Please do run with this idea if you know a book publisher)…  The books in my dream were exquisitely detailed and beautiful. My dream reminded me if God takes care of the birds, then how much we are loved, enough for me at that moment, in my dream and as soon as I awoke, to have a connective moment of peace. In watching me in my own dream, I was watching my peace, knowing God, and just being alive. 

Think of how much our Heavenly Father cares for us, and in my dream and just after, I had been thinking of how my earthly father loves to watch the birds, so many do, and how much it gives a connection between my mom and my brother with him. This whole 10 months of self-isolation for them, in our covid pandemic, I thank God the birds have been there, to entertain. I look out my windows too and a beautiful red cardinal reminds me of them. All our lives as a family, birds figured in, designs for their club pins, artwork, and arts and crafts all around the house. There are lots and lots of feeders, windows and even perfect porch seats.  The porch is the only place I got this year. I sat WITH the birds in my Father’s and Mother’s view. So this Christmas I gave my dad a calendar, 365 days of pages of colorful bird photos. My mom (who is always easy to please) also loves it. (I got it at Hallmark). And gave them lots of bird themed presents (you have to love Hallmark). Sadly, or fittingly, the cookies I sent, which I felt SO strongly about making 4 weeks ago for them, arrived crushed and so old in the mail delay that they now were best to feed them to the birds too. It’s OKAY, this is the year that “the thought counts”. The birds and the squirrels will enjoy them. They will return to God their intended purpose, the joy of just being sent, the joy of loved ones being remembered.

Everyone it seems loves to watch the birds… My friend told me about her mom, in the nursing home, who loved to watch the birds. She was not able to communicate much, but seeing the birds and listening to music were known to soothe her.

In the scriptures, Jesus is telling us directly just as much as he was telling his listeners (Matthew 6) how important we are to God. He will take care of us. In daily life and in transition life and in forever life, God loves and cherishes us.  “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?“

I watch the birds on a livesteam webpage from my hometown. I can hear and feel my connection to home, and this gives me more a peace while working on the computer. Isn’t that what Jesus connecting us to God is all about? Our connections to HOME while we work and live give us PEACE. God wants us to think of HOME. Home is a place of mind, not just physical place. Home IS where the heart is. Home is where we lay our heads. Home is a comfort. Home is a gift.  This whole pandemic, our homes are supposed to be the safest place. Home is where we can just be.

The cat will get so confused about the feeder sounds on the computer and dart from window to window to try to see the activities. We too don’t want to be left out. We too know that it is not always peaceful patience between different birds at the feeders. Hope that they would take turns, but no the little birds wait their turns while the aggressive birds grab food. And that squirrel!!!??? Ugh!!!

I am going to make an effort to start hanging feeders in my yard. My neighbor put up a big fence, her feeders are now hidden. I should take the opportunity to start my feeding zone at my home. I love to nest at home. Nest – now that is a term that the Lord allows us to enjoy His Nest for us – right inside the palm of His hand.

So, heaven on earth is where we find our glimpses of HOME. This may mean that we also can participate to bring the peace closer, make the opportunities for peace ourselves and for others, be the little birds looking for a crumb or waiting our turn, be the earthly birdfeeder and provide… be the watcher and intervene.

Our Heavenly Birdfeeder Vinedresser Creator Father watches us like we watch the birds. He feeds, keeps an eye on us, ready to intervene, and certainly simply watches how we interact with our fellow humans. Watch out for squirrels in life, but know that they are simply after the food, not you.  Use your wings in trouble, rise to safety, squawk in alarm, sing in delight. Roost safely  and warm. Be fed. Nest. Rest. 

Like the birds, we must look for our food, spiritual food. Yes it is provided and plentiful – the light dawns and we are up to read our nourishment… the biblical Word feeds our souls. 

It would be nice to see pictures of bird in the bible, it would could should remind us that every biblical Word is a seed. Every page a place of feeding. Of course, we can look for ourselves in the bible – we ARE the results of God planting seeds in us…

There might be a few birds in the bushes, but how much MORE precious is a bird in the hand – and you in God’s Hand. We are forever held in God’s Hand. 

Be fed.

Amen 

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I love how the Word is SO TIMELY and fittingly TIMELESS… 

Ministry moments are most important to vocalize. Certain times like these call for EXTRA care to hold the tongue from controversies, to go above the fray to teach peace, and to keep and share the Word in a broken world. The people need perspective, the preaching needs purpose, and the power comes from pursuing peace. A great message from Paul, writing to Titus (ch1 v1-9) for encouragement of what an elder (AND ALL OF US) should TRY to be: “To further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time“…

An elder must be: 

blameless, 

faithful

whose children believe

not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient

not overbearing

not quick-tempered

not given to drunkenness

not violent 

not pursuing dishonest gain

and:

must be hospitable

love what is good

self-controlled

upright

holy

disciplined

hold firmly to the trustworthy message

encourage others by sound doctrine

refute those who oppose sound doctrine 

(Paul also says to rebuke the cretins…)

Paul in chapter 2 urges Titus to: 

teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine:

be temperate

worthy of respect

self-controlled

sound in faith, in love and in endurance

be reverent

not to be a slanderer

not be addicted

teach what is good

to love

be self-controlled and pure

be busy at home

be kind

Always to be meaningful so that no one will malign the word of God.

To set an example by: 

doing what is good

teach to show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned

so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

For the Grace of God:

offers salvation to all people

teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions

to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age 

while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Paul continues (ch3 excerpts):

Remind the people:

to be subject to rulers and authorities

to be obedient

to be ready to do whatever is good

to slander no one

to be peaceable and considerate

to be gentle toward everyone.

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.

And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone….

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

(All from Titus ch1-3)

I wrote this just after the riots… we must keep going!!!  Keep running the good race!!!

REFOCUS

“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry”. Paul to Timothy… 2nd Timothy 3-4

It’s not like we have time to lolly gag, stop ministering, even though crazy times will just get crazier, BECAUSE Christ IS coming again.  Keep running the good race. Yes, rejuvenate and rest up and regroup, but do so in a Spirit of Revival… Like climbing a mountain, get to the next step and don’t dream of getting down, dream of reaching the top. Keep running the race and rallying the team.

The chaos of the world does not change Christ nor should it change Christians. Our cause to teach is just as strong, never-ending and never-wavering…

It’s not like saying: “Don’t sweat the small stuff” in this day and age, because the bad stuff IS bad. INSTEAD, say: “Don’t sweat the satan stuff” and KEEP WORKING FOR THE WORD. Keep your hearts and minds and souls strengthened and secure in the Spiritual Armor of God and keep moving forward in ministry.

Paul kept working, so can we. Paul urged Timothy:

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

Paul realized the marathon of ministry was both a good race and a baton-passing relay race where the runners continually get back into the race. They run and rest, they relay and root each other on. They share in the victory too.

Jesus Christ has passed the baton of sharing the truth onto you, keep running until your Timothy runs up beside you to take on his leg… then don’t head out of the arena, keep keeping the faith and keep watching until all knees bow crossing the finish line.

Doesn’t matter if satan runs next to you, faking you out, mocking you, or seemingly in front, you have to believe that Jesus lapped him 2000 years ago. You keep running the race set out for you. Don’t let the false facades make you think that he might win. Know better. KNOW THE TRUTH.

And KEEP TRAINING:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YOU.

“They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

KEEP RUNNING THE GOOD RACE.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

LEAVE A LEGACY OF LOVE.

Amen

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What if God Painted Your Smile?

If you remembered that God painted your smile, would you smile more? You would.

If you thought that God knows what makes you smile, would your smile become more warm? It could.

If you thought about Him making your spirit to knit you into your mother’s womb, would you smile for Him even if no one else was around? You should.

When God Painted Your Smile, did He repaint and retouch it or just make it ONCE and say “Good”. 

He would actually say: “Very Good.”

God would.

Your smile to Him is uniquely understood.

Smile His masterpiece more, that is what you should.

We are to be selfless in the Lord’s plans for us, and that means take on a “what would the Lord have me do?”  type of mentality. We are not to be selfish. We are not to selfishly say: how is this better for me? And yet if we think about what’s better for me, isn’t being humble before the Lord the best plan?

The Lord goes before us, so take a moment and try to focus on Him. Witnessing blessings from obedience convinces us that’s a good plan. We are purchased by Him to be His, forgiving our sin, made clean in His eyes. We have to be selfless and let the Lord do His Work in us. He always does a better job of us in us then we do in us.

Selfies, I love selfies for they show my joy. And I wonder, if we thought about our actions (if the people who are entangled in crazy times thought about their actions), would you be posing with angels or devils? Would you be posing in encouragement or mockery? If I scaled a mountain, I would post a selfie in joyful victory. If I did something scandalous, I would not post it (or at least limit the audience LOL)… I pray to not selfie in selfishness but Lord knows I am human!

We forget what we are doing, we have oops moments, or know of stuff that is none of anyone’s business. Yet we still can have the selfless moment to double check with the Lord.  If in selfishness, we ignore the Lord, then we will face His scrutiny. Better to have Him and we search our hearts than close them up (and He won’t allow that – see Psalm 139). If we oops, we can fall on our knees to beg forgiveness. If we don’t drop on our knees, well… consequences… If you ask me, I would rather crawl on my knees than walk boldly on that eventual day I am called on the carpet by the Lord. 

The day of our deaths, how will our photo albums be displayed at the gates? Did we take more selfies with the selfless angels than in fishy selfish moments? How will we approach the throne? Well, with Jesus and Jesus alone. 

And all those people in oops moments? Jesus will guide them too… we must WAIT and see what develops. God is His Own Publisher and Punisher. We just are called to pose in poise. Don’t worry about your hair, only your soul to bear.

Can I have a selfie with you Lord? You hold the camera. 

Thanks and Amen 

—-

Psalm 139

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

We are not always above the fray, but Jesus certainly points us that Way.

Jesus spoke of weeds planted by the evil one, that get entangled amongst the grain of a farmer’s filed, and how his workers had to endure the growing season without yanking out the weeds because they did not want to disrupt the good seed that also was just starting to take root. They were reminded that the farmer for the field (and likewise the Lord with the people) will harvest it all LATER, burn the bad, keep the good… At some point, God will look at His people, there will be a time for separating the sheep from the goats… Therefore, we are not to judge it all now, not to avenge everything in the entangled mess of the world right now but we are called to keep planting new seeds of peace… That requires us taking the long view. I have faith, we will get thru this too, we always do.

So, the writings from Paul to Timothy pertain here… behave “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” Our Commanding Officer? God. Please God.

Paul felt blessed in His mess, keeping his eyes to his future above. Life is messy, Paul felt the disarray of people that were once good in progressing places and saw church folks he established sometimes go corrupt and wayward. Paul urged Timothy to keep working, keep teaching, keep being the good example. He said DON’T get caught up in the world. Don’t get entangled.

Life keeps moving and so should we. Jesus gives us the Way above the Fray.

For the Lord’s sake, we pull our children closer.

For the Lord’s sake, we keep moving.

For the sake of PEACE, we do our piece of praying and planting. The thorns and the thistles may try, but the Lord knows how to find His peace people in the piles… The Lord knows all that gets entangled, let Him lift you up away from the fray.

Amen to a new day.

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Paul to Timothy: And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.

—-

2nd Timothy 1

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself…

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene…. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.  Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Put down your stone,

It’s not your judging throne.

Put down your stone,

Where has your sense flown.

Put down your stone, 

We all have something to atone. 

Put down your stone, 

Writing in the sand, feel it’s tone. 

Put down your stone, 

Quiet your moan.

Put down your stone, 

Our lives are earth are just on loan.

Put down your stone, 

Forgive and forgive alone. 

I want to run at the mouth. 

Satan get behind me.

I want to run and hide.

Satan get behind me.

---

I want to self-indulge slide. 

Satan get behind me. 

I want to cuss and fume. 

Satan get behind me. 

I want to clear a room. 

Satan get behind me. 

---

I want to stare and stop.

Satan get behind me. 

I distractedly pause from the walk.

Satan get behind me. 

I want to ignore this broken world. 

Satan get behind me. 

I want to call out from fear.

Satan get behind me. 

I want to reduce into a tear. 

Satan get behind me. 

---

Jesus hear my plea.

Satan got behind Thee.

Jesus rule my heart.

Satan got behind Thee.

Jesus make us a fresh start. 

Satan got behind Thee.

Jesus help me do my part.

Satan got behind Thee. 

Satan, get behind me. 

Satan, Jesus did crush thee.

---

Jesus, hear my plea.

Jesus, tell Satan to flee.

Jesus, be ahead of me.

Jesus, mark me free with Thee.

Jesus, Thee are in front of me.

Amen

---

The world sometimes makes me feel like a made-up Disney Princess with sweet compliments and fans.

The Lord, however, makes me His and tells me that I really AM the daughter of the KING. 

The world sometimes makes me scrub on my knees and feel like Cinderella in rags, not in a kingdom.

The Lord, however, clothes me with garments of salvation and arrays me in a robe of his righteousness.

In the world: time stops when the clock strikes midnight.

In the Lord: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”.

The world fades. 

The Lord shines. 

The world stops short. 

The Lord goes on forever. 

The world chases the wind, never has enough.

The Lord gives gladness of heart to enjoy one’s lot in life.

The world hates, moves on, forgets us.

The Lord forever holds and protects us.

The world is not prayed for.

The Lord PRAYS FOR US.

In this world, we are incomplete like chains of a broken necklace. 

In the Lord, we are restored to whole.

In the world, we are dust – but the Lord’s dust.

In the Lord, WE ARE HIS JOY.

The World vs the Lord.

In HIM we are won.

In HIM we are ONE.

Amen 

—

Jesus says: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.    John 17:9-19

Also see Ecclesiastes.

A friend mentioned that their life-long friend had passed of covid – and just after I saw this story of a Swedish artist who made metal flowers to place in a field – he was using this as a way to wrap his mind around the numbers so they weren’t just numbers.    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-55415765

What I appreciated was what the artist said at the end – that he wanted each person to have the place where they felt respect. 

We are always talking numbers – so when we have a memory of a person we become the mental planter of that flower using our love, which comes from the Lord… sometimes if someone passed that I knew, that next spring I would think of them when planting my flower beds…

Scriptures tell us of how flowers fade. Scripture also tells us that the Word of the Lord endures forever – therefore we are to love fervently – and that love will last forever… If we love and share love – then we are actually planting and cultivating that person INTO the Love and Word of God – and hopefully they bloomed in love too – whether they knew the Lord or not they were planted in love that originated from Him. He then could water that field of their souls… 

Love is eternal and that loved one is never gone from the love that permeates the world – just the soul is relocated home – closer to the Source…

Peace and keep planting…

PS – Be Unto Your Name https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLOt2DlhdrY

———

1st Peter 1:22-25

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

“The only one who was qualified to hold a stone, didn’t.” Anonymous Author but a real Amen

Stone Hold Truth

We aren’t qualified to judge, but we do.

We aren’t supposed to whisper, but we do.

We aren’t supposed to shun, but we do.

We hold the stones just as much even more as they are held poised at us.

Instead of holding a stone, throwing a stone, by choice Jesus instead HOLDS your hand within His. 

Guidance over judgement.

The Rock holds your hand, not a stone.

That is Truth to hold on to.

Amen

A friend gets a new faith word of the year, each year… This year her Word is “Love”. Love is a great Word because God is Love, Love is God, Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus says to LOVE. “Love one another as I have Loved you.”

Perhaps you have a new/old faith word as well.

I believe that my word should be this year, 2 words, “By Faith” –  That what we ask for, as in things, we should ask for in the Lord’s name and what we asked to do or to go we should ask to do them “BY FAITH”.  Lord-willing. Not spoken boldly but quietly and under the breath even. Spoken in faith by asking the Lord, not demanding… Always in an ask, confident that the Lord will answer!!! Either it will happen or it won’t.

By Faith… 

The Lord has plans for you that you can NOT imagine.

Imagine that the Lord has BETTER plans for yoy than you have for yourself. Believe it.

Plan to follow the Lord. (And try really really hard to listen and obey.)

Really – this is a Godly pursuit but it has a positive human side-effect: “By Faith” gives CONTENTMENT, as well as self-discipline, especially for the realization that there are things we can and cannot do, places we can and cannot go, plans we cannot have unless the Lord agrees and builds them for us. There is nothing that helps us more into peace than to follow the Lord’s plans. Sometimes we will ask: “Why am I here Lord?” – “Why am I waiting” – “What is this side-tracking for?”. We may not get an answer we understand – or it may take a while – but CONTENTMENT (not compromise or complacency) true CONTENTMENT only comes with the PEACE you accept from the Lord’s pace for you and how He has you placed.

Peace by Place and Pace.

Amen

—

… Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” James 4:14

—

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

—

Advancing God’s work—which is by faith. Paul to 1Timothy 1:4

—

Fan into flame the gift of God… For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. Paul to 2Timothy 1:6-7

—

You have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Paul to the Colossians 3:1-4

—

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the word, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Fight the good fight of the faith.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Paul to 1Timothy 6:6-12, 17-19

—

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

—

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10

—

AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.  Philippians 4:4

I’m SO thankful Lord in Thee.

When I thought I had two, You and me, I see I have actually three: God Father, Jesus Word, and Holy Spirit – All in Thee.

When I thought my finances stretched thin. It was only You I needed within. 

When I thought my cupboards bare. You told me You were sufficient to feed me anywhere. 

When I had enough money in my eyes, You allowed me to go get goodies, sweets, and even Five Guys Fries.

When I could replace my old green then old blue car, I realize it is You Whom has driven me sucessfully safe this far.

When I got to hold my loved ones dear, it was You who gathered them near. When I sat quite alone, You said it was OK, I only needed You and You alone.

Someday we won’t be steady, but You will make us ready. Secured in Jesus we need to atone. Someday, He will hold our hand while You will call us each HOME. 

We LIVE and LOVE by Thee and Thee Alone.

I thank You Lord, Thee Alone 

Amen 

Jesus in Our Cup

Perhaps Jesus is filling your coffee cup:

With a BOLD blend, strong and mighty. 

With a delicate aroma, sweet and welcoming. 

A percolator type, traditional and long-processed.

Sanka, on the go and doesn’t give you the shakes.

Instant, there when you need Him.

Espresso, steaming, noisy in the ears and concentrated in small sips.

All sugary, easy to down. 

Black, straight and no nonsense. 

A mug you barely wash, home brew.

A takeout cup, still will do.

Half full, there’s still more to savor. 

Half empty, don’t miss out on all sips of Savior. 

Drips, spill out on the ground. 

Floods, whole carafe rendered down. 

Beans crushed and brewed, broken, it smells of Heaven.

Jesus, the best Savior in town. 

Flavoring life, Jesus in the cup, the perk to bring you around.

The essence of Jesus, nothing compares. 

Our cup He fills, He will always make you aware.

Filtered He still runs thru.

Rip open the filter, temple curtain, God’s Jesus made a Way for you.

Jesus in our cups.

Filled with Love.

Drinking Living Water.

Savor everything sent from above.

Amen 

A friend said she wanted to work on her faith in this New Year. Actually, God is working on us!  So as for me, in my limited knowledge of the Lord, I have mostly learned that it is HE who works on us.

Apostle Paul, with Timothy his scribe and student, aspired to advancing God’s work—which IS by faith. “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 

Sincere means listening and not quenching the lead of the Lord, doing what He says. Faith knows peace without understanding it.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians church folk whom he taught: “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by HIS POWER he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed PROMPTED by faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I’ve experienced in me that Jesus as the Vine is the One who connects and feeds us as branches (gospel of John). It can be like growing the Grinch’s heart when he saw and experienced love. The vine valves we squeaked open. If we want to grow our faith, really all we need to do is start listening to the flow better – tap into it – grease up the valves – LET IT FLOW  – and faith will be ebbing thru us, overcoming as it overflows. 

Like leaves on the branches, we turn our faces to the sun to absorb the light, open special stomata underneath to take in carbon dioxide, absorb the water flowing from the vine deeply rooted, and growing gets to work. Do we produce sugars, vitamins, minerals, nourishment for ourselves? Not exclusively as the creations, work, products become fruit of HIS Vine. An orange tree or tomato bush grows fruit for the picking, giving up its best. We should too.

Like He desires in us, from us, as His Vine branches, we need to leaf out in spring, absorb the Shine of His Light, intake the flow of Spirit, be fed by the Living Water – and be His strong branches to bear fruit. Our Vinedresser watches and prunes us for the good of His crop.

Psalm 90:1-4, 12, 16-17

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night…

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom…

May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

AMEN 

Jesus said:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:1-12

AMEN AMEN 

Jesus doesn’t always have to come to us because we experience a tragedy.

Often He speaks to us when we are simply sipping a cup of tea.

Jesus is not hiding or scarcely found.

His Spirit is ever-present and all around. 

Jesus grows THRU, not on us like fungal decay.

From inside He is changing your heart, your soul, your mind, in His Way.

Jesus in us doesn’t get thrown off by our sinful spots.

God made us by faith to ask and receive grace, unlike the lost of those blind “have nots”.

Jesus’s forgiveness makes us NEW in a new creation way.

Listen to Him teach you a new lesson today. 

Jesus puts the purpose in our LOVE. 

His LOVE is all in all, grace given from God above.

It’s good to listen to Jesus, read His Word, and just be.

Faith can strengthen you, motivate you, simply while sipping a cup of tea.

Thank You Jesus for flowing Your peace in me.

I love to ponder Thee.

Amen

OKAY OKAY Lord, it’s time to get up and rhyme. 

OKAY OKAY Lord, You’re right I am feeling just fine.

How come You give me an early wake up time?

Let me write, of course I am living on Your dime.

—

OKAY OKAY Lord, it’s New Year’s Day. 

OKAY OKAY Lord, another day to play. 

Play? Instead what’s that You say? 

Oh, You gave us ANOTHER DAY TO PRAY. 

—

OKAY OKAY LORD, I get Your drift.

You are repairing this big listening rift.

You want to give everyone a lift?

Ah, I see, You want to give lost people Your greatest Gift.

—

OKAY OKAY Lord, today is that day. 

For another soul we should always pray.

Lord, what really do You want me to say?

JESUS IS THE ONE AND TRUE WAY.

—

I believe that Lord, but there are those who DON’T. 

I believe in You Lord, but there are those who WON’T. 

Those blind to Your ways will rant, pay You no mind.

Awake them Lord, not to punish but for them to know that You are KIND.

—

You need us to live Your Word. 

You want us all to retell Your Word.

Open ears hear, eyes see, hearts are stirred. 

Jesus, You NEED to be heard.

—

Your New. Your Year. Your Day.

Lord, who will NEWLY hear You TODAY?

To open more eyes and hearts, You need us ALL, yes everyone to PRAY.

Open Ears to hear, for TODAY is NEW EARS DAY! 

—

I will pray Your Way, OKAY!

It’s not just about me, that’s OKAY! 

I will petition for all to have an awakening DAY. A NEW EAR DAY!

Thank You Lord, please Light their Way.

—

You put the NEW into this New Year’s Day.

You made the YEAR of this New Year’s Day.

You own the DAY on this New Year’s Day. 

Open ears as You are light, truth and the WAY.

—

I will pray for what to say. Your Word works everyday. 

Thru me, Lord, I hope You ALWAYS get Your Way. 

Amen to those who become NEW in YOU on this Day.

Wishing new EARS for You Lord, every day.

—

Lord, HAPPY NEW EARS DAY!      

Amen

I got advice for a work document I was writing by asking someone who had recently written a similar document. I joked that I was cheating off the smart kid – but really it was and is handy to have help. I then thought this concept is just like us and Jesus. We don’t have to guess, we have to confess that He knows better than us. How fitting that we get to get to Salvation because we have Jesus. We are kind of riding on His coat tails – but not really – because to make it to Heaven, we have to NOT ride but WALK alongside Him. We do have to commit to the journey.

Recently I called a friend and he helped me fix the pipe leaking under my sink (silly I just had to tighten this ring). It is handy to have a phone a friend – phone a plumber – cheat off the smart kid… That is Jesus too – handy to have His Hand guiding ours – cheating yes by cheating death because He crushed it. The smart kid? Oh Yeah – Jesus is the smartest kid you can imagine – and He is NOT hiding His paper – and He is not even testing us. Jesus IS showing not just His paper to us but HIS OPEN BOOK.

---

JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE OPEN BOOK.

He doesn’t open His book to just mark up our pages based on His.

He does open His book to hint His answers to us.

He doesn’t open His book to read us the riot act.

He does open His book to teach us His righteous acts.

He doesn’t open His book to write down our wrongs.

He does open His book to copy it onto our hearts.

He doesn’t open His book to cut us with the pages.

He does open His book to cut open our ears, hearts, minds and souls.

He doesn’t open His book to simply be wordy.

He does open His book to make us simply worthy.

Thank You Jesus for reading us the Way – one Word at a time.

Amen

I have no clue, Lord, what’s vining thru me from You. But You do.

I have no clue of today’s challenges, but you do. 

I can’t interpret my dreams, no clue what they mean, but You process them for me, don’t you?

I have no clue. I have to rely on You.

No clue but You.

I get rest, get to rise, get to move, get to live because of You.

Good is good all because of You.

I can know of good things because I know You.

I can fear not small things, because I respect You.

Why am I awake, alive, ready to thrive?

Well, all because of You.

You are my clue, better yet, You are my answer too.

If I don’t know what to do, I will ask You.

If I can’t comprehend, I will figure on You.

If I am lost, I will look for You.

If I am scared, I will feel for You.

If I don’t know what to say, I will speak about You.

If I need a clue, I will listen to You.

You always see me thru. Better than a clue, You are You.

Lord Your Name is So Powerful too.

True.

Amen and Thank You.

I held this writing in drafts for 2 weeks, and I appreciate the chance to revisit it. After one of my writings helped their situation, a friend said “keep doing your job” – meaning acting on this feeling of writing for the Lord’s purposes… 

Classically I had written that same thought in this note I started writing below, about my friend a servant of the Lord, grateful for him for just “doing his job” for the Lord… We don’t work for men, we work for the Lord. The Doors lyric: “keep your eyes on the road – your hands upon the wheel”

Isn’t that the truth!!!  Keep going my friends, doing the best you can to serve the Lord – it DOES make a difference – it made me SAVED!

———-
1000 and Forever More, 12Dec-DEBBIEtime2020

I am often writing from “having to write” – but this time I simply want to write this note – I am quite taken by the fact that I have approached then gone over 1000 devotions/blogs/processing writings especially since I begged the Lord to stop making me write at about 100 or so writings… I asked for my brain back. Well, He said: NO!

It’s not an accomplishment for the writing but I will take credit for paying attention to feeling an urgency of the curation of the writings, what I describe as me having no choice. I have to “contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me”… YES!

But today I want to write this as a thank you note – specifically for the Lord for picking up a task for me that I would have NEVER picked for myself – for showing me the better way when I myself was “in the way” – and for giving me an abundant feeling of blessings. I am thankful that this is not a chore, like mowing the lawn, but a direction to keep walking. Whatever I am doing or supposed to be doing, this feels like being the puzzle piece in You Lord moving around the box. I pray, Lord, that you move me to the parts of the picture where I connect. I often ask “Lord, where do I fit?” He says “Don’t worry where you fit – just be happy that you do.” And I am Lord, I am happy to know You in me and me in You. I am handmaiden of the Lord (Luke 1:38) and “feel to be a cog in something turning” (like Joni Mitchell sings).

And I want to add to this thank you note a great THANK YOU LORD FOR MY FRIEND “A” – in musical notes, sermons of note, and notes written and exchanged. I know he doesn’t want thanks – never did – because He knows, like I know, that anything we do for the Spirit is FROM the Spirit… so I will say THANK YOU to the Holy Spirit for Your servant! Thank You for placing me in timing and space – or thank you for not moving your servant onto some other place before the Lord caught me up to catch up with him.

I would not be anywhere without the Lord – none of us would be, but with servants placed in that particular place and time, paced and placed by the Holy Spirit, in my earshot, I had the most important pieces falling into my puzzling,  I had people to talk to whom didn’t know I was talking to them!. My conversations were not many at the beginning, and servants were not interveners but guides being placed in advance to when I caught up to listening with opening ears, someone to talk to whom I just felt would not ridicule me, someone who “got it”, and who wasn’t just randomly placed. I knew I had someone to trust in for whom I could hide my thoughts, not dismiss me or even try to change or affect me – but he could tell something was turning in my head… I won’t recap the whole story (which of course I have written out) but just state that this servant was just doing his job of teaching and reaching – He was placed – and participated in the work from his calling. Just doing his job.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Paul to Philippians)

The best advice this servant gave me about serving the Lord, when I was preparing my first sermon, was “You just do the best you can to present the scriptures.” That’s true – God wants to use each of us – just do the best you can to help Him shine thru. He already did everything – nothing can be added or taken away – so just present the truth. People will listen to and seek the Holy Spirit.

I will always need someone to talk to – just do – that is my known brokenness in me – a gift of brokenness so why not pour LIGHT out – and because I like to talk, at least Lord, I can always talk to You. Please Lord forever take all my brokenness in order to shine You…

I don’t know how this life or writing journey will bend or end, Lord, but I know it will continue, until You Lord change my direction of what I do. I don’t know this next stage of my journey Lord, none of us do, but I do know this: that You will push us thru – pull us thru it – lift us thru it – especially to understand more of You. Our job? My job? Share You!

Whether 10,000 years or 1000 writings and forever more, I’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise, than when I first begun. I will write in my brokenness because He is making us all whole. 

Thanks Lord. 

Thanks all Your servants. 

Thanks all for listening. 

Thanks. 

These few days after Christmas are a gift especially to a working mom/Mrs Santa/Julia Child Chef/pleaser to the workplace and world, just trying to get everything done by Christmas and now Christmas joy can now be enjoyed by me because the pressure is off. I’m blessed to be at work to reset my brain but hold onto my Christmas heart. 

I appreciate that the word the Lord has given me all throughout this covid season has been “REST” – both rest physically for health and rest assuredly in His love. Rest has allowed me to process in my sleep, and all of us to reduce stress resting assured that we are doing our best each day. At least we are trying.

I appreciated hearing in a sermon video today the great story of Simeon at the temple when Jesus was brought as a baby for dedication.   I can see/hear a song from Michael Card in my head and I can see the image of Simeon holding the baby, so touched that he was allowed to see his and the world’s Savior come to fruition. Anna was also gifted seeing our Gift. They KNEW.  And the sermon pastor spoke of how they were allowed rest, no not slack-off in faith or life, but to simply rest assured of a promise fulfilled. 

It brings me to tears to know that Jesus not only entered my own temple to teach me about His love for me, but He created it to house His Word and in doing so, gave me an empty slate wiped clean on which to write on my heart… if you have accepted Jesus rest in His arms, rest your future in His love. If you have not fully accepted Jesus – this is a good time to – at Christmas when He is a gentle as a baby to behold and then hold you. He really is the only comfort that satisfies what we need. We accept Him because He chose us first.

And Simeon did not sugarcoat the hardships that Jesus would endure, that Mary had in store. But Simeon saw and praised the glory first. We also will not rest in or on easy street, but we CAN see the glory of the Lord. We can feel Christmas rest, Easter best and our temple blessed. 

We have God with us. Let that sink in.

Be blessed. Merry Christmas rest.

Amen 

—-

Luke 2:22-40 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),  and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,  so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

——-

Michael Card’s song:

Now that I’ve held him in my arms

That old man in the temple

Waiting in the court

Waiting for the answer to a promise

And all at once he sees them

In the morning sunshine

A couple come and carry in a baby

Now that I’ve held Him in my arms

My life can now come to an end

Let Your servant now depart in peace

Cause I’ve seen Your salvation

He’s the Light of the Gentiles

And the glory of His people Israel

Marry and the baby come

And in her hand five shekels

The price to redeem her baby boy

The baby softly cooing

Nestled in her arms

Simeon takes the boy and starts to sing

Now’s the time to take Him in your arms

Your life will never come to an end

He’s the only way that you’ll find peace

He’ll give you salvation cause

He’s the Light of the Gentiles

And the glory of His people Israel

The year ends, some call it horrible, a trying year. I call it a teaching year. Did we really put our money where our mouths were? Did we really flip over the rocks and look for hidden blessings? Did we help over hinder? Did we focus on things above? I didn’t always, but I tried. Let’s hope 2021 is not a trying year but a year of trying even harder in whatever we do, working at it with all our hearts, as working for the Lord….

Let’s reflect on NOT the year but the opportunities. Let’s think about what worked out and what didn’t. Learn from our past but then let it go and don’t glory in our glory or gloom in our gloom. Tomorrow isn’t today – focus on today. Yesterday isn’t today – focus on today.

Above all, focus all on all above.

Don’t look to 2021 as a focus ahead as much as focusing on the Lord ABOVE.  There WILL BE challenges in 2021. I know that we cannot avoid earthly pain. But as a friend once told me, life has valleys, but you don’t have to stay there.

I often wonder about my older family members their health and hard decisions and then remember to take one day at a time. I wonder about my children and their futures and then remember to take one day at a time and to keep going, best I can for them, nesting and resting and investing time into them and their future.

In 2020 hindsight, wouldn’t we all have been better each time we focused on things above. Heaven’s call to pause, pray and PRAISE takes the sting out of earthly life, allowing us to see, stand and SING.

Let us chime in 2021 as a year for Christ. He is the model for us. We think we have so much to focus on, forgive and figure out, but God has ALREADY gone ahead of us, to win our battles. Praise Him and in 2021 walk the lighted path that only He will blaze. It will be a path leading ABOVE.

Amen

—-

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ (Paul to Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17, 23)

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ……

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. …..

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…

It was a blessed Christmas Day, to rest in the Christmas prepwork now DONE (except the dishes, but they can wait), and just as blessed on Christmas Eve – this is how that day played out:

It’s fair to say that Christmas Eve, it was God’s choice for how my game plan would go.  I thought I had a plan for the day but He rearranged it HIS Way. I WAS going to travel the hour South to be at one church for outdoor living nativity caroling and smores and a church service in an open air tent. I still believe that the less time you are inside, the better – just GO OUTSIDE!!!… of course, I had so much to do in the morning first, still shopping and wrapping and life… so, in the afternoon I planned (God willing) to go to church(es), even though my kids didn’t want to go. I thought I would be blessed to see my friends, and sing and feel the Christmas love, especially outside and it was 60 degrees in December! BUT, the weather changed all that. No tent, no smores outside, just DOWNPOURS!!!… I still was considering going, even packed my car, it’s an hour drive, but then my son asked to do some shopping with me, SO RARE, and it became more and more CLEAR – God had me CHANGE my GEAR. Lord knows it’s my children, His children, and time with them which I hold most DEAR.

and then, my hip. Owww… I did something – or God touched it – because my wrestling decisions were solved by asking Him, the Lord to help me – AND HE DID by stopping me by temporarily stopping me in my tracks!

Owwww… what did I do? Twist it getting out of the car? hoping over a snowbank? No clue, but out it went. It’s fine now. I’ve done that before, then it takes a good mini rest to click it back in – old bursitis rears its wacky ways on occasions. I knew I had to pause and lay down to reset it, you can’t ignore it or walk it off. No worries about it but home I was and the couch I went… So, no attempt to get anywhere for a couple hours – off the table, and I went off my feet. Watched some parts of a movie. Watched (heard) my daughter cook herself some food (yes!). Watched my neighbor drop off goodies – yum! 

I did get up after an hour or so – the hip was fine enough and I did walk it mid-afternoon – fabulous 60 degrees and not raining at that point. So, in my walk I started noticing people outside – then a little boy (maybe 4?) said: “Get out of the road, you don’t want to get hit by a car!” and he wanted me to stay on his driveway with mom and him and dad because Santa was coming!! I then heard the sirens – oh Santa was indeed coming on his firetruck after all!!!  wow – I was so amazed at the social nature of this little boy but especially looking out for me and others – his mom said he was always social – I get that! and so we waited and talked and waited…  Santa makes his rounds so you hear him FOREVER until he gets to your road – so I excused myself from this driveway party – and thanked the little boy (how blessed to be in a Christmas moment with a child – my teenagers were not amused to see Santa or even his firetruck – but I love a parade!) – and I kept walking – I waved “Hi” to like 20 sets of neighbors – like walking a parade route – and then I got home to my house and chatted with our neighbors, gave them cookies, and gave Santa a HUGE wave on his amazing fire truck. Blessed to hold my fingers in my ears, he was so LOUD!

My hip was totally fine by evening. I cooked dinner for the kids, got out my Grandma’s fancy china and tablecloth, and honestly enjoyed playing house…  we enjoyed “a fancy dinner”, the gift of chocolates and a candle and sparkling grape juice from neighbors who brought gifts. We enjoyed playing a video game they choose after dinner. And I FINISHED MY WRAPPING!!! I then had enough time to go to late 9:30 local church with services outside in the parking lot in my safe and snug Subaru, eating peanuts from Five Guys, as if it were the messy floor of the Ground Round… (and how blessed that our new pastor is crazy enough to put on a raincoat and preach in the rain! surrounded by faithful boyscout-like assistants who certainly have been in a rainstorm or two – at least it WAS 60 degrees!!!

And then I got to sing in the Subaru – and this brought tears to my eyes because all the times I didn’t sing in church this year, it is still the most TOUCHING to the Lord that we are singing to Him. I ALSO sang with the online live feed from my other church – both blessed times to sing my heart out. Silent Night Holy Night. Subaru, hold Thy Light. 

Isn’t that just like the Lord to remind us – if we value spending time with our kids so much that HE DOES TOO. The Lord our God values EVERY precious moment that we spend WITH Him. Every thought, every tear, every nap and every awake moment. Every smile, wave, tear in love. Every wrestling moment and move we do – God can let us wrestle and then STILL bless us. Our looking to Him is touching His Heart. 

I feel like when we wrestle with decisions and directions and THEN we place it into God’s hands, we are blessed to watch Him decide the best plan of action. It’s not watching a Christmas movie, it’s actually watching the director’s cut: “and then I placed her over there…”  And even when the results are not what we thought, He gives us peace to accept them. I wrestled with my schedule, my busy-ness, my decision process but I did have lots of options that day – and we do EVERYDAY. Putting it into God’s Hands is the ONLY WAY. He fits in time His Way. We ask to see His face – and turns out all we really need is our faith.

BLESSED

WRESTLED

Lost to God, Won by God, Blessed even more.

Amen

Genesis 32: 24-32 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

And in my 1000th blog, “Christmas is still Christmas”, I should have added that the Christmas Tree LEANS big time!!!  https://debbieupper.blog/2020/12/25/christmas-is-still-christmas-even-this-year-1000/    It’s wired to the banister to lean less, but it still leans. It doesn’t need wiring, the tree stand is stable no problem, but I wanted it to look like only a small leaning tilt, oh well…

It’s a year NOT for perfect Christmas but a remembrance of leaning into our PERFECT Christmas counselor Jesus for sure… I could not have made it thru this day, this month, this year, these past few years especially, AND my whole life without listening in and LEANING IN for HIS PEACE… none of us would be here without Jesus. 

The cookies I made? Half didn’t even get to their destinations, stuck in NY or PA trucks, maybe they will still be edible in January.  Better yet, cast off the calories and feed the cookies to the birds. It’s a year where at Christmas and every day, this message rings true: “it’s the thought that counts.” When we let the Lord stabilize us, speak into our thoughts, decisions and lives, we get a glimpse of PEACE so that we can make the decisions big and small… He’s always helping with it ALL. 

Even though I placed 1000 writings into the ethernet to date, I am STILL convinced at the same conclusion that it is the PERSONAL TOUCH that makes our faith grow. I appreciate both the local connections and perceived personal touch connecting with people globally, all can be comforted to realize the deepest meanings of the Lord being ALIVE and active… Just like we have spent more time locally this year, speaking with neighbors more than extended family, our faith comes from the close connections with our Lord, daily, moment by moment. (and the local people got to eat those cookies 3 weeks ago!).

I can’t think of any other reason that I write than I am supposed to promote the process of leaning into the peace that ONLY Jesus can bring. So today and always, please lean into your faith, it’s the best possible Christmas and life plan!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! LOVE YOU ALL!

(PS – Lately in my statistics I see that people in China have clicked on the links. Blessed! There must be OTHERS WHO STILL NEED TO HEAR!)

When I walked up to the outside prep area of a church living nativity last night, looking for my friend Liane, I recognized her from behind, all bundled and standing still on the steps but I KNEW it was her. Had not seen her in a year, although we talk on the phone when we can. She heard me speak and instantly knew that it was me.  We are old FOREVER friends (not old but forever young) and there’s no distance in our friendship in time or conversation even when we are physically distant in our dust for a long time. She was completely costumed and covered by her fluffy coat, hood and mask, yet I knew her in an instant. She had also expected me that evening and was holding a present, of an inside joke, for me in her hand. It was a moment in the making when you know that the Lord Himself made the moment possible, because He makes our moments meaningful.

There’s no distance between old forever friends because the Lord has made each of us from His Dust. We may swirl around in different circles, but our Spirits are connected. Often I meet new people who are old souls to me and we connect instantly. A friend of mine says that’s my “superpower” but I know that is the Lord’s dust aligning.  I am often meeting old friends for the first time.

We are we and He is He, we do hope to abide in Thee!

That’s also why when we meet Jesus in our hearts, we connect in Spirit, Truth, Life. Truly His Way gives us Life. Jesus and you are old friends. He whom made you is always looking for you from the inside and the out. God, in God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit together, brought you into life on earth in order to move you thru the World, however you are given free will on earth and your eyes of your heart may be nearly closed for you, or occasionally we all put blinders on. We must ask the Lord to open the eyes of hearts around the world, for our friends and family and ours, to see Him more clearly.  There’s no distance in time or conversation with Jesus, even when we have emotionally distanced from Him, when we forget to call Him up. But we see His old friends around us all the time. 

I saw the Lord moving yesterday and shepherding and protecting and busy. Mom-mom as Mary, members of this big family who make me feel right at home. My parents and extended family in another state, so I get included in my big church families down here. A witness for me in that I saw the little children, the fourth generation of this family, dressed as angels, shepherds, and a donkey.  The little angel girl, maybe 6 yrs old, saw her cousin donkey and adorably said “Here, let me fix your ears.” That was after watching her grandma helping dress people. Helpers, Witnesses, Workers. We are watchers and learners, so if we watch Jesus and watch Him work, we learn from the best. If we imitate Jesus, others may learn about Him, understand our deep love for Him and look for Him too.

Amen and Amen to keep going…

PS – Perhaps you can call an old friend today, see what their dust has been up to. Shake the dust of God from your heart and spread it around like Christmas cheer… Jesus will be with you, our old Forever Friend, every step of the Way.

I don’t mind the shortened X in “XMAS” for representing Christmas,  I use both words Christmas and XMAS because the Word, being Jesus, is more alive than any notation we can make anyway. 

Here’s what the X can be in XMAS:

X is the Cross which bore Jesus and on which He said “It is Finished” – while still IN human form, Jesus spoke of that salvation was eternally accomplished thru Him. The X means Jesus came from Heaven for us.

X is a “t” tipped sideways – representing the Cross being tipped sideways, the Heavens dipped onto Earth, lowered to raise us.

X is the Cross with Jesus’s human dead form, the tree, tipped sideways lowering the arms of Jesus into the arms of the people God sent to love Him, carry Him, bury Him, anoint Him, witness Him and remember Him. The X represents care for Jesus and all He stood for.

X is the eXtraordinary plan that God put into motion to bring us Home. 

X is the eXcitement of Christmas and Easter. Glory in eXcelsis Deo.

X is the eXclamation of Jesus as the Message of God’s Grace, Forgiveness, Mercy, Love. The X represents the hope to share Jesus for all to hear.

X is the eXamination of hearts and the erasing of sin. The soulful searching of the saved.

X is the eXtinguished banishment of eternal separation.  The body and the temple curtain ripped open. The brokenness bringing Openness and Wholeness. 

X is the multiplier. One God One Love One Life multiplied (not divided) into us. Times for eXpanding knowledge time and time and time again so Christ could be made known. 

The X of XMAS is the celebration for His eXacting LOVE. 

Merry XMAS. 

eXactly Jesus eXactly us.

Amen

People enjoy sitting down for a meal, to open presents and just rest at Christmas. Many of us enjoy sitting in a church service, listening to the carols, bells, organ, squirming children and of course feeling the reverence of Christmas. I can hear/feel it now in my memories… It’s going to be different this year for many reasons, but maybe it is OK after all to feel different. If it’s NOT a Sit-Down Christmas this year, that doesn’t mean the Christmas Spirit has to stall. Not at all.

This year, be ready for NOT a sit-down Christmas, but stand up, walk-around, active, outside the box, sharing Christmas to spread the message of Christmas in a new way which is the never-changing Way, with a personal touch of Christmas Spirit… You have to get out, send out, ring out, call out. Christmas does not ever run out.

This year and always we are to remember the Way who made His Way into our world so we could make our way home to Heaven, forgiven and in peace. That’s a message for the moment and the masses. Jesus came to bring us HOME. Jesus is the Way to Light our Way.

Take time to see the lights, you can still go outside to see live Living Nativity scenes, because Jesus IS ALREADY HERE. You might need to walk a little bit outside as well as outside your comfort zone. Mary rode a donkey to her Christmas outing, but you can take your car. You might not find it “perfect” a Christmas, but what in life is? You can find imperfect scenes populated with imperfect people every year. However, there IS a PERFECTION in Christmas this year (and every year). You can find Christ in Christmas.

So this year, shake out of your old chairs, don’t worry about the parties or plays. Go with the praise. Share your gifts with those you find near. Focus on sharing the REAL Christmas Cheer: the peace and love and hope and heart of Christmas, ESPECIALLY this year.  You might have to find a new route, a new normal, but that is OK – Jesus did too – and travelled with Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem then to Egypt and back, they all had to make do too. 

Joy to the World, the Savior is Here!

Christ and Christmas still arrived right on time. 

They still do.

Amen 

I always thought I wrote about black ice, and every year when I see some, I think back to writing about it. Apparently, seeing a black ice photo in my draft email folder indicates that it was one Subaru ago (blue Forester) when I started to write something but didn’t.  Ice and life has come and gone but my thoughts are still here: Watch out, there are black ice days and black ice times of life. This deep freeze is one of them where areas not treated or cleaned up have frozen up. The black patches of ice look like water or disappear under a snow drift. Step wrong and watch out!!! These are also the times when we forget to praise the Lord as we are so blinded by the show (or snow) of the worldly things that we forget to praise. All good things are from God and He is a jealous God! Don’t forget to praise – it warms the heart and the step.

There are black ice days and black ice times. Because we can trip up and fall when we neglect to pay attention to life and when we don’t count our blessings and even freeze our gaze and only focus too short. Life is not a bowl of cherries, but at least if the road was covered with cherries, you would see them and step more carefully. Life cannot and will not be perfect to human hopes and dreams. Life would be boring that way anyway. Our greater danger is multi-fold, we go on autopilot without looking where we step and we don’t remember Whom is better as our pilot. And we don’t take the long view and get caught in a blind spot. 

We need to see. We need to look. We still have to step out into life. We need our Lord and His Spirit to guide us. And remember He does have work for us to keep driving, keep stepping forward to share His love. We cannot become complacent nor get riled up and start running at distractions. Hit the ice and crash and burn. Stall the car and sit and stew. Slam on the brakes of living and spin out of control. 

When I learned to drive, in snowy and icy weather, we didn’t have antilock brakes or all-wheel drive. I was taught to turn into a skid to regain control of the car. I was taught to pump the brakes to slow down. It was about regaining safety by giving up some control and working WITH the vehicle you had (plus the sheer weight of the tanks that old cars were, you often spun into snowbanks unscathed). So even when your mind was racing, your autopilot of learned driver reactions took over to listen. Isn’t that life too? Lean into the issues, this time with guidance from above, give up a bit of control and pump on the brakes a little at a time to NOT lock up your options.  Each time you let up on the brake and release the steering wheel of life, this becomes a time to let the Lord steer. We must give up control and let the Lord steer.

Black ice will catch us when we stop paying attention. The Lord knows His way around it for you.

Sometimes we are best to think ahead and add salt to a situation to prevent freeze ups, to shine light on situations and dry up the danger, sometimes add salt to conversations to smooth things over and give our best apt reply so that we can continue on our way.  Always we can ask to see where the Lord has ALREADY stepped into our future and knows our best way. We must pay attention! He is trying to get our attention! And after any near miss, we can warn, help and yell for others to steer clear of danger too. Always watch for the Lord when the going gets tough!

Scripture reminds us to help others survive and thrive no matter what life throws their way: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.  Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.    1 Thessalonians 5:11-24

Saved from the black ice for another day, we look for the Lord’s Way. 

Have a safe and blessed and skid-free day.

Amen 

We have blessings, so many blessings – and in (or on top of) all that we “HAVES” have the Lord AS Lord, who helps in the crises as well as in blessings. I mean if you fabulously won the multimillion dollar jackpot you would STILL need a good accountant! Isn’t it a blessing that the Lord is our accountability accountant, who blesses us with direction, gives us skills and outlets to use them, then sorts thru our skill sets to reinforce that He wants us to work FOR Him. The Lord is the One Who carries us thru.

Everyone COULD be a “HAVE” – after eyes opened. Sadly there are people who HAVE NOT – I don’t mean financially, but meaning they have NOT realized that they HAVE the Lord, as they can’t see Him, feel Him, comprehend Him. Some shun Him but others just plain don’t know. They don’t know WHERE to place their HOPE. Without HOPE how can they cope?… Maybe they just lost track of hope under the piles of stress. One of the first line items in our personal Accountability Accountant Audit should be to PRAY for them to see and know the Lord as Lord, to understand Him more, to grow in faith, to hold on to HOPE.

Paul, the prisoner apostle who got to write and write, actually had so much HOPE. He felt blessings for He KNEW that others GREW in faith. He KNEW the Lord was expanding the devoted follower base from jews and gentiles. Paul even saw the workings of the Holy Spirit, a force above all forces, a re-in-forcer to the gospel of Jesus which “came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” Re-IN the Holy Spirit re-in-forces the force of Jesus.

I think back to when I didn’t understand my faith as much as today, I wasn’t shunning as much as ignoring, but I still understood that I was blessed. And I believe that many we know are in understanding of their blessings even if they can’t see the complete connection to the Lord. Their deep conviction only could come after convincing conviction, but we are always “works in progress”. I have hope in that Hope IS building. If we, who HAVE faith, don’t display HOPE, who will???

HOPE should be tops of our skill sets. It’s a blessing to be able to use your skill sets. Yesterday and especially yesterday, I was blessed to be at work to help logistics for a big party – not the normal party sense but in distancing terms for covid, you can still think of it as a party for 150. My joy usually is to find my niche of where I am needed and just show up there and be there. Nowadays many are planning, but the need is in the doing. Smiling, and displaying Hope is right in my skill set. Lord, how you bless me to be me. It honestly was the only holiday party that I will likely attend this covid year, and I got paid to be there, go figure. But I didn’t get to be in a big room to mingle, no one did, we don’t even have a big room anymore. Everyone ate at their desks. And I instead I got to chat with each of the 100 to 125 people at work that day in a socially distanced way continuously over the course of 4 hours because they had to stop into the room I was in! I did nothing but show up and see where I was needed, set up items already waiting for me, and START. There are blessings this year to figure out how to keep going. When one door is closed, look for the window of opportunity. There’s ALWAYS a window of Hope, if YOU choose to open it.

The hot turkey lunches were bagged and safely handed out like takeout. I was SO busy, I didn’t even have time to finish eating that until I opened it again, safely unmasked and at home from the snowstorm. I realized that I got to see everyone – and to me that is the party gift that never could have been wrapped. Then handing out the goodies of candy, cakes, and electronics as a small big thank you was icing on the cake I didn’t actually eat because I was giving them away. Great gifts for these behind the scenes but CRUCIAL workers who test the safety of therapeutic and preventive medications many take. They didn’t take much vacation this year, they worked in as best socially distanced ways as they could. They masked faithfully and never grudgingly, ever since March. Half these workers already wear masks in the labs, so not an issue to just put on a simple stretchy mask at their desks too and continue working … and they are appreciated! They give HOPE.

Aren’t we blessed to see where the Holy hope and saving help comes from? Even in and especially in a pandemic, you can look for the LIGHT of HOPE.

Hope IS raise-able and remember when we take our Hopeful watch of our Holy Host, the Holy Spirit, we see Him watching how we react when He places His Power into play. One should say “OH! THAT’S the Holy Spirit Way!” Yes, the Holy Spirit is Powering the Power, so if you lean into His Spirit Breeze, you can catch a drift of saving help.

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!” (from Psalm 70).

Rejoice with the “haves”, but work for the glory of God catching up the “have nots”. Work as if the world depended upon His Hope, because it does.

Just like accounting for everyone getting their holiday gift, have your Holy audit sheets of sharing HOPE ready to be checked. Help where you can, HOPE in all, because God already powered you to HEAR.

We should all be Thanksgiving all throughout the year. We “have” the Lord – rather He has and holds us!

Amen

—–

Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith (a 1st letter from Paul)

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.  We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.  You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Paul to Colossians 4:5-6

! YEAH !

I walked into a small business yesterday, looking for a few Christmas items to mail. Nice that downstairs they had an upscale thrift shop stuff. When I came back up, neither the owner or worker were wearing their masks, were 1 foot apart discussing prices. I’m NOT a germaphobe, never was, but it AMAZES me that these people in this business are not as responsive to customers as you would think! This is not March, this is December in a post-thanksgiving spike. Many businesses ARE wonderfully compliant, some aren’t, and if front of the store workers aren’t wearing their masks, higher chances the backroom workers aren’t either). 

We must rely on GRACE.  GRACE UNDER PRESSURE. 

What do I say to the shop folks? So, you know as consumers we/I could have chosen a course of responses to the unmasked ladies. I wanted my items, didn’t want to walk away and not say why. I waited 6 feet away until I finally said I was ready to check out, they were oblivious to me standing there. The cashier lady scrambled for her mask, a cute Christmas motif even, complimented me on my purchases, and made nice. The owner lady in oblivion to mask wearing or my frown (couldn’t see it because I was masked). Even if she was certified clean, a proper mask would go a long way in comforting me that she cared. Perhaps and probably she cared and was ignorant to my opinion? GRACE. 

Let your conversation be always full of GRACE, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 

I was stunned quiet, and if you know me, if I’m quiet, there’s a PROBLEM. But as the cashier apologized for her mask being down, I mentioned loud enough for both of them to hear that I have a friend and his wife and her mother all down with bad cases of covid, it’s still out there, he said it feels like a marathon to walk from one room to another. The cashier showed genuine concern, the other lady either did not listen or I just don’t know where he head was. She was being silly and showed the new baubles of Christmas decorations she was pricing, but really that didn’t amuse me. I cannot hide my quietness, it’s earth shattering quiet in my opinion, knowing me. I cashed out and dashed out. Open air, open windows, open prayers. And prayers for her too. Granted, cases are still scattered, still rare enough, but they are spiking because of traditional winter close quarters, it IS cold and flu season, why are we surprised at this covid spike?… Customer service could be consistent regardless of spikes, year-round. I just remember good advice: don’t challenge others, unless crucial. Keeping quiet was not hard when stunned quiet, but I could write volumes, of course. Seasoned with salt, our responses SHOULD be after prayerful pondering. 

I’m not a perfect mask wearer, I’m terrible to judge, I make my own faux pas in other crucial things, I know – take the log out of your own eye before trying to see the splint in someone elses.

This is a season of thankfulness and GRACE, actually EVERY SEASON is a season of GRACE. Jesus came to share GRACE. There are not as many “enemies to us” but “opposers to us” these days. We are judgmental folks, me too, and what can be done but for us to try to be better… In conversation try to speak up or shut up. Let life finish out its course with God’s judgement not ours. Meanwhile GRACE is needed. 

We are a world in need of GRACE. We are a people who are told to give GRACE, even under pressure. WE WERE GIVEN GRACE UNDER PRESSURE. God really really wants us back Home with Him – Grace thru Jesus is the only way He could make it – He loves us too much to not give it.

Why are we supposed to share and show GRACE? Share yes, because the Lord forgives us. Show? Because we are to model Christ-like behavior. Others are to know that we are Christians by our love.  And seasoned Christians are gifted seasoned answers and conversations. PRAY ON YOUR ANSWERS.

It is ours to speak up after seasoning-up or we are to shut up.

Grace under pressure is just the start…

Amen

It’s kind of cute the excitement of the two moving planets to create a double star image in the sky near Christmas time, but those planets are there all the time, and those planets have been edging closer every night, and those planets have been ignored most everyday and those planets are really very far apart and honestly when they come together it’s not gonna be that bright… but it’s ok, people like some good excitement. I’m all about good excitement, especially this year.

It’s NOT ok the excitement I just saw on video playback of a church shooting, at an outdoor concert in NYC. It’s NOT ok that people were forced hiding behind a light post, a traffic box, a trashcan. It’s not ok that the shooter was deranged and uncooperative and seemed to be seeking “suicide by cop”. It’s not OK that I could sense that either. It’s not ok that life and death situations are deliberately forced. It’s not ok that the world is broken. It’s OK to be sad. It’s OK to wish peace on earth. It’s our mission to seek PEACE ON EARTH.

The police officer on the right, behind his trash can barrier, was the first to run over to the scared people behind the traffic box, as soon as the shooter was downed, the cop yelled “move move move” and helped the two run further back. Then he crisscrossed the stairs with the other trashcan cop, and made his way to the ladies on the ground huddled behind a deep concrete step. “Move move move”. The crowd filming yells” “It’s ok, your ok” – the video picks up the crowd comforting the ladies. The crowd also praising the police who put their lives on the line. Those are the bright connections in the light of day. Those are people connections from a heavenly Spirit that shines BRIGHTER than humanity is darkened. Those are Spirit connections. That’s the planet we live on. Connection between good people outshines the bad people. Light overcomes darkness.

It’s ok and not ok that we don’t understand evil or even sadly mental illness that we can’t understand. It’s ok and not ok that we wish to ignore bad things.

Move move move. The stars are already moving everyday, and so are we. The human condition is movable and not. The Spirit desires to be moved away from humanness. The humans are to desire Spirit.

There’s nothing OK with the human condition, but know that it will eventually be OK after all evil influences are destroyed. It’s not us that can dispel the evil for all time, but we can wait and watch the Spirit use us and others for good. Remember, Mr. Rogers’s mother always said: in tragedies, look for the helpers.

That’s an alignment of human hope and sacrifice. Time is inching closer to the time the Lord will be overcoming all evil. Let us look to overcoming and practice peace now.

Move move move.

Amen, I believe in the Lord overcoming.

Of course I wasn’t going to eat a candy cane, too much sugar, but when offered last night at a tree lighting by the lady handing out song sheets, I changed my mind and took one anyway, figured I could pass it on to my son. But then ICK, a rainbow one? I’M A TRADITIONAL CANDY CANE SNOB. ICK… I put it in my pocket. 

I was excited about the song sheet! Singing Christ-containing Christmas songs! Outside!!! And I loved the quaint village and opportunity to be in Christmas Spirit. Yay singing!!! Joy to the World! I had visited Saturday, came back Sunday both to see the lighting and hang an ornament of a pinecone rolled in peanut butter and birdseed on the tree. These were free projects placed on the porch of the historical museum antique shop where I finished much Christmas shopping. The lady said “they’re not just for kids! Adults can do them too!” Yup, that’s me and hearing her plea touched me. Her concerns on the tree event and livestream. I took a bag, I really enjoyed making it, it’s a theme of birds weekend as the presents I bought were birdhouses. I made it and placing it on the tree and being present at the lighting was my present to myself in this Christmas covid complexity craze. 

Be present as my own present. 

Afterwards, I took my photos and the people (less than 30) dispersed, but this little boy was crying in an escalating tantrum, the kind a mother knows, the kind that can’t be smoothed over until the ORIGINAL issue is solved. Yeah, been there A LOT.  Crying but not my business, not mine to solve, but I listened in prayerful concern as I took a photo. Mom tried and said: “I will get more rainbow ones!”

OH!!!!!!!!

Rainbow connection, that RAINBOW CANDY CANE – not for me after all. A rainbow to remedy the pain. A candy to soothe the crying. All wrapped up in a disregarded pocketted rainbow candy cane of my discontent. Wasn’t for me after all. I can still hear the thank you and the crinkle of cellophane. I said Merry Christmas. 

But the thank yous from mom should not be at all placed into me, I was placed and paced, I can not take credit for something that I didn’t intend but walked into because of my brokenness to want to be in a collection of Christmas spirits. No, the thank you goes to the invisible Spirit who works all things for good, IF WE ONLY LISTEN!

My Rainbow Connection is Your Rainbow Connection too, it’s JESUS who came as the Promise, God’s promise symbol to Noah, God’s Promise to us. JESUS.  Jesus also Who ascended as the One to leave and to make Way for the Holy Spirit to guide. It’s a Spirit thing to hang NOT our ornaments on a string, to place our lives on a tree but to place them in Thee. Thee from hanging on a tree made us free.

Merry Christmas to not just the children, but to the moms who soothe, peace on earth and wishing peace in her ears. God’s watching out for you. God’s gift is for you. These Rainbow connections like candy canes are for blessings others. That’s God for you! 

Jesus’s present was and is to be present. See that His Spirit at Christmas Shines. 

Amen 

---

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12

Paul’s letter to the Colossians chapter 2:9-12 relates to the notion in my head recently about Godly Spirit and human form, what was masked in Jesus on earth but not lost, but taken away from Adam with God’s actions after the apple bite of disobedience. Then we, after being cut out for God’s plan, take on our Spirit life again. The Spirit nature on earth not of earth. The letting of our Spirit shine when our humanness is pulled back.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Paul speaks of being cut out of your human self by God’s precise cut, your humanness pulled back as an action for spiritual revelation. Raising in you life invisible to human eyes.

The cut of the Lord to achieve an alive nature for our spirit to be free from human form, although always tied and hidden to and in His purposes. We are not cut out to be escapees but to be made more movable and malleable for making a difference. Our sinfulness and humanness cut out and hung to that cross like dirty laundry. Then our life relocated into the Spirit realm WITH CHRIST, so that we really ARE revealed to Him but hidden in Christ as visible to the world. That makes it more likely to not sweat the small stuff. Your life is now hidden with Christ in God!!! That makes His motivations over ours paramount and we take a step back from taking any of the credit. 

V13-15 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Cut away from the rule of sin, we ask the Lord to continue cutting out our relapses of life, our scar tissue overgrowth and the gunk we accumulate. It’s easier to not get re-messed up in sin when we stay focused on above “Set your minds on things above” (probably one of my favorite things to say).

Ch3v1-5 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature.

We can tell ourselves to “Cut it out!” Cut out that humanness for us Jesus, let out Spirit be yours, out for You to use and have unhindered and ALIVE. 

Amen!

I am often writing from “having to write” – but this time I simply want to write this – I am quite taken by the fact that I have approached then gone over 1000 devotions/blogs/processing writings especially since I begged the Lord to stop making me write at about 100 writings… Well, He said: NO!

But today I want to write this as a thank you note – specifically for the Lord picking up a task for me that I would have NEVER picked for myself – for showing me the better way when I myself was “in the way” – and for giving me an abundant feeling of blessings and a forever work-load which also feels light because Jesus takes our burdens. Whatever I am doing or supposed to be doing, I know that it becomes a puzzle piece in You Lord, and I pray that you move me to the parts of the picture where I connect. I often ask “Lord, where do I fit?” He says: “don’t worry where you fit – just be happy that you do.” – and I am Lord, I am happy to know You in me and me in You.

And I want to add to this a great Thank You to the Lord specifically for my friend with whom I first quietly shared my first 3 writings when I thought I was going crazy and didn’t know the Lord was taking over my brain. My friend doesn’t want thanks because He knows, like I know, that ANYTHING we do for the Spirit is FROM the Spirit… so I will say THANK YOU to the Holy Spirit for him, his service, his devotion, his availability. Thank You Holy Spirit for placing me in timing and space – moving me into place – and thank you for not moving him onto some other place before the Lord caught me up to catch up with him.

I would not be anywhere without the Lord – none of us would be, so with Holy Spirit place and timing, I had someone to talk to whom I sensed “got it” – even if I didn’t even really know him –  but I had heard his sermons and I just felt he would not ridicule me, and I realized soon that he was not just randomly placed – but moved by the Lord to do his job. He didn’t dismiss me or even try to change or affect me – I won’t recap the whole story (which of course I have written out) but just state that he was just doing his job of teaching and reaching – He was placed – and paced. The best advice he gave me about serving the Lord, a year later when I was preparing my first sermon, was: “You just do the best you can to present the scriptures.” That’s true – God wants to use you – just do the best you can to help Him shine thru.

I will always need someone to talk to – that is my known brokenness to me – and I also LIKE to talk to people too. Lord, I can always talk to You, and please forever take my brokenness to shine You thru. Please take my writings or the fact that I must write and use them for Your Glory. You took my time because it is Your time anyway.

I don’t know what this writing journey will morph into, Lord, but I know it will continue, until You change what I do. I don’t know this next stage of my journey Lord, but I do know this: that You will push me thru – especially for me to understand more of You.

THE LORD UNDERSTANDS.

THE LORD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES.

THE LORD IS LORD.

AMEN AMEN AMEN

Whether 10,000 years or 1000 writings and forever more, we’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun…

Believe me, I have tears when I remember how God chose me to hear. Took many many a year. Am I special, no and yes. I am NOT special above others, I am not special. But without God’s timing, I would have never known how God connects in me and THRU me. So, I am SPECIAL in that I am His. Just that. He IS special in me. GUESS WHAT!!!??? YOU ARE SPECIAL TOO!!!   GOD LIVES IN YOU!!! TRUE!!!

Do you know that? I didn’t know that, I knew I HEARD from God, thought about God, but was it thru Jesus? I had no clue, neither did anyone who knew me. But God knew and He knows for you too. He knows… He trying to reach you thru the Spirit IN you. TRUE!!!

It’s not ours to understand, but God IS the One who opens ears, stops blockages of Spirit and softens hearts. We can encourage and we CAN keep reiterating that when we believed and continue to believe in Jesus, our whole perspective of life changes… TRUE!!!

Why believe in Jesus?

He rescued us from darkness.

He IS the Light.

He IS God in the flesh and Spirit in the soul.

Why believe that Jesus is bearing fruit in you? Because you are connected to Life thru Him. God the Father is the Vinedresser. Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. The fruit of our living comes thru us from Him. In abiding in Jesus and loving Him, we can do all things. Jesus is in you. (Read John 15)

The best reason for believing in Jesus is that He already believes in you.

He chose you! Special? YES. His? YES.

If you don’t know Him – at least know that He knows you – and that He wants for Him in you to grow TRUE.

TRUE!!!  (and read the great description of Him in You in Paul’s letter to the Colossians 1:3-23)

AMEN!!!

—–

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,  and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,  and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. Colossians 1:3-23

“TRA-DI-TION, tradition,,, TRADITION” – I’m still singing with gusto after watching a Fiddler on the Roof special on PBS online – not traditional to watch it on a kindle like a personal TV, but what luxury! Broadway on Demand… “If I were a rich man”… I think we are rich in blessings, conveniences and yes, TRADITIONS!!! But in the play storyline, because of his traditions, the father had to try to shun his own daughter for marriage outside their faith,  let alone be pained but eventually disregard the arranged marriage traditions for his other daughter… some traditions made life so constraining… some traditions hurt…

Just after the show finished, I listened to Keith Green speaking about a Christmas song that he wrote in tears, having felt the heart and tears of Jesus beating thru him, and how sad he was that the “musak” canned industry of Christmas music in the stores became more about buying influences over knowing the real meaning of Jesus and WHY He came. 

(It is interesting to listen to Keith Green’s observation also about us worshipping the Christmas tree over Christ, quoting a warning from Jeremiah 10 (see below))… the point here is don’t lose the meaning of Christmas over traditions we invent. Don’t worship idols, including our ideas for ideals. 

Tradition! TRADITION! Isn’t it now SO traditional to give gifts? How true that “hustle and bustle last year after year”, as Michael Card sings, “but this little baby won’t always be here…”   it’s true, our windows of opportunity to soften our hearts is fleeting… 

Woe to us when we forget to unpack our Spirituality first before the decorations. We need Christmas for Christ’s sake, we need to focus forward and help with a revival of renewal. This has to be demonstrated not dictated. This year, we have to be OK with breaking with some traditional events (ah how stubborn a people we are, ugh) and with full force return to the Lord all that He is due… and place love and peace over idols  like the trees and the ornamentation and the purchases, which you know won’t last… We have to place others above our perceived needs, isn’t that what we witness when Jesus came?

And no worries, even if our Christmas is different, we can celebrate Christmas. We can cast off old moments, prepare mentally, rebuilding for future days, and yes dig deeper into our joy too.

I love the moment when I switch from shunning the work of decorating to snapping “into the zone”. At our house we alternate placement of the Christmas tree by the couch (my daughter’s choice) or by the stairs (my son’s choice). She’s away at college, and I have been gifted this time with my son – it is so precious to me – of course he gets star treatment and I know these days at home are not going to last. He directed the tasks after school was done, rearranging furniture, SWEEPING the floor WOW, setting where we will place the tree (it is a stairs year anyway), hanging lights, and oh such joy as we listened to his choice of Christmas music to prepare too (yeah!). I love the tree and the smell and the lights. Love comes in the logistics too for we are creating future memories filled with love. And a reminder, as I later sat in warm glow, that we carve out niches where we are not to be afraid even in trying times…

Ah, yes, don’t worship the traditions but work for and foster the peace.  I sat quietly listening to the silent house and being okay with the alone moments this year and sat quietly listening to my heart and loving it. The lights twinkling my eyes and my heart thinking about the blessed moment of peace and security around me. The quiet of the morning now also reminds in gifted moments to ponder Him and His mission over all worldly things. How can we, especially this year, use our unusual circumstances to break traditions that hurt, forgo traditions that distract, and hold onto traditions that help… all while making it hopeful for our children. We are stubborn people and so many want what they want, like they DESERVE Christmas and all the glitz and grandeur. Well, then Christmas wouldn’t be the GIFT, would it? Can we get an Amen?…

Perhaps we best teach our children, this year and always, to delight in the Lord first…  “This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

Be Christmas, Be Christ-centered, Be Blessed. 

Amen 

—-

Jeremiah 10:1-10   God and Idols

Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple — all made by skilled workers. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.

—–

Tradition – Zero Mostel  https://youtu.be/kw2SJxPAp_k

Keith Green intro: https://youtu.be/G_nRDx43m9U

Keith Green Happy Birthday to You (Jesus) https://youtu.be/SIu-11q7Lsc

I saw a friend getting her mail today – she sure was happy about getting christmas cards – she sure was happy about the weight she recently lost and I saw her move effortlessly – she sure was happy to be happy! Plus it was 50 degrees out, OK for an outdoor visit and I brought her cheerful masks for her grandkids… When the pandemic first hit, this same lady was in TEARS thinking about her grandkids having to wear masks, and now such a change, she was cheerfully wearing hers and happy to be alive… Isn’t that what we all should be doing? Be happy to be alive and kicking and able to approach each day? And make a difference rather than a fuss? Tap into our life Spirit that brings life…. I bet it will so much LESS a hard winter for her because she will melt the snow with each of her cheerful steps… we should too.

It will only be a hard winter if we make it so – and around here there is barely any snow anyway… But it WILL be a brutal winter for others we know and SO many we don’t.  The loneliness or loss of loved ones, and there will be lost battles for those in losing battles, and we know it will be hard for those losing hope. It has to be our mission to find hope, and shine hope, so how will we maintain hope? Soften our hearts as well as our steps and feel for these friends and strangers… Let the Spirit shine – darkness needs light.

Soften our hearts to let the hope spill out of them, and they may be held together better for the good of all. Humble ourselves to be OK. Hope in the Lord to push thru another day. It’s a Hanukkah now too, a thank you celebration to God for the light that lasted so much longer than it should have. So, like that light and thru His Light, let us prove that our HOPE lasts too.

FEAR can be real and fear can be masked of course, and some spout anger because of it. Fear can also be hidden by putting on a brave face. But Light and cheer can NOT be hidden. Light shines in the darkness and dark has NOT overcome it. Therefore, fear has nothing on CHRISTMAS CHEER. You can not block the cheer of the heart, even if the spirit can not smile it will be known thru the quiet joy of knowing the joy… So how will we tap into this joy? You have to SOFTEN your heart as well as your steps… 

We can make it much less a hard winter if we soften the ground of others too, by not marking time but making it clear where our hope comes from. Clue in others on Who. My hope comes from the Lord.

 Isaiah says,“The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will HOPE.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15.

Amen. 

Keep softening hearts, Lord, show us Your Love and Light. Show us how to SHINE.

Amen Amen

I wonder why. 

I wonder why we wonder. 

I saw the moon, so beautiful and just a crescent this early morning. And why does the moon move? Why is it different everytime and everyday? Why does the moon affect the tides of the oceans which are so crucial to earth. And why do we have only one moon, not many?

I wonder why we wonder. 

The Tweedlebugs wondered, on Sesame Street.  Ernie wondered what they were doing and would look into his windowsill flower box to see their latest adventure. Make believe, yes, but always the Tweedlebugs were involved in a situation that required thinking and discussion and collective ideas and we could watch them through their mental thought processes, have discussion and make progress. Often they didn’t get far on their way, but the ideas made sense to them even if we thought they fell short of finishing their ultimate goal. We think they never got to reach the destination intended, like the beach or the zoo, yet we saw they were satisfied with the answer they discovered that day. Then they moved out with joy to accomplish it. They certainly always discussed the problem together. They wondered then THOUGHT, they THOUGHT then decided. They decided together. 

Togetherness, perhaps that’s the point of wondering.

Satisfaction, perhaps that’s the point of wondering. 

Joy in simple and complex solutions, perhaps that is the point of wondering. 

I wonder why we have joy.

I wonder why we wonder. 

God only knows. 

That’s not a wonder to me, but a wonderful GIFT of knowing that He knows. 

I wonder why it frustrates me when I don’t know everything, as if I should. But there is NO reason why we should. So, when I do know something, it’s not just because I took time to learn but also my brain is wired to learn certain things and not others. I can remember emotionally connected situations, like where people were sitting in a heated meeting, or when everyone was laughing at something someone did. I can’t remember many things, but I can remember being in the room where things happened.  Does God know everything or is God simply complexly everywhere or perhaps the point is not where He is but where He gives us free will.

I wonder why we have free will.

We certainly do. We can choose to not even go with what we know is a good idea. We can be stubborn to a fault. We can have hindsight to a problem. We can see our failures. We also can see when God intervenes despite ourselves to make something happen. 

Now that I have RAMBLED, and surely this is a ramble thru the randomness of my brain, I realized what I was missing was reading the scriptures. See when we wonder we often wonder “about me” – “were do I fit” – “how does this affect me?”… perhaps, no for sure, we are supposed to have the thoughts of “how does this help Thee?”

Someone remarked at me that I always look on the bright side, and in a down situation always looked where I myself could have an impact turning it to the positive. I already did that naturally, it’s not like I think why I do that, I just do. We are to think, not be rash but work at working things out… 

Now I have read and found the scriptures which found me. See Philippians 4

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

REJOICE, BE GENTLE  THINK. Ahhhh….. THINK… 

When we are given wonder to think about Godly things, He wants us to not think the same but think of Him and His Ways. We are given moments to give back our mental energies for togetherness thinking. Not lone souls, but always together. Like Tweedlebugs who didn’t seem to get far, yet they ALWAYS got to a moment of togetherness, they made one decision, one step at a time. They would still be in progress achieving their collective goal, even as a functional family, and they are together in all kinds of weather.

How DIVIDED we are in this land. How tangent-driven we are. Surely if we stop to find peace, the common ground, we must acknowledge that it’s not the ground that brings us together. The ground grounds us, but the Lord lifts us. If we find peace, we must acknowledge it can ONLY be HIS PEACE. How much easier for me to move through my day by doing and thinking about God and what He would do. Oh, we have a model in Him too. What really would Jesus do? And remember, Jesus took time NOT to think about His next step, He took time to PRAY. He didn’t wonder what, JESUS KNEW, He prayed in free will for alignment under God’s Will. WE SHOULD TOO.

We should pray that same prayer. 

In all things, do what God would have us do, and keep moving….

Put into practice thinking of good things. 

Think of God… And the God of peace will be with you.

Amen 

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Philippians 4:4-9, 11-13

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I CAN DO ALL THIS through HIM who GIVES ME STRENGTH.

——

Video of the Tweedlebugs 

“What smart little bugs”

The scripture I read just now (Philippians 2) tells us that God KNOWS the way and also the TIME when every knee will bow to Jesus, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We THINK that we know His timing but we don’t and we think that we need to do to work to hurry His system along for Him, and we worry when we fall short, but HE is really aiming to use us in big and small things – and work us FOR His purposes in His timing... so we simply are to abide or work hard at abiding and let Him do the positioning…

It doesn’t have to be BIG work, for God is in all the small stuff too… Yesterday, I was feeling like every plate was spinning at the same time with me trying to work from home in meetings, taking care of my son – and making more Christmas cookies too – full spinning plates will hurl stuff off of them and crash to the floor – and then I just decided to give it up to the Lord and go grocery shopping at lunch time. So, I pulled up to my normal full-service station (I love full service gas stations) and the attendant had a sign in the window (be back 10 minutes) and I waited a bit… I thought to just leave, actually pulled out, but then backed my car back in because I saw the little old lady next to me, with her handicap window hanger on her mirror, and I said to myself: “Why am I being so silly thinking that I am out of sorts when I am NOT, especially when I am SO BLESSED.” So I just got out and pumped her gas for her (and then pumped my own)… She was thankful – it was so minimal of a thing for me to do – and reminded me to stop thinking that small tasks are nothing…  small tasks are still God’s tasks…

I think sometimes God also likes to have us wait just long enough so that we get out of our own heads and into His service… Just like I also shiver at the cold and then remember I am from upstate where it is MUCH MUCH colder than this and I am being silly and could simply put a hat and mittens on to go outside…

If God can exalt Jesus, then surely He can move us into position to be His helpers: even if just to pump gas and humble our heads… And bow our heads when we realize that our lives are lived for Him. Just keep working for Him.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2

Yup!!! Amen!!!

PS, after I got home from shopping,  my son wanted to bring out the Christmas stuff (really to earn money for chores LOL) and so we worked hard together in rearranging and cleaning, and putting stuff out, even spoke about his friends and school and lots of stuff… what a blessing… I got back to work work later, but that was SUCH a blessing to be with him!! Yay! And guess what? Christmas stuff is out!!! God’s timing and silver linings!!! Ask for the desires of your heart!