“SEEK ME”, Faith Flourishes in Ocean Grove

I knew it was the best opportunity to ‘escape’ to Ocean Grove, NJ.

I wanted to know that I allowed myself ‘a decompression day’ from everything – which still allowed me to be connected (my new cellphone works great) and be in the super duper frame of mind to look for the presence of the Lord. AND THE BEACH TOO… plus excited that my friend joined me, she has moved so it’s good to see her when I can, this was her first visit here so I connected her with this gem of Ocean Grove, ‘God’s Square Mile’…

Driving 7am, started my day with catching up with one of the recordings of an online sermon from a great church – the pastor had a message about Joshua 1, Faith and Obedience… “Don’t just listen to God, DO WHAT HE SAYS”… and then after a great moment sitting on the beach at 8am (with a great parking spot) writing my morning blog, and attending half of a boardwalk church 9am service with a guest missionary sharing on college campus ministry, I made it up to the great Auditorium with revival vibes, met my friend for 1030am service, and guess what? the scripture was for the sermon? Joshua 1… WOW, it’s like God chased me to have me hear these messages and scriptures and connect with the people also who needed to hear… If there’s nothing else in my life, and there is, I know that the Lord makes me a connector of people…

I nestled into what I figured would likely be a different take on Joshua 1, “FEAR NOT”, but fear not I was thrilled with the amazing message, structured in his own way, he was a natural speaker and leader and had the funny story at the beginning to engage the group… (about the hallmark movies, and I immediately sent his sermon link YouTube version to a couple friends who are hallmark movie junkies)…

FEAR NOT! I highly recommend his sermon, it touched my life and my friend’s life and I will tell you the punchline of not the joke but the message: “the opposite of fear is not courage, but FAITH…” the sermonist spoke about irrational fear, how that is evil and overtakes us, whereas the Lord gives us natural, healthy fear, that keeps us safe, but we have to be weary of that catastrophic irrational fear…

I had to go up to the sermonist after and share my photo of my stick figure of when Jesus pulled me out of the water from some irrational fear… Yeah – and he was able to chat with my friend as well – very nice opportunity to chat…

Well, also ran into old friends of mine and someone I consider a new acquaintance friend of mine – she runs the bookstore Hub and we chatted about blogs last time after I wrote one on her wifi (and my phone was broken but I got to log onto my laptop inside and outside her store at the beginning of vacation at the beginning of July) – and this time (end of July) she recognized me and we chatted again – it is good to meet Godly people – she wrote a children’s book about the spiritual history of Ocean Grove – using Genesis 1:1 as the Founders did – and this was founders day week – and camp meeting week… It is – life is – the world is – our faith is – all started by God – because IN the beginning was God.

Ah – the little cottages there and the ice cream and porch of that place and then the beach – ah… Love Ocean Grove… When I buy the beach tag I consider it a church donation – it is so good to be immersed in the Lord’s blessings there. And the Ocean was low tide and warm enough to take a dip – no real swimming for me that day but book reading – and reading about Peter from “A Fragile Stone” – my beach book – authored by Michael Card the singer – a great read as a book and a great ‘read’ on Peter – how Jesus worked with Peter and also called him friend… Peter like us fragile and yet strengthened by the Lord and His mission for us.

Ah – time to roll home but not before I took a moment to charge my phone, computer (no I didn’t ever get to work on it – that is OK) and recharge some more faith via singing at the pavilion at 4pm before driving home, the songs I all new – both contemporary and classic and wow it was like the Lord knew to keep me in Praise mode… He did – He does…

Well, enjoy the day and get out there and FEAR NOT – no irrational fear – just day by day, hour by hour, live the life He leads us on..

Oh – the best reinforcement of this all came from my new acquaintance friend at the bookstore – who decided to get thru the roadblock of her blogs and social media and everything marketing by hiring an outside doer company and stay in her creative mode and let them do the marketing – she said she had prayed to the Lord about all her questions of life and direction (“especially at her age” she said – retired a few times from previous paths” – and THE LORD essentially said to her: “You’ve been seeking answers, NOW SEEK ME”…

YUP – Seek the Lord first – and let HIM lead…

YUP…

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!

Ocean Grove sermon: “FEAR NOT” starts at the 40minute mark in the link – YES REALLY WORTH LISTENING TO!!!

Joshua 1:1-11 NIV

Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

Better RELIANCE Upon Wisdom from the LORD, Isaiah 28

“Like the ocean, it’s good to keep moving ahead in waves…”

That is a quote I came up with in response to my friend who is finding herself moving again. A separate person from my other friend moving but the same plan, downsize. This friend from school moved south then north and is drawn back again south, to the ocean. Thus the quote I made about waves. “Like the ocean, it’s good to keep moving AHEAD in waves…”

Having downsized like twice now, this particular friend will start again in the lifestyle she used to have, but different, because this new past she is leaving behind, in stages, lightens her load. And it is not to pick up her old past again but make new. Her situation has changed – mostly by her choice – and it is time to move on – move to the new situation which will be new even if it is returning to a location she was already in. And her packing and peace will be in waves.

Not all situations are the same, and even if they seem similar, God makes them NEW for us, or at least makes us NEW in the same situation by His Mercies, which are fresh each morning.

“All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.”

I find reading and rereading scripture gives new insights. It is new to today even if I experienced it before. I love to see scripture that maybe I read but never absorbed – like in Isaiah 28 – about the Lord teaching the proper way for the proper situation – and changing tactics when it’s time.

Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever.

Yeah… Not all situations are the same – this is for people, for seasons, and for times – for the descriptive text in Isaiah about Soil and Grain, it’s like it means you have to apply life changes in attitude too. Isaiah said Caraway Cumin Spelt and Wheat – listen to the Lord in how you prepare it – how you grind it – how you plant it – how you harvest it.

LIFE IS DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND THEREFORE WE SHOULD LET THE LORD ADAPT US INTO HOW WE HANDLE THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Pay attention to the situation at hand. MOVE FORWARD ALWAYS.

When we study what Jesus said to His disciples about the scripture of the cornerstone rejected but on which the kingdom being built, which they all recounted later in the gospels, we understand that Jesus was teaching THE WAY to have Jesus be OUR WAY. Jesus wants us to stand with Him when He is standing with us. Jesus wants us to build upon HIS WAY. This is true wisdom because with Jesus as our firm foundation we will be anchored and adaptable applying love.

In other words, when you find yourself in a situation where you COULD lash out – but the Lord HELPS you hold your tongue or roll something off your back. We can let Jesus be our foundation in standing up for His Way and standing up to simply walk away. The power to be patient is a true Godsend.

We find that Jesus is asking WE APPLY HIS ATTITUDE. Jesus is saying: “Don’t sweat the small stuff” – Just let it roll off the back. MOVE FORWARD.

To have BETTER RELIANCE UPON THE LORD’S WISDOM is WISE.

Amen

Isaiah 28: excerpts 16, 23-29

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; …”

…
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain. All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.

Amen Amen

Call to Worship – Shore and More

It’s great to remember to “walk by faith and not by sight” – a scripture sign that I saw in Ocean Grove NJ last night, along with beautiful light too… The light of living well (and abundantly too)… JOY…

At the shore escape, I sat on the beach in the shade reading… reading about Heaven (great little book by David Jeremiah) and reading about Fanny Crosby, songwriter and child of God. Truly Fanny Crosby, blinded as an infant, gained spiritual sight in INSIGHT of the HEART to be a poet and hymnist of the mid to late 1800s, living in the LIGHT of Jesus’s Way. These people in this era experienced faith in revival in the cities and here at the shore. Fanny, like me, like us, can visit and live in the experiences of the waves of God’s Love more numerous and powerful than the ocean waves. Waves of the ocean and of love, like we experience in Grace and Mercy. We must let it wash over us to understand.

Fanny Crosby wrote in an early hymn lyric:

“More like Jesus would I be.

Let my savior dwell in me.

Fill my soul with Peace & Love.

Make me gentle as a Dove.

More like Jesus as I go.

Pilgrim, in this world below,

Poor in spirit I would be –

Let my Savior dwell in me.”

And isn’t that the central core of LIVING BY FAITH? Less of us and more of Him. To be poor in our spirit ourselves and let Jesus lead the way. AND WORSHIP THE LORD because He calls us too – and because our Sprit aches for acknowledging Jesus.

Less angst, more acceptance.

Less worldliness, more forever thinking.

LESS US, MORE HIM.

Less demanding, more giving.

Less profiting, more prophetic.

Less put-off, more praise, even in pain.

“Be Joyful in Hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Jesus praised His Father as we should… The praise of the Spirit dwelling in us is greater than anything we could produce. Let us take the moment to embrace the grace, and sing out God’s Glory in song and spirit. Let us let the Lord lead our day and way.

Amen