faith

Pausing to Process God’s Power, Jeremiah 47-49

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Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,” says the Lord. 

You might think that’s a headline of the day, but it’s thousands of years ago. God preserves His remnant of Israel, always. It may be a long road – winding and wandering – but God’s people are preserved by God’s Power

And others are condemned by God too: Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

God means business – this scripture is but one meaning business for the these village areas and peoples around the scattered areas of Israelites are but a few of the wrath-recipients from a God, Who means business.  He destroys and He builds up too, but chapters 47, 48, 49 of Jeremiah are pretty harsh. Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa – Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam – Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa. 

“I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the Lord. “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.

SO, God destroys what He warns He will be against – there’s no stopping God’s Plan. 

The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.

I can’t give you much of my own wisdom as to why, scholars (I am not) could trace all these lineages I know. There’s a reference to Esau, and we do know that God divided the brothers, Jacob and Esau, and their offspring to be in coexistence but against each other. 

We could look at all this as ANCIENT history, buy it’s not. Conflict arises always. Remember the parable of the grain and the weeds, Jesus told, the evil is planted in the fields by the devil from the times of Adam. Evil and conflict is nothing new under the Sun. We just have to be our Shining best despite the challenges of the day.

God builds up too.

Pausing to Process God’s Power, we should remember God’s got this,  God’s got a plan, God will send help in a Messiah. God uses evil even for His Advantage. It will all finish at one point – and peace will reign when Jesus comes again.

Go God Go! But Mercy please Lord, rescue Your people and protect all the innocents in the crossfire – yes Lord, protect me and protect all, please, under Your Wings.

Amen

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All of Jeremiah 47 to 49, link to scripture:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2047-49&version=NIV;NKJV

Jesus parables of how heaven is being revealed:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2013&version=NKJV;NIV

Recovery and Fulfillment, Jeremiah 46 and Jesus

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I’ve come back to the old testament, major prophet, Jeremiah, chapter 46, and he’s telling us of the conflict and win of Babylon over Egypt, of the warnings and rescues. There are descendants of Jacob that the Lord is attending to, correcting and protecting, and they have scattered.

“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure;…”

And the Lord’s Promise Covenant will RESTORE His faithful. Restore if not in the present then in the forever future. Jesus Himself being the Promise came to earth for FULFILLMENT of the Promise and was able to explain this as He taught. He then explained that we have FULFILLMENT yet to come.

Think of the rich man who was dismayed when Jesus told him to give up everything and “Follow Me”. Jesus told the disciples that they, who did give up their day to day lives, would recover their losses 100-fold. God would cover it and them in the present and the future. 

Isaiah wrote in His Prophecy, that the Messiah, the Christ, would come. A new book, also for beach reading, will be “Be Comforted” by teacher William Wiersbe, based on Isaiah. The whole Bible has one-fourth of its writing devoted to prophesy. The Light shining is that of truth and hope.  How hard it is to remember to be strong and courageous in today’s troubles – well Jesus has left us many a legacy to learn and trust and look for Him.

The Lord gives us, the past, the present, the future, AND the FULFILLMENT. 

Let us start our day, our week, our moment with knowing the Promise fulfilled. These are temporary times, so keep keepin’ on. And keep moving forward. 

Amen

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Jeremiah 46:25-28

The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the Lord.

“Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not.completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

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Mark 10:24-31

Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Unroll Sweet Jesus!

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Sweet Jesus. 

I didn’t unroll the Smarties – the candy – but I unrolled my SMILE – how adorable – it’s a Torah scroll from a girl scout event, Thinking Day, and an older troop representing Israel as their country to study and present, made up these mini Torah from the sweet Smarties wrapped in a paper showing the Ten Commandments as two tablets. I quickly paid my quarter and thought so deeply of both the meaning but also that a church faith item was shown and shared at a secular event. Good to open an opportunity to think at “Thinking day”.

This was no sugar rush, this is God-gifted goodness in thought, and I pondered the deepest of meanings here:: Jesus IS the sweet core of the tablets and the fulfillment of the LAW AND THE PROPHETS. Good God!

Then the next day a church window caught my attention, what beautiful light shone through the stained glass window of the tablets portrayed. The windows so beautiful in the church building and isn’t that so appropriate of our beautiful LIGHT of the world, Jesus, illuminating His Plan to satisfy what man can not achieve, total coherence and coverage with all the laws. Jesus is our Light to elucidate our wrongs and fill the spaces of darkness with LIGHT, a LIGHT that eliminates the sting of death and illuminates a forgiveness which brings LIFE. 

This is probably easy for us to now see, but be ever so closer to the events of Jesus’s day and Jesus, in His hometown, was shunned, shocking the people who remained sure He was being blasphemous in self by speaking eloquently from the Torah scroll, from Isaiah, that He Himself was filled with the Spirit of the Lord to proclaim freedom and healing. That He was the Healer. That they needed Him.

We need Him too – and pray we know it. And that we feel it. And that we follow Him. And we love Jesus even more for Him gifting Hope. And thank God for we can’t make this journey by ourselves. Jesus must fulfill our lives with forgiveness to bring us to the everlasting life. Like the man who puzzled at the keeping of the laws of Moses, Jesus looks at us and loves us and knows we are in need of His completion to make us from part to whole. 

And while He already accomplished this, we know that this is unrolled to each of us in a journey that takes our whole lives – it takes one sweet candy at a time – it takes one step in front of the other – and sometimes we are simply carried. We know that we must wait and watch the unveiling of Jesus in our lives, just as the spring unveils itself – like the first flowers and the progression further into later flowers and then fruits. Let us savor the spring that comes from the winter.

Unroll Sweet Jesus into your life. 

And start smiling. 

Amen 

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Luke 4:14-30

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

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Mark 10:17-31  The Rich and the Kingdom of God
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Drink Fluids

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It is not uncommon for little phrases to hit my ears just at the RIGHT time – and if it is at the same time when I am thinking of God or reading a scripture, well, let’s say that God has a Word for everything we need… His Word IS Himself, and we need Him!

Instead of the many noises we hear being bounced off sounds – we can catch small little phrases – small whispers. Let us let the whisper work – yes, we REALLY should listen when God speaks, and yeah He hopes it sinks in. Let it sink in. Give Him one of those double sinks to double flow to you.

So, for example, as I was looking up all these suggested scriptures for a talk I am going to give at a later date, I was thinking that it was SO IMPORTANT to read them and digest them prior to the final text version of my talk – that naturally it will modify and solidify my talk because God’s Word changes lives. So, what was the phrase that the TV commercial (for whatever malady medicine advertisement at the moment) used just then while I was cutting and pasting? “Drink Plenty of Fluids” –  Ahhhhh… Amen to that!!!

If we are open to listen and then make our journey feasting on His Truth, the Word is HYDRATED and so palatable to us. It delights us and often gives us peace. Now, if it’s hard to swallow advice, when it’s God’s Word that corrects, well take that too, take just a moment to ask for that LOVING LIVING hydration help.  “Drink Plenty of Fluids” with the medication of the Great Physician. 

Drink Fluids – meaning Living Water fluids – which is the Word – which IS JESUS. Jesus IS God – Who along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father will guide us towards Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Yes, God is paving the way and then filling the souls with Living Water.

If we don’t read the Word and live the Word and share the Word – then how can we ourselves understand why the Word IS the Word? – The Word IS the change that is so needed in the world.  In other words, there are no other words – because it is THE WORD which and Who IS the ONLY WORD – Jesus. 

Jesus – Alpha and Omega – all the letters in and in between – it is what Jesus said – what Jesus IS – what Jesus wants us to know. Let it SINK in.

Drink Fluids and Live Life

Jesus knows the Way.

Amen

1John 4:9-16  (a recently replicated scripture (again) to me these past few days)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

Ephesians 4:11-16, 21-24 NIV

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

– … you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

It’s LIVING Tears Springing Forth

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It’s 2 months since Christmas today, that was like ancient history, dried up memories too. (Except I just realized my Christmas lights are still up, oops). Everyone is now looking towards SPRING. My recent lunch with friends was next to a beautiful garden center, teeming with life. What isn’t joyfully teaming and fresh with life is in the phase of gearing up waiting to bud. It was filled with hydrated living greens and pinks and yellows as well as carefully preserved dried mosses and grasses. The garden center embraced us in a sweet garden hug just like our friendship does with each other.

Yesterday I had a great church gathering, also with new and cherished old friends, we are God’s family even if we just met. So yesterday it was not lost on me that I had a few duplicated seeings of scriptures. Hmmm… I could say that’s so cute ‘by coincidence’, but I know better. God is a LIVING Moving God. God is speaking His Word, but not just for crafting a goosebumps response, but causing a listening in the moment of His motivating and His buffering Way. GOD’S GOT A POINT TO WHERE HE IS POINTING US. He both hugs us with life, like that garden store did, AND He leads us in ways unknown but steady and sure, like the water that flows through the plants. His Living Water flows through us. Where we bud is up to Him. Sometimes we even bud out in Living tears. Living Tears Springing Forth. The right moving Spirit moves us too. God’s Timing. God’s Hydration. If we prefer to stay silent, even the rocks will cry out. We shouldn’t stay silent. We should not be cold when God’s warming us. (We also shouldn’t put a light under a basket to hide it).

Both these duplicated scriptures from yesterday (replication for God to give me a theme day) speak volumes about WHOLENESS and LOVE, about seeing in part now but in whole later. Sometimes, like the garden shop needs water, our Living Water knows to soak us in Spirit, and give us excess for later: excess to spill out in tears if called upon. Even succulent plants know to store up their water, so we soak in these scriptures:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 1 John 4:12 NIV

Expression in part can be in tears – Jesus had them, why wouldn’t we? 

Now God’s Love is not always a path of cushy ease, there are tough times. There’s pruning in our lives, like the winter vinedresser of the Lord knowing best, to make us stronger and more fruitful come spring. Sometimes we feel the JOY, but also feel the uneasiness of doing what we feel is His calling over ours. God says: Stay being led. Stay in the moment. Stay on the path. Keep walking. LOOK UP, not at the world. Understand there’s a mission bigger than just for you, but through you. Go there… 

A song that a friend shared speaks volumes for this. From the band FFH “What it feels like” – the lyrics: “To find out that if I accept my brokenness, I get more of me, I get all of You”  – Amen to that!  – “This is what it feels like to be led.”

Yes! It’s not always, nor should it be for us to do God’s work for favor or affirmation by people. It is an embrace of fellowship yes, but a path of His calling not ours. And so we walk the path. Flow the Living Tears in Hydration. Accept that “in part” is all we get to see now, but someday we will see and know IN WHOLE. 

If Spring is anticipated just around the corner, imagine how AMAZING God’s Kingdom will come…  Let us keep blooming and budding forward!

Let us share our Living God Love with the world who is desperately parched and in need.

Amen

“What It Feels Like” – lyrics – FFH

So this is what it feels like to walk the wilderness

This is what it feels like to come undone

This is what it feels like to lose my confidence

Unsure of anything or anyone

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So this is what it feels like to walk the desert sand

This is what it feels like to hear my name

To be scared to death ’cause I’m all alone

But feel love and peace just the same

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This may not be the road I would choose for me

But it still feels right somehow

‘Cause I have never felt You as close to me as I do right now

So this is what it feels like to be led

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So this is what it feels like to just fall apart

To be totally unglued

To find out that if I accept my brokenness

I get more of me, I get all of You

–

And this may not be the road I would choose for me

But it still feels right somehow

I have never felt You as close to me as I do right now

So this is what it feels like to be led

–

So this is what it feels like to just walk away

From everything I thought kept me safe

To depend just on You for every meal

And find that it’s better this way

Oh, it’s better this way

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This may not be the road I would choose for me

But it still feels right somehow

‘Cause I have never felt You as close to me as I do right now Like I do right now

This may not be the road I would choose for me

But it still feels right somehow

And I have never felt You as close to me as I do right now

–

So this is what it feels like to be led

This is what it feels like to be led

Cover the World in Love

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It’s fresh mornings after sleep which are dark on the outside, but bright inside the zone of our connection with the Lord. There’s a wholeness in His Presence, a help in His Word, a healing in His Hope. 

It’s also, according to John, the discipline whom Jesus loved, a time in the world (then and now) where the spirit of the antichrist still lingers and peddles darkness, unknown, fragility, fear, basic confusion and isolationism. Don’t forget that Jesus overcame all that, overcame the world, overcame the darkness. God won and wins.

The times of our lives that see fracture, also mean that God can SHINE through those small fissures and bring us a rainbow of beautiful colors and HOPE. The diamonds of life are MORE beautiful when they are cut, where they reflect LIGHT in interesting looking facets. The snowflakes of life are uniquely made into fluffy looking ice, oh so beautiful to catch our eye and both cover dark gloomy mud and be white in a cleansing of our views. God glistens through His people sharing love too. He covers all offenses with LOVE. He wants us to be ourselves imagined made in LOVE (His image of us is of His Love), and we are always to be of Him, not of the World. 

Cover the world in LOVE. 

Like snowflakes, light, nourishing rain, cover the world in LOVE. 

There’s importance in testing the system of darkness to see if it WILL be willing to accept LIGHT. That’s evident for any situation where you inquire against the confusion with cautious OPTIMISM and discern actual evil intent vs simple ignorance or dramatic fearfulness. In other words, in times of strife, don’t let your nose get bent out of shape, don’t stop trying, apply GRACE and try to understand where the other person is coming from. But DO be careful to call out evil intentions, even in ourselves, and shine light on situations. Put in the work to work the world away from itself. Refocus Light in Love.

Be Yourself and bring His Love. “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

If WE bring anything to this lenten Easter season, let’s bring the LOVE, let’s hone the skills He has instilled in us for shining His Light, and let US open up His Hope to the World through a Word that states over and over again of His Love for all.

GOD LOVES YOU TO SHARE THE LOVE. 

Cover the World in LOVE. 

Amen 

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1st John 4

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

God’s Love and Ours

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Puzzle my crab, my world, my life

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Oh… they say if you don’t smell a smelly foul smell, then the hermit crab is still alive. Scary to see body parts strewn about, but he will eat them later. Crazy. Crazy to watch a molt of a hermit crab, especially not so hidden this time as apparently I don’t have deep enough cover, but the crab this time chose the underneath gap between water dishes. Freaky weird. (and I never know how the crab is going to pull itself out of this one – but so far he always has….)

One of my puzzles in life is wondering how God pieces it all together. I don’t believe we are to know or need to know everything, so don’t worry about what is not our job to worry about.  One can marvel, yes!!! Think if God just populated a world with done items (people, animals, plants, places) is inconceivable enough, but we have a living moving system, and growth, new creations, aging situations and spiritual life and growth independent of physical. It’s a marvel, it’s a puzzle of life, especially when someone only sees loose pieces.  (and we never know how the Lord is going to put ourselves as a civilization or people or individuals together forever – but so far we are still here – He has and always will have it ‘together’…)

My mom’s jigsaw puzzles from her birthday were printed by Walgreens on these nifty sticky-backed frames. They looked great pieced together, even from the backside, but that’s not the point. The puzzles were and are to be taken apart to reassemble and that’s the fun part in itself, plus the time to sit and do them. It’s a favorite activity of many, and one that others don’t even want to think about.  I like them, but don’t have time nor make time for puzzles when I feel that I am already puzzling life. There’s nothing wrong with a good puzzle, and the addictive nature leads to sharing and lending puzzles with each other. Instead of “let me see what’s on TV” (junk) – it’s “let me work 10 minutes on the puzzle.”

God’s puzzle for our lives is both vibrantly beautifully shown and then other aspects are hidden to us sometimes when we need to find new light to illuminate it – and other times pieces are hidden until looked for – some pieces may be withheld for years – some puzzles seem too easy but that is the Lord’s way too. Nothing is too hard for God and nothing is impossible – if He says it fits (or fits good enough for now) then He can make it work.

IN OTHER WORDS – LOOK HOW GOD CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE WORK  – IN THE HERE AND NOW AND IN THE FUTURE – IN THIS SMALL SECTION OF THE SMALLEST TIMEFRAME OF THE LARGEST PUZZLE OF THE LARGEST LIFE ETERNAL. 

GOD puzzles us with His world but in whole, He wants us to know He has everything under control – no puzzle for Him – all answers – all known. Let us depend upon God for the KNOWN. And work on the puzzle too – in His Time.

Can we just wait until He puts the pieces together? (the crab and the world and our lives?) I hope so.

Praise You Lord for having it all!

Amen

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Matthew 19:25-26 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Well, Wait and KNOW – Jeremiah 37-40

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A cute puppy was running around at my friend’s apartment complex, they said to let it run, but I thought maybe we should have held onto it and called someone, or if there was a neighborhood association… hmmm… they said let the puppy run. I pray the puppy got home, he was not there when we left the apartment, someone must have taken him in. And we saw the animal control van driving around. But that was tough for me, I wish I could say I’ll wait and see, but I will never know this outcome. Except for this assurance in my heart that the puppy is alright. I have to trust in the system and in the Lord. 

It’s like when we don’t feel well, after surgery, in therapy, we wait and see. When we await news at times, we wait and see. But for us waiting on the Lord, we wait and KNOW, plus that wait and see, because we have to KNOW God means what He says. He has rescued us before! And for us, we are to KNOW it will be OK, eventually,  BECAUSE GOD SAID SO… Even if it seems like forever from now.

(And if God warns of consequences, steer away from His Wrath please).

I’m reading an intriguing section of Jeremiah’s story – not a soap opera because it’s got REAL abrupt events and real consequences for the people of Jerusalem that don’t listen to God. The king of Judah didn’t listen but he did ask Jeremiah to pray and he did tell the officials of the Babylonian plan God had. Jeremiah went to take care of business locally, but was arrested, imprisoned. He was freed by the king but watched and fed, but then others who heard his prophecy about Babylon wanted him done away with. The king took his hands off the situation. The annoyed officials threw him into a cistern well…. WELL,  I never would want to wait and see in a well, but Jeremiah had to. A stuck situation. That same king allowed the rescue of Jeremiah, people who sent merciful pieces of old clothes to give support and comfort under the arms over the ropes. He was pulled back into a semi-safe situation, not free, but not stuck in the well.

Then the king started to listen to Jeremiah, who continued to hear from God,  and be protected by God. But the king was not so fortunate and a horrible capture by the Babylonians was terrible for his family and the king gruesomely was blinded. 

Jeremiah was protected, not harmed by Babylonians. The one who was also protected was the Cushite, Ebed-Melek, official in the royal palace, the person who pulled Jeremiah out of that cistern well. The lift-er and the lifted both survived captivity. “But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah’s story continues, including being allowed to live with his people for a time.  He had to show trust in the system and in the Lord. 

What about our wait? Do we wait and see or wait and know? God blesses the lifted and also the lift-er. We can endure not a prison on earth but a wait until the new kingdom. There will be others, at a certain day post rapture, who will need to hear and know about God who protects, and rescues after a tortured life. We will have to wait and see at that time… Not a soap opera but a prophetic fulfillment of God’s Plan. We have to trust in the system and in the Lord. 

Well, We will Wait and Know. (meanwhile, keep asking the Lord for the mini-rescues too. Know He provides. Amen)

Amen 

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Jeremiah 37-40:6 NIV

Jeremiah in Prison

Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt. Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.’

“This is what the Lord says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this city down.”

After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there. But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”

“That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.” Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”

King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern

Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’ And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”

Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

“He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”

Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”

Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”

But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.’”

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you: “‘They misled you and overcame you – those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you.’

“All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down.”

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die. If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’”

All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

The Fall of Jerusalem – Chapter 39

This is how Jerusalem was taken:  In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah.

But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people. But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.

While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Chapter 40

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go. So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

YES – THE WORD IS LOVE!

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Word !

Rock icon Pat Benatar may sing that ‘Love is a Battlefield’ – but YES, the band YES, sings that LOVE will help us get it together! Spread the news and help the world go round!

I love music to my ears about love, it’s 50 years old that is new!

And cool to feel the love. And humbled to know the LOVE is from the Lord. And BLESSED to be driven, commanded, and able to Share the LOVE. 

Human love falls into a world imperfect but divine love is perfect. A broken system that is fixable only by the One Whom didn’t break it but Whom did create the fix for it. LOVE is LOVE’S answer. 

Let us look for the perfect in the healing and in the hope.

Let us LOVE with what’s right in the world – LOVE.

Amen

—

Full lyrics of YES’s song ‘The Word is Love’:

In the morning when you rise

Do you open up your eyes, see what I see?

Do you see the same things every day?

Do you think of a way to start the day

Getting things in proportion?

Spread the news and help the world go round

Have you heard of a time that will help us get it together again?

Have you heard of the word that will stop us going wrong?

Well, the time is near, the word you’ll hear

When you get things in perspective

Spread the news and help the world go round

There’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me

It’s right for me, and the time is now

There’s a word and the word is love and it’s right for me

It’s right for me, and the word is love

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=wkAubcZoNuo&si=hUbcDK-rNz9PE6zX

Jesus Scored our Eternal Victory!

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You would have never known looking at the celebrations and the accolades that the team that won the Super Bowl didn’t play up to par in the first half. I watched it and the turnovers etc – no one mentions that now – only that THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS.

It was a game of foibles and slow starts and not too exciting for the team that was “supposed” to be spectacular – not too exciting for either team (although the method of running the ball and keeping a steady game going – eating up time is certainly a strategy that was working for a while) – really the first half was a slow game with low score – AND THEN…. 

And the second half found the teams really finding their grove – and things got tied and the nail biter was all the way up to the end – and either team could have pulled it out.

WOW.

OK – what about that first half that no one now cares about – what about becoming “Spectacular” – “Flawless” and “Amazing” – well isn’t that just like us in Heaven???? YES – our game on earth is beset with bad plays, foibles, missteps, fumbles even. Our lives are marred with humanness – and understandably so as broken people. We just ain’t perfect – we are sinners in the need of a Savior. AND THEN…

Heaven and God sees us PERFECT – SPECTACULAR – AMAZING – FLAWLESS – all because of JESUS – because He sees our faults no more – our sin is taken away as far as the east is from the west.

HEAVEN MUST BE THE ULTIMATE – ‘NOW THAT JESUS HAS RANSOMED YOU – WHERE ARE YOU GOING?’ – ‘I’M GOING TO JESUS’S RENEWED WORLD – HEAVEN BOUND!’

Do we deserve this championship? No. Do we expect to be called such marvelous things by our own doing? No. This is what GRACE is. GRACE is the unmerited gift of God.

Dead in the game no more – we are alive in HOPE and DRIVE and LIFE – and when we ask Jesus to be Our Lord and Savior – we ‘cross’ into the afterlife WHOLE, because HE CROSSED us past that evil of sin and death.

THANK YOU JESUS – for scoring our Eternal Victory.

AMEN

Made Alive in Christ – Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Wing it, but on a Prayer

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I looked up “winging it”, a phrase I often use as in “I will just wing it” – yeah I say that, but one only feels comfortable doing that if you prepped somewhat. And we often open our mouths when we could never know enough about a situation. If we “catch wind” of something – we could pray on it, right?

I didn’t know the origins of “winging it”, so I googled it, which brings many reputable references: It comes from the theater, “to wing it”, it is to prep in the wings of the stage, study up, but not quite prepared. The wings themselves are named for the winged stage panels that were stored there (Italian origin hundreds of years ago)… and of course it’s about the hiddenness of the theater wings… off stage and unseen. (Who likes to hide in the wings huh? Even if much work is done there.)

What about us, do we stay off-scene? How do we venture into life? Is it a play over and over again like “Groundhog Day”? But remember that Bill Murray’s character was allowed to or ended up changing the pattern, if ever so slightly, each time. He was brought to learn something – even if it was that the weather was unpredictable but life was not. We could do that too – change it up a little each time. And “winging it” is the option to rely on what we DID learn in the wings, and praying on it all for the rest of the way. I will “Wing it” on a Prayer.

I think when we pray, it’s like the warmth of our hearts and the movement of the Spirit that lifts the whole situation. You could request a prayer time and time again to be lifted up, it starts its own turbine.  Recently a friend, just out of surgery, asked me to throw up some prayers for her, and I immediately humorously thought of NOT the baseball type of throw, after surgery… Well,  prayers all around.  And it’s always that the currents of prayers are from those that are formulating from the depth of the Spirit in us, a feeling placed in us to bring up and to bring us up. It’s God’s Way to start His own air/prayer currents – for lift – for reaching – for catching. I know that the Lord isn’t waiting lofty on high for the prayers, He is on the ground, starting to blow them around. 

“Livin’ on a Prayer” – Bon Jovi sings. I think that could be true every day when we step out that door, or even hide in our PJs under the covers. We are asking for help, as we should. There is no wrong in asking God for His Right Way to deal with a situation.  In other words, God knows the best way for us to approach the current day (haha funny, current day and current blowing Way). We would never leave the wings of the stage without the lift of God – Yes, let those angel wings move like the army they are intended to be. We would never get to stay in the wings hidden, because those situtaions themselves are scenes that are movable on a temporary stage of earth. And God sees everything. 

So keep moving today, on a wing AND on a Prayer. “Rise on the wings of the dawn.” You will always have God’s Lift. God knows where to go, blow, flow.

Amen 

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Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me close.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 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. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

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.

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Her Life Was a Sermon

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(One of many processing writings for my friend’s passing and her services)

For my friend’s funeral mass, the priest’s sermon was heartfelt, we could tell. The section of the sermon when my tears started, was when he essentially said: “[How can you give a sermon at a time like this. Our words are not as important compared to the sermon that her life taught us – taught us as an example of an authentic Christian – we have so many excuses for not coming to church – the weather, too busy, etc. But she attended even if she DID have the proper excuse of I’m not feeling well [because she was SO sick failing in health for years], she totally had the right excuse for not making it to church, or had the right for asking for help – but she was here – she came to explore her faith.]” He continued, “[she teaches us how to love Christ – believe in Christ – how to go towards eternal life. That should be our goal in life – how to save our souls – embrace “the One Whom God has sent” as Christ states in the Gospel]”

He continued: “[Brothers and sisters, pray for her to pray for us to have the strength in life that she had even thought she was weaker than us.]” – [“She never gave up- use her as an example – to remember the most important thing in our life, the salvation of our souls”] – “[may God bless her soul, may her memory be eternal]”

Tears and goosebumps for she surely did live a life working hard in love. I spoke to the priest at the luncheon (warm and inviting and soothing in smiles and laughter) after the solemn service (filled with singing, incense, prayer and traditions) and the cemetery internment (crisp cold with true sunshine and blue skies, the earth uncovered from the precious layer of snow). The priest recounted of the many times offered to come to her, but she came to church… “[She asked ‘how can I help you?’… when it was us that should have been helping her…]” I was blessed to see the admiration of her faith by him. I was and am so appreciative of the church family to bring their traditions to the families, support the family, the people around our luncheon table so gracious in sharing. The luncheon meal of pork, rice, soup, homemade desserts, which was as delicious as it was heartfelt, and prepared by the classic wonderful older women of the church, well it was a wonderful experience for gathering.

I’m so thankful for the example of my friend.  I’m truly touched by her life of faith… Some have sent me sympathy cards even but don’t worry about me, I’m hearing her (in my head) of her sighs of relief, of her enthusiastic voice cheering me on, and so please pray for her family – their loss is great – a mom, an organizer, a love. She was a witness and lived her life as a sermon. She had trouble in this world – but she believed that Jesus has overcome it – and He had and He has – and especially for her, I surmise her now perfected faith, which was an ongoing process, now being 100% in Jesus – no more condemnation in Heaven when Jesus has done all that He has.

None of us are perfect, but when we are perfecting life, Jesus handles the perfection, we handle the life of believing… This I truly beautifully believe. 

Amen Amen Amen

Dimming Your Headlights – a Sermon – MLK Jr and me

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So – here is my blessing of being able to share the sermon this morning:

Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV – Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:13-14 NKJV – Believers Are Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit

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I love digging into Lots of Scriptures today – and start with this advice from Paul: 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.” Colossians 4:5-6

I realized a while ago that I was never satisfied with how I approached MLK Jr day, which we just had last Monday, because I didn’t think about it or about him much – it often just blends in with regular days, our crazy busy days within a crazy busy season of life. I revisit today for learning about something I didn’t know – that MLK Jr was a preacher – a man of God – and so was his father and his grandfather – MLK JR also comes from Irish stock as well as African stock – and his father MLK Sr put MLK Jr into a seminary……

By revisiting a 1957 sermon by Dr King Jr about LOVING YOUR ENEMIES, I am thankful to know that he was a preacher and that we get to talk about Jesus and how He advises us to live. Thanks to modern technology we have wonderful websites, we have transcripts and audio of many sermons and speeches from MLK Jr’s life philosophy. But of course, thanks to Jesus, we have a Word that endures forever.

What a great excerpt I was led to find from this 1957 MLK Jr sermon – that Jesus says we are to love our enemies because love is redemptive goodwill, because God loves everyone and because you have agape in your soul. As hate only brings hate, the redemptive strength of LOVE means that when you are presented with the opportunity to defeat your enemy, that you DON’T do it. When we love, we see God’s image in each person – in our enemies too. … If we remember that God is behind all the drive to love, that God IS Love, we also will remember that love will not, and can never fail.

Especially I like the analogy MLK Jr gives about dimming the car headlights – that we are all driving thru life – and so often we will encounter strife and people who might even be against us or maybe will just ignore us in disrespect – this is where we need to dim the car headlights of retaliation and be courteous and BE THE LOVE…  Love has a redemptive power because God is Love. We should all be NOT satisfied with the hate in the world when we are commanded to LOVE.

These are excerpts from one MLK Jr. sermon:

“Loving Your Enemies.” – it’s so basic to me – because it is a part of my basic philosophical and theological orientation—the whole idea of love, the whole philosophy of love. In the gospel as recorded by Saint Matthew, we read these very arresting words flowing from the lips of our Lord and Master: [Jesus said] Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”

MLK Jr continues – these are great words, words lifted to cosmic proportions. And over the centuries, many persons have argued that this is an extremely difficult command. Many would go so far as to say that it just isn’t possible to move out into the actual practice of this glorious command. They would go on to say that this is just additional proof that Jesus was an impractical idealist who never quite came down to earth. So the arguments abound. But far from being an impractical idealist, Jesus has become the practical realist. The words of this text glitter in our eyes with a new urgency. Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this command is an absolute necessity...]

“[Now let me hasten to say that Jesus was very serious when he gave this command; he wasn’t playing. He realized that it’s hard to love your enemies – difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you. –  painfully hard, pressingly hard. – But We have the Christian and moral responsibility to seek how we can live out this command, . Agape – a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love; the love of God – And when you rise to love on this level, you begin to love men, not because they are likeable, but because God loves them. You look at every man, and you love him because you know God loves him. And he might be the worst person you’ve ever seen.]

“[And this is what Jesus means, … You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul. – you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. ]

“[why?. … I think this was at the very center of Jesus’ thinking: that hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. If I hit you and you hit me and I hit you back and you hit me back – that goes on ad infinitum – It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil… and inject into the universe that strong and powerful element of LOVE.]

MLK Jr continues: [I think I mentioned before that sometime ago my brother and I were driving one evening to Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Atlanta. He was driving the car. And for some reason the drivers were very discourteous that night. They didn’t dim their lights; hardly any driver that passed by dimmed his lights. And I remember very vividly, my brother A.D. looked over and in a tone of anger said: “I know what I’m going to do. The next car that comes along here and refuses to dim the lights, I’m going to fail to dim mine and pour them on in all of their power.” And I looked at him right quick and said: “[Oh no, don’t do that. There’d be too much light on this highway, and it will end up in mutual destruction for all. Somebody[‘s] got to have some sense on this highway.”]

“[Somebody must have sense enough to dim the lights – Somebody must have morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. You do that by LOVE.]

“[There’s another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater. ….  Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” – that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. –  LOVE builds up and is creative – hate tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies…”]

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Ah – I love that analogy – thank you Dr King – Dimming our headlights – and demonstrating this action too – it is portraying LOVE to those who watch us. This doesn’t mean we don’t stand up for peace and for awareness and for justice – but it means we extend mercy and grace – and act like the person Jesus wants us to be, best we can.

It also takes the burden off our shoulders and onto Jesus who wants to accept our burdens – I was even thinking it is like a flare up of tendonitis –  tennis elbow – it is OK but annoying – but you put the strap just above where the tendons attach to the elbow and it takes the pressure off – yes dimming the headlights…

Can we dim our headlights (me included) towards Drama? Self-pity?

What about dimming our headlights towards Anger? or Pain? Even the fear of D e a t h ,? Can we accept it while trying to avoid it? And because of it, can we work it into our consciousness of making the most of every day

How about dimming our headlights towards reacting against rough or annoying people? –  What if your gentleness satiated or reduces strife of a situation, takes the boiling pot off the stove.

Are we scared seeing someone approach us (having that I better cross the street fear – Fear? Adrenaline kicks in, fight or flight  – wouldn’t it be best if we let God decide – think positive thoughts, stay ready for the interaction and even SMILE at the stranger.  Jesus said, recorded in Matthew: “You are the salt of the earth; –  “You are the light of the world. – Let your light so shine before men”….

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I’m going to tell you of a time when God preserved my life – forgive me for using me as an example  – but it fits here I believe – Jesus made me dim my retaliatory reactionary “want to answer back” mode that I could have slipped into.  I’m going to tell you about  a road rage incident – yes I was partially in the wrong, but if it had happened it would have been pure accident – IF it was raining – dusk darkness – merging roads  – by the mall – everyone has to navigate weird lane changes – I had  sense of a car and quickly unmerged – but he was a grey car – no headlights – i could not see him – I did not hit him – sped up to merge and turn – but he followed me RAGED – cut me off – passed me- stopped his car blocking me – screaming at me – i locked my door – I saw his bumper sticker “—local gun club” – just kept saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”.- he went away- he was more made because he couldn’t get a rise out of me… I survived because God gave me the gifted words of “I’m sorry” – Whether I was in the wrong or not – it was what flew out of my mouth over and over. He made it much worse but I had the gift of those words: “I’m sorry”

His response of Flying off the handle? I forgave him on the spot looking him in the face, looking at him – BIG – it was probably what they call “roid rage”… And God made me DIM MY HEADLIGHTS OF RESPONSE…  thank You Lord. Lived for another day. 

I lived to tell that this is a true Scripture – a Proverb:  A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.   The non-gentleman but still a child of God – his anger burnt out at that moment when he returned to his car. When I recounted this story  in hindsight, my lunch-bunch at work started saying “oh you should have X, Y, Z” in escalation… (it’s like all those public comments on a facebook post of people saying something they themselves would not have done)…

Well, I am glad I simply backed down, locked up, moved on. You had to be there – his self-rage and BROKENNESS lit up my eyes of pain, we need to see and sadly work with the brokenness in people that we see. I saw his brokenness.  I thank God the Light of Jesus is even brighter and discerning and gave me protection that day by simply me saying ‘I’m Sorry” as the defusing of the situation… A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

And there are so many more of the Proverbs that bring peace into our ears: wise words and observations mostly written from Solomon – gifts from God totally – we don’t have to be the retaliation if God gets the final word and He does. And we don’t have to say “haha karma”, as we are often tempted to say – because God IS really teaching us all – and God wants all to come to His love – He does not want anyone to perish.  So these proverbs can help us live with things – and dim our headlights in life:

  •  The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
  • Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
  • The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.
  • Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
  • The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
  • The Lord detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
  • When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them.
  • Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
  • The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.
  • The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,  and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.         A cheerful heart is good medicine
  •  Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

I want to close with   A great devotion we read at our Jesus Calling group last week – of Jesus’s saying: Remember, I am with you- – now and always. Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur. Do not multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to Me, and relax in My peace. I will strengthen you and prepare you for this day, transforming your fear into confident TRUST.

Yes Jesus is ALWAYS saying: “I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I am thankful that knowing God takes care of our battles, We CAN dim our own headlights and follow His Light instead.

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Amen and let us pray:

Lord – thank You – thank You for guidance – thank you for living each day in the present – thank you for energy and for leaders who remind us to look to you and your advice – your saves – your hope.

Thank you for Your Grace and forgiveness that we may extend it to others. We don’t know where the others are coming from but we know they are Your children. Love is Redemptive – Love will Win all – Love is You Lord and You are Love.  Lord we love You.

Lord, we praise your True and Almighty Name.

Amen.

Seems my original link won’t work now, 

But specifically, the loving your enemies – dim the headlights sermon is here (i had to search it again):

Here is the text and the audio:

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church

The practical part of the dimming headlights is here:

. .”I think I mentioned before that sometime ago my brother and I were driving one evening to Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Atlanta. He was driving the car. And for some reason the drivers were very discourteous that night. They didn’t dim their lights; hardly any driver that passed by dimmed his lights. And I remember very vividly, my brother A. D. looked over and in a tone of anger said: “I know what I’m going to do. The next car that comes along here and refuses to dim the lights, I’m going to fail to dim mine and pour them on in all of their power.” And I looked at him right quick and said: “Oh no, don’t do that. There’d be too much light on this highway, and it will end up in mutual destruction for all. Somebody got to have some sense on this highway.”

Somebody must have sense enough to dim the lights, and that is the trouble, isn’t it? That as all of the civilizations of the world move up the highway of history, so many civilizations, having looked at other civilizations that refused to dim the lights, and they decided to refuse to dim theirs. And Toynbee tells that out of the twenty-two civilizations that have risen up, all but about seven have found themselves in the junkheap of destruction. It is because civilizations fail to have sense enough to dim the lights.8 And if somebody doesn’t have sense enough to turn on the dim and beautiful and powerful lights of love in this world, the whole of our civilization will be plunged into the abyss of destruction. And we will all end up destroyed because nobody had any sense on the highway of history. Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.”…

It’s All a Blur

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I wanted a photo of a sign that said “No horses on bridge”, but I moved my arm and it’s all a blur photo-wise. Trust me LIFE is all a BLUR too. 

I would know, being old enough and yet young enough that there’s many things that have changed in my mere few decades. To me, my young age sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t feel like a lot. You too? So I say it’s like a blur, but with crisp moments that seem like yesterday and wish would return like tomorrow. (Then again glad others are gone, water under the bridge.)

The bridge. Can you imagine a time someone would have walked a team of horses across this rennovated but once 1800’s metropolitan country-ish bridge, between cities now, or be tempted to cross even with car traffic because this bridge was then and now convenient? Can you imagine a time someone would have owned horses for transportation and work let alone pleasure, or would have even had a place to go on a horse, would have even had enough time to ride a horse???… I can imagine that for THEN but not for now. Time is a blur.

Look, I didn’t even have time for a proper photo as traffic stopped and then decided to go. Another time I had plenty of time stuck in the middle of the bridge for a day photo of the awesome trusses. Every rush hour this FREE (once toll) bridge is packed. Trust me the horses would have had a faster crossing on foot on the sidewalk! No, no one walks across on the sidewalk anymore either! And I’m old enough and young enough to say “Remember when people walked to work, school, groceries?”… yeah life’s a blur. 

Bumpy rides seem smoother in hindsight.

I crossed the bridge driving my daughter to and from her internship. I loved the time chatting in the car, backed up traffic or not. I appreciated the time making the most out of Christmas, open and closed in a short month,  I’m holding onto it longer, to appreciate one day at a time because that’s all I could handle and because we ALL don’t know about tomorrow let alone next year. Lord willing yes or no, just go with the flow. 

So, also this week I was picking up my outside knocked-over neon nativity decorations after a windy wet storm. There was a ten dollar bill blown up the hill, sitting in front of a king! Wow, a king that delivers! And I thought what would Jesus’s family have used those gifts for, of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? Were they symbolic gifts? Practical gifts? Both? And what should I spend this 10 dollars on?! It’s cool, but 10 dollar 50 years ago would have bought a lot more! What would it be in Jesus’s time? Things change. Jesus doesn’t, but times do. I will think about this ten dollars – perhaps it like taxes and toll bridges are needed to be paid and the Lord provides that too (just ask Peter and that fish). Isn’t it good that Jesus paid the price for our toll toiling life bridge to Heaven too?

What doesn’t change? That time moves fast. What shouldn’t change? Our opportunities to say thank You Lord, whether in pain or in peace, it’s JOY in the Journey which fills our praise. 

If we take it one day at a time, we can lock in and focus on the One True Sure LIGHT that is Jesus! We won’t have a blur but will see Him clearly, leading us!

Keep Shining Lord.

Be unblurred.

Amen 

A Panegyric of Praise, to Abba Father

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If God be for us, who can be against us?

A new word I heard many years ago: PANEGYRIC pan·e·gy·ric \ˌpa-nə-ˈjir-ik, -ˈjī-rik\

Heard this word from a friend who has now passed away. He said I was writing a panegyric – opposite of a negative diatribe – but positive towards the Lord. Like a PANEGYRIC.

Noun: something (such as a speech or a piece of writing) that praises someone or something; a eulogistic oration or writing; formal or elaborate praise. A panegyric is a formal public speech, or (in later use) written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and undiscriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical.

How could I not be or say a panegyric to tell how my friend was wonderful to me. He has now passed, and his services had the most touching tribute photo, him at the park, ready to play basketball, and converse with the folks. He was a true character, friendly to all, wanting to engage them in conversation. 

I also appreciated hearing others praise my friend. His friends and what a wonderful tribute by his son – who said how much support he felt from his father. I look forward to chatting with my friend once again in Heaven – oh what a glorious time that will be.

Prolific writer Paul (probably also a prolific talker) instructed: 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. Ephesians 5:2

As children of God, we too could, would, should be prolific praisers of our Lord who gave Himself us as the best offering – the best He could be. And like Jesus, children of God, we also could walk in the way of love and be loving and sure. And as children of God, we can sacrifice and not complain (if possible, we are only human after all) and walk in the Way of the Lord – with the Lord. We best to keep our mouths shut of complaints and instead open them to PRAISE of how the Lord is seeing us through a certain situation. As Children of God, we can praise by saying: Abba Father we need You, need Your help, need Your Spirit to help us walk.

At the service, a dear friend and pastor spoke from Romans 8 (excerpts below) – speaking how we are in no condemnation when we are in Christ Jesus – who himself made us free and acceptable as an offering to God. And we are to be patient in our infirmities – and realize that nothing we have none of the suffering compares to the GLORY of God and where we are going…  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

I have praise for my friend – but truly truly make a PANEGYRIC of PRAISE to the max for our God, our Father and our Friend, our Deliverer and our Dear Hope.

Amen

Romans 8:1-31 KJV

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Clay Pots needing to be filled – Jeremiah 18

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Even angels long to look into these things.

Oh Holy Spirit – I love the Lord’s Word – it is meaty and solid and yet leaves plenty of room for a space in the middle of you to be open and receiving and movable and fresh – yes – a jar of clay that has that space for the Holy Spirit to be in us – a fresh filling!  The Holy Spirit brings us the Glory of God in our midst – we are to call upon Him and ask for a fresh filling.  While discussing the Holy Spirit in my bible study class and how we are made of clay by our Father the Potter, I find today here in Old Testament book of  Jeremiah, where he instructs the people based on the messages directly given to Him by God, that God says “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. This was God’s message to have Israel repent. Jeremiah was watching a potter at his wheel reworking old clay into a new vessel, “shaping it as seemed best to him.”

We are formed and remain His, He forms us as He sees best. As Isaiah (chapter 64:8) teaches: But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!

In the New Testament, Paul writes a letter to the Corinthians that we are jars of clay, hard pressed by the world – the stress and the circumstances – but honestly that makes us stronger and able to be filled. STRONG and able to hold something! We are shaped by the inside and the outside to be functional and fillable. We are to ask for this fresh filling of the Holy Spirit – a baptism of Spirit.

Oh to be re-filled and re-filled and movable and ready to be poured out into a situation. Oh Lord, we ARE clay pots needing to be filled. Even angels long to look into these things – the Spirit pointing us to Jesus.

Thank You Lord for the work of Your Hands and the Life of Your Son and the Spirit of Yourself bringing us always to see Your Majesty and Plan.

Amen

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At the Potter’s House (Jeremiah 18:1-11)

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.  Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’

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Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 11:16

2 Corinthians 4:6-18 NKJV

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. * And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. * Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

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1Peter 1:8-12

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. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Grace Gifts – We are only human after all

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I bummed myself out last weekend oh how STUPID I felt when I went through the automatic car wash with my winter decorations (plastic blue snowflakes) still zip-tied to my roof and they all half broke. Bummer… bleh… STUPID… I’ll get past it… snow melts, right?! yes it does…

I often get embarrassed because of my humanness. (and that feels worse than losing the snowflakes). I sometimes get embarrassed because of my lack of remembering. And yet I never want to feel embarrassed to ask questions and learn more – I would rather look uninformed than remain uninformed….

So, no, I didn’t get in trouble from the carwash place. And really importantly they DID break off easily and no damage incurred to the car either, nor to my wallet (cheap things), only to my pride. Pride however is a sin in itself, if we can’t forgive ourselves or if we ignore too freely without remorse, it’s prideful. Like I did this – or I didn’t. Pride can be sin brushed aside.

While vacuuming the car with the free vacuums, which is actually why I went to get a wash anyway, I thought to myself about my own vanity getting myself into this, but you know, it’s normal to wash a car. It was dirty. I like to support this shop. So all in my sorry-ness, Lord, for vanity and pride too, I can justify my actions even my forgetfulness… HUMAN!!! 

Now, I could certainly hide my mistake (or not write about it to process) OR rebuild 2 flakes out of one to seem like nothing happened OR whine forever on something so unimportant (which I know I shouldn’t). So I thought of how trivial this was and me making a big deal out of it was pridefully trivial too. It’s not right for me to whine because infinitely worse things are occurring in the world, like war, disease, hunger, etc. 

But anyway, while cleaning I found the scripture card that means a lot,  “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast.” EPHESIANS 2:8-9

YES! 

Although I can’t fully wrap my head around “Saved by Grace” – as I haven’t made it up to Heaven yet, I am starting to appreciate that it is forever that has started NOW because Jesus already Saved me. WOW – saved. and wow, I can appreciate “Forgiveness, by Grace” – and “your oops is no big deal, by Grace” – and “cut yourself some slack, by Grace”. (Because yeah grave stuff is also forgiven by a forgiving Father when we repent)… Grace by the blood of Jesus.

I also found a few lost things while cleaning, like money that fell out of my pocket, and I did achieve a cleaner car inside and out. There are some things that are necessary even if trivial. And I decompressed some more by reattaching a couple of snowflakes back up – in pairs this time to mask the lost sticks, and it looks fine, it will make due to use these last bit of their usefulness, which is to make people smile. I achieved a compromise of my guilt and frustration. And I smile too. God however IS the One Whom achieved that “the show must go on” feeling in me.

“I achieved” is not a term we use for Grace, however, that IS a gift. Grace is a gift by God’s grace for God’s grace. And if we can’t achieve it, then no one else can lay down rules for it. God can, yes, and His forgiveness through Jesus satisfied all His Law. So we must hold onto Jesus. God waits and wants our love. We love that He loved us first. Great God.

Jesus – because we are only human after all.

Grace. “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast.” EPHESIANS 2:8-9

Thank You Lord for Your Grace and for Your gifting…

We do need it (I do) because we are only human after all…

Amen

Amen

Blessed is the One Who Trusts in the Lord, Jeremiah 17:5-10

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When God says what He does not like, He is also saying what He DOES LIKE, what He blesses and blooms, and allows to grow in well-being like a tree near water. The tree reaches the water easily as it is near the stream. We, likewise, will be blessed by staying close to God. Blessed are those who trust in Him.

And a reminder, again through the prophets, that we are fallible humans, so trusting in human beings and corruptible notions will get us in trouble, we will live a dry existence, not lush. God keeps calling us back to Him, He wants us totally to trust in Him. Many times we are warned to guard our hearts and don’t let them be swayed away, don’t let our hearts convince our heads to follow in, guard the emotions, and trust deeper, God deeper, to the roots of our being.

Jeremiah reminds us, as he instructed the Israelites:

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:5-10

Amen 

One Way – the New Way

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Always doesn’t mean always anymore – maybe it never did – maybe all ways are not human ways but God does ALL WAYS none of the time and ONE WAY – thru HIM – ALL the time. His ONE WAY is HIS WAY is our New Way, today.

Always is for human daze days – our memories are short – and things like “always do this – always do that” are dreams because maybe we can’t always do this and do that. And then we don’t do what we always do, we are sad. Maybe we complain about things that we thought that were burdens and then became sad to not do them anymore. Human life is funny isn’t it.

But Life in God is a march and a progressive stepwise motion into NEW – even if it is reliving old. Then again maybe old is not old – it is new in a traditional way. Each time we approach things we “always do”, there might be new situations and new people. God does not change but His intentions are new for our new moments to see His direction in a new way. In other words, we got nothing on our ways as God’s Ways are higher – and yet we are allowed to explore our way.

In Jeremiah 13, God equates the Israelites that are supposed to be His pride and people to a linen belt that is not taken care of and becomes useless. God had set aside this set of people – Jeremiah has to go and warn them what is going wrong, and they will be swept to exile again. We see this as a pattern in this old covenant. We are to be grateful – jew and gentile – when Jesus comes to separate us from our sin in the eyes of God – our merciful God does want us to be with Him – listen to Him – and especially acknowledge that HIS WAY is the only way and the best way and why wouldn’t we go the way of the Way…

God’s Way is to bring us back to Him – it may take us a long way humanly – but with turning to God – we are there instantly and with Him – and He does find a WAY to bring us – He makes new ways to get us into His Direction.

I’m going with God – He is my Hope.

Amen

A Linen Belt = told to Jeremiah 13:1-11
This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist. Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me. Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

Paul in 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.“

The Lasting Word

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It’s not unusual to give books away, or find writing in used ones, but when one buys a used copy, like I did last month, it WAS unusual for a greeting card and paper insert to come with it. This is a Jesus Calling devotional book gift re-gifted back to a thrift store which made its way into my hands thru used book selling on ebay, and along with it this card and paper insert, which has God’s Word re-stated for a new audience, me and you. God’s Word is a LASTING WORD. 

The first scripture on the paper is Psalm 24:5 “they will receive a blessing from the Lord. “ ….  YEAH! On the card, it says on the front cover: “In life we may not know which battles we have to fight.” And inside a reminder that God goes with us. (Fitting for this card went to a couple whose husband was recovering from a bad fall) And inside: the scripture is Deuteronomy 3:22 “The Lord God himself will fight for you“… YES! The paper insert is a set of devotions from Guideposts shared at a Sunday school class, especially fitting about a missed Thanksgiving dinner from illness which yielded unexpected blessings the following year that came about BECAUSE of the missed event and the backup plans that got good things going in motion. God works in mysterious ways, YES!!!

So I don’t know why I was the recipient of this card stuck inside the book, that made it all the way to me, but surely someone needs to hear the message, so I will repeat the scripture sentiment: God has this. God has you!!! God has a plan and God will make His Plan – in His Time.

If we cannot see a blessing, it doesn’t mean God can’t make something beautiful, even out of a tragedy. God can and God does… in His Time…

I will count on God – and His Lasting Word.

Amen

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Psalm 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

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. 

Oh Messiah

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Always brings warmth to my heart – to know of Simeon and Anna in the temple and how they knew Jesus – as a babe – both that they knew to wait on the Lord – studied and believed the scriptures and prophets – and that they were able to see the fulfilment of the birth of the Christ Child – the Messiah in Jesus – for the world.

But in Simeon’s truth telling – he clearly knew and said how Jesus would be a stumbling block to many who may have spoke of him as a potential – an earthly king – but could not understand him – or open their hearts to Him as Heavenly king, Messiah. Simeon told us the known future that Jesus would be a dividing force between people who knew and did not want to know.  “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 Anna spoke of the redemption brought by this child, Jesus – who is Immanuel, God with us.

Oh – that we would always tell of Who gives our HOPE – that we would always be watching and working for Jesus through the Holy Spirit to open hearts – to tell of the redemption to so many who may hear – oh that they would hear! Oh Jesus – fill us with YOUR WISDOM – become real IN us to serve You and Love You – and share your HOPE. 

Oh Messiah – won’t you open eyes and hearts – this Christmas and always.  

Amen

Luke 2:25-40

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.

Stay a Child of God

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This is one of my favorite non-real biblical fairy tales, an old folk song (link below for Sting singing it) where Joseph was so mad at Mary being with child that he said: “Let the father of the baby gather cherries for you”… Then the cherry trees themselves lowered their branches to the ground. Joseph stood down and apologized. Humbled. MARY GOT HER CHEIRRIES EITHER WAY.

It’s not a real story, no, not in the Bible, but oh the imagery is fantastic and the point of the story is stirring, and the necessary humility that Joseph (and we) need to have for God is both as Creator and Controller – but BETTER THAN THAT, HE IS OUR COMPASSIONATE FATHER.

Humbled yes, but the imagery that holds me captivated is of the trees bending down, it’s the compassion on the Child and the mom, also a child. And Mary happily gathered cherries. Now we also don’t know if Jesus made Mary’s life easy (but surely He would also tell her to enjoy one day at a time) – and we do know that He would be compassionate towards her – and we do know He was obedient to God His Father too.

The truth in this story is that God does love us to be childlike towards Him in acceptance and Joy. We often must “adult” in earthly life, but as for living best, we can acquiesce to a GREATER POWER who molds us and wants to please us at the same time. Imagine life eternal with acceptance of Jesus’s sacrifice for our wrongs – we are released to be children again – forever. 

Let us therefore stay a Child of God, now and forever, enjoy His Warmth of constant attention and love. Enjoy the Christmas Gift of a Christ Child and a Grown Savior.

Amen

“Sting sings cherry tree carol. Live in newcastle dec 2009” on YouTube

LYRICS

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

When Joseph and Mary were walking one day
Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold
Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold

Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild
“Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child”
“Oh, Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child”

Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger he flew
“Oh, let the father of the baby gather cherries for you”
“Oh, let the father of the baby gather cherries for you”

So the cherry-tree bowed low down, low down to the ground
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down

Then Joseph took Mary, all on his right knee
Crying, “Lord, have mercy for what I have done”
Crying, “Lord, have mercy for what I have done”

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee