Sunday Sermon: Reconciliation in Community

SO – here is the sermon I was blessed to give – a teaching sermon and different than others that I have given except to say that GOD NEVER CHANGES – and is always LOVE! So blessed to share!!!

We LOVE this cooler crisp weather (at night) and the reminder to come together and appreciate life and the blessings of the Lord. We don’t need to be like the TV show “Little House on the Prairie” and stockpile like they did – we have such modern conveniences – even never stop in winter (like I like to go for a polar plunge) – but still this fall weather preps us to “stock up” with the harvest – and to count our blessings….

Yesterday (Saturday) many from our church came out to be in community and were blessed to sit outside in this great weather at our local festival – and to greet the community with love and openness – have discussion with others – and I know that it is so encouraging to so many that “church people exist” – that we offer hope and that we work together as God’s Hands and Feet and Hugs. We don’t sell anything – just nice to give stuff away – we had a display of gifts like free books and trinkets – free cookies (yum) – and free activities (like creating rocks with encouraging messages) – we had dialogue about our efforts in serving the community – and we were offering prayers for encouragement and for healing and for the benefit of all – in community.

We have the prayer box from yesterday – many touching stories – like a little 5 year old in the hospital, this whole family started to tell us of his newly diagnosed ailment – leukemia – and we were able to share some books and prayers on the spot with them –– and this grandpa and all aunts and uncles and grandparents were so steadfast in support and prayer for this little boy. Please do pray for him. And please pray for all our prayer box intentions.

Another memory was a little boy – they all appreciated the gifts and really wanted the interactions – James – he kept coming around to chat with us at the table because he wanted to tell us things about his choices – and about his items he had gotten that day. He wanted the dialogue.

And another was a little boy who asked me – when I said we would pray for people – he asked me if we were Christian – I said yes – and said he was another faith – and I said to the effect “We pray for everyone because God loves everyone.” It was a microcosm of life there at the park…

Honestly, we are in community EVERYDAY! I love that song “They will know we are Christians by our love – by our love – they will know we are Christians by our love.”

In Community, we are called to be together in working together – that is not just us in the park or at an event – or even just here together – our community is out there all around us. And we do have the opportunity to get outside the building and be the community out there – so today I want to focus on this aspect of community – part of our sermon series on “Grow Community” – in that GOD CALLS US TO BE A COMMUNITY OF FORGIVENESS – OF RECONCILIATION.

We remember (as has we have been touching upon so many aspects of the early church) that community was key to the early church survival and THRIVING – and it is our opportunity now – to learn – to work together – I was thinking the other day about the sharing of resources after covid started – there is a church by the hospital that had an outside cupboard to share things like toilet paper and food… and it is so good for sharing to sustain community – I spoke few weeks ago about the people who brought what they had, their land, their supplies and lived in community. So, it is natural for Jesus to talk in our first scripture reading from the gospel of Matthew that reminds us of the complexity of living together – it was complex then and we are taught like in early Christianity a compelling need for FORGIVENESS and RECONCILIATION…

Yes, these scriptures are for us now: From the book of Matthew – remember that Matthew a former tax collector or called a publican and he was considered a traitor to the Jewish people of his own, by working and exhorting money from the Jews by the Romans. Well, now Matthew was writing to explain the new identity of Christians – of Jews who were likely cast out of the traditional Jewish communities – and were outsiders there – but came together and found a home in Jesus’s teachings and in the sharing of the early church. Matthew writes what Jesus says – the red-letter bibles show almost all red for this chapter – chapter 18:15-18, 19-20. Dealing With Sin in the Church

Jesus spoke: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” [and interesting Jesus is talking that Matthew would have picked up on that phrase – “even a tax collector” – Matthew’s book of identity really is for us too.]

Jesus continued: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Now – I decided to look this up – that scholars do help in these interesting phrases Jesus gives us – and approaching this statement – Jesus surely is telling us that we are remembered for the love we share here on earth – it is not feathers in our caps but fulfilling the commandment to love one another – and a scholar I did read that we are to use our discretion for what we know are obligatory – are bound – and other things that are loosed are more up to the church together to know this is appropriate or not… The point is that we work together in communication and in trust and in demonstrating AGAPE love to those whom we re-gather into the church – into life – into reconciliation.

I will point out that immediately before these passages in the gospel of Matthew is the lost sheep passage – “go after the one” – the 99 are fine together – but go after the one to be reconciled… it is after the “welcome the children” scriptures too….

Jesus IS With us – Jesus already is going for the lost – we are to go too… and we are to ask the Lord to be with us when we do go for those – it is so important to listen (two ears) over talking (one mouth) – when reconciling. Jesus wants to go with us – and us with Him… already on earth and already on Heaven is that the Kingdom of Heaven already knows about this person or about us – Psalm 139 we can’t hide anything from God – therefore Jesus knows!!!!

Jesus continues: verses 19-20: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

And that is the part of reconciliation that helps us keep together with Jesus – Jesus is here with us – and we are to invite Him into a sticky situation like dealing with sin – to use HIS GUIDANCE over our anger and angst – to turn the other cheek might be to take that breather to consult with the Lord…. Jesus wants us to be gathered in His name – for His cause – for the Whole of the community of the Kingdom of Heaven…

And situations get sticky, don’t they? Sin and brokenness ever present in our world: v21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

WOW – seventy-seven times – or other translations say seventy times seven – that is weird there that the math doesn’t match – but yeah either way – it is a lot!!!!!!!!! Peter is going back to that “reconcile the one sheep” notion – but thinking seven is a huge level of forgiveness – surely it is more than enough – and Jesus says NOT ENOUGH – FORGIVE MORE – even forgive until it hurts is exactly what Jesus does – and He teaches the hard stuff… FORGIVENESS is tough!!!!!!!!!!!! (Tougher than tough math!!!!!!)

SO – the church – the scriptures – the Lord gives us these instructions – now we look at Forgiveness for the Offender – as Paul writes to the Corinthians – because there were early churches which had gone astray in some of their membership issues: And that is not a surprise for us – that we are wayward…. This is from Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians chapter 2:5-11

If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

So – we want RECONCILIATION in community – and WHY? We want others to understand the ABUNDANT LIFE – like these excerpts from OLD TESTAMENT PROPHET ISAIAH – CHAPTER 55 – WE WANT OTHERS TO KNOW THIS LOVE AND FORGIVENESS AND ABUNDANCE – “…let your soul delight itself in ABUNDANCE. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you” – and – “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

[It really is all about forgiveness]

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.“

Now – I can bring some props in – I know there are some who love my props – and these are simple to bring – some books

*Prop 1 – book 1 Charles Stanley – “Surviving in an Angry World” – [good passages on forgiveness and how to conduct oneself] – This is a good book that I read cover to cover in like a few hours one night in my own unsettledness many years ago now – it reminded me that anger happens, is a normal response, but it is tough out there in the world – but the secret that I flagged here – FORGIVENESS…. And these 2 passages (excerpts) “Let me assure you that I do not believe an angry person can be turned into a peaceful one solely through the help of another human being, Removing anger from the human heart is a spiritual process that must involve God’s direct intervention.”

*And another section of the book “Surviving in an Angry World” by Charles Stanley: “A Quiet Spirit and Measured Response” – The author speaking: “I went into a business meeting one time, and as soon as I sat down, a man came into the room and launched a scathing verbal attack against me. His tirade lasted almost fifteen minutes, but I did not say a word or try to stop him. After taking their cue from me, no one else in the room tried to stop him either. – “When the meeting ended, a pastor friend said, “Charles I have never seen such a totally unmovable face or expression in my life. You never budged. You didn’t reveal anything about how you were feeling – and you stayed that way for fifteen minutes!” – I knew there was no point in trying to defend myself. The other men at the table knew me, and they knew the truth about the accusations he was making. That man was succeeding only in destroying himself and his reputation, the longer he ranted at me.”

It continues: “I got a small notecard and wrote on it, ‘PAUSE BEFORE SPEAKING’. Then I tucked the card among my notes – I knew that I would need to listen closely and think carefully before I responded to any question. This card served as a mental reminder to me even though I didn’t look at it once…. ‘pause before speaking’ is good in any conflict…”

The author states this advice: “When you pause, pray silently that God will give you wisdom about what to say and when to say it. Ask Him to guard your tone and keep any sarcasm or cynicism out of your voice.“

*[I explained these FROG stickers – F.R.O.G. for “Faithfully Relying On God” – an acronym from a friend]

*Another prop – another book – “Talk to Me Nicely – by Minda Hart – about the seven trust languages in the workplace” – read the TRUST languages – which you could add scripture to for sure: SENSITIVITY, TRANSPARENCY, SECURITY, DEMONSTRATION, FEEDBACK, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, FOLLOW-THROUGH. In the text, one example she gave of trust is in the training – and a time she got little – at age 15 she was hired as the cart retriever at a grocery store and there was minimal training obviously… but then she was called into the work of people who were not there – either cashier bagger or deli or decorating cakes! No training! She said it was not right with no training… but for us, do we have training in life? YES – the Lord has given us training for living – love God, love each other, forgive… definite training on forgiveness and reconciliation! God has given us the HOLY SPIRIT to help in these situations – and the Lord has given us action in His Word.

From Minda Hart’s “Talk to Me Nice – the Seven Trust Languages in the Workplace”

*Even and especially our Jesus Calling book passage said yesterday: Oct 4^th – about Going with God and about working through HIM!!! Passage is: “Though the Holy Spirit is infinite, He deigns to be your Helper. He is always ready to offer assistance; all you need to do is ask. When the path before you looks easy and straightforward, you may be tempted to go it alone instead of relying on Me [God]. This is when you are in the greatest danger of stumbling. Ask My Spirit to help you as you go each step of the way. Never neglect this glorious Source of strength within you.”

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young for October 4th – about Holy Spirit Help!

*And my last prop – cat food – the box here is empty because the cat is caught!!!!!!!!! I know that talking about getting a cat is so different than people but in my excitement how could I now tell you of how I wanted to use TRUST to catch the cat instead of a TRAP… [so funny how I prayed that ‘Lord this would make a great ending to the sermon if I actually caught the cat.’ – but the Lord is good regardless and I would still tell of TRUST…. And so for this cat I felt that TRUST was best – and we know that TRUST is key in community !!!

*And so I CAUGHT THAT CAT LAST NIGHT – OH I PRAYED AND PRAISED THE LORD – I am so relieved and thrilled!!! [told story of trust – and how the cat escaped my cage first time last week – and rebuilding trust… told that even though I was busy and tired – this was the right window of opportunity!!!! ]

*** SO – TO CLOSE THIS SERMON – I will read parts of a devotion poem I wrote a couple weeks ago:

TRUST not Trap, Even when Catching a Cat

I’m trying to catch a cat – I’m not sure that my proposed set trap – Might or might not work for THIS cat – Particularity Peculiarity is THIS and each cat (like people) as unique (imagine THAT!)

Instead I will retry to develop a TRUST – YES A TRUST IS A MUST – In life and even in strife – Whether we are talking about a cat or anyone in fact

TRUST NOT TRAP – Forgiveness over a bad rap – Love for all insight – and to keep a cat from flight

Lure is nothing compared to LOVE – Faithfulness will land gently into the situation like a DOVE

Hope is in me, when trepidation might make the cat flee – There are benefits, oh cat can you see, of the new life for you, at a farm, filled even more of roaming free

So, patience and perseverance, transparency and security

Thinking outside the box and never in the trap

How to woo this cat and everyone in fact –

IS for us to instill TRUST, not lay a trap, YES IT IS EXACTLY THAT.

Pray me LOVE – Love – not luck… – This cat will get caught – Love is never for naught

LOVE WINS – For people too – fishing in Love nets men from lostness again and agains…

Not lure – but LIFE for sure – The Lord will see us through, – Believing that – OH we know how TRUE

Amen

The Lord shows and tells us to forgive and to have reconciliation IN COMMUNITY – and of course because He wants us to live with Him forever, He reconciles us… and just like we will have communion and remember Jesus in His forgiveness and mercy and love, we are to remember that He is always here to teach, to give us help, to encourage us to reconcile and love…

Let us pray. ‘PLEASE PRAY WITH ME: Lord – You have taught us – and you have held us together – help us continue to be the community you call us to be. You teach us how a community will thrive and grow when there is LOVE, FORGIVENESS, RECONCILIATION AND trust in You Lord….., and in Your Plan, Process, and Your Way. Thank You Lord for the instruction and the LOVE. AMEN’

[PS – the cat already is at the farm destination that he was being sent to – he got to the vet already and checked out clean – he will live his best life at the farm with the areas to roam and the other outside cats – he will get to be social too… I was just the catcher and deliverer – and now I will let the Lord handle the rest – He always does best….]

A Sunday Morning Prayer for Building Trust in the Lord

Lord, may we surrender our hesitating will to pick up your Holy and Heavenly Way. Trade skepticism for salvation by being ALL IN with You Lord. May we walk and acknowledge that we won’t always understand our path, our surroundings, nor our circumstances, but know that You, Lord, find us ‘peace beyond understanding’. Let us live in that knowledge and PRAISE YOU. We praise Peace before us and a Path of fulfillment of our lives, walking with You.

Lord, may we open our ears and hearts to listen for You today. You are calling upon our lives, You desire that we stop trying to build without You, and accept Your rebuilding of our dust into Your image and especially with Your Heart. You have spoken to these our hearts urging: “whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” With the Holy Spirit to guide us, Lord, let us surrender into Your Save. Let us build trust in You, and follow faithfully. Our faith can only be in You – the one faith, one Person, one purpose, One acceptance of You, Lord, Your saving grace. May we faithfully pursue Your Peace.

You are Worthy.

Amen

—-

Mark 8:34-38 NKJV

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

—

Paul to the Phillipians 4:4-9 NKJV

Philippians 4

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Communication, Communing, Continuing – 1 – PRAYER

I’m going to be on vacation – doing VBS at the beach-close church and then beach in the afternoon. I will pack my swimsuit, towel, prayers and patience – because apparently the Lord has picked NOT my thoughts of the situation (again) – but picked HIS path for me this week – in which that He will make a way for His Way… So my job is to SHOW UP – and then I am going to help with one of the groups of kids – station to station – packing that extra dose of patience (for myself) is key… and before I pack my patience – I need to pump up my prayers – Lord, show me the way to help these children see YOUR WAY – make me an instrument of your peace, prayer, purpose, poise, power, and patience.

For a week’s worth of devotions that I will pre-release on my blog page – free up my mornings for jumping right into VBS… Have a great week!

Seven of John Wesley’s Practices Can Change Hearts Today – an article by Roger Ross: Tactics that John Wesley used to get the Word of God out… The author of this blog reminds us to use these tactics ourselves! http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2016/160330_article.html

Seven practices emerged as characteristic of the early Methodist movement.

NUMBER 1: Be Devoted to Prayer – “Wesley rediscovered what the church of his day had forgotten: prayer releases the power of God. He called prayer “the grand means of drawing near to God” and found believing, persistent prayer to be the necessary first step to see God move. He modeled this conviction by devoting at least two hours a day to personal prayer and made fervent prayer a hallmark of the movement.”

“As a priest in the Church of England, John Wesley was distraught by the powerlessness of the church to reach the vast majority of British people. God’s spirit created such a holy discontent in Wesley’s heart that he abandoned conventional modes of ministry and experimented with several innovative approaches. To everyone’s surprise, spiritual revival broke out in England and beyond. If you’re like me, you may wonder, “If God could do that then, why not now?”

(AMEN – Prayer makes all the difference because you really do release the situation to God to handle! AMEN)

Prayers Appreciated for VBS Planning!!!

I wrote a meeting reminder on my hand… I told my coworker that I was looking forward to July – the month of VBS – and he was saying how relieved HE WAS that I was not RUNNING a VBS anymore – haha – was it THAT bad? So much that others picked up on the volume of work that stressed THEM out? geez…. I don’t think that it was bad, busy yes, never bad to get focus from the Lord and zone IN…

Well, I know that I had SO MUCH to do during those years – but well YEAH and it was fun too – busy but fun and now I remember it both so far gone in my past and so recently….

And well it was a good chapter in my life – that who knows if someday I will reopen full leader as it was fulfilling – but yeah each year it took much of my summer away – but I don’t regret any moment of it – however this volume of “free time” now is nice too. It is hard sometimes to NOT be in charge but good too, most important is to recharge and do what the Lord needs us (me) to do…

And this year? I told my co-worker, I am not RUNNING any of them but I am HELPING in 3 and a half VBS… yeah well… not running but LOVING VBS… The first one I don’t know yet specifically what I am doing, will have to plug in when asked, second one I think I am doing games in the evening, and third one I know I am doing science and crafts, that’s half planned. and the “half” VBS is just one day with a weekend VBS, I’m looking forward to seeing my friends in Lord’s house over there. It’s never old if new kids are coming.

So yeah, I think it will be a GREAT month – Lord willing – and He often is… Helping but not running and not trying to interfere too much with the running but trying to be an “emeritis” VBS leader almost consultant as well as just seeing where the Lord needs me. One thing for certain – I need the Lord still to direct me, we need guidance and need to be willing to plug in wherever, and these children need the Lord in new ways. Children need the guidance to His Way.

Thank God for God.

In VBS most importantly, I ask you to pray, and God will do all the rest! Please PRAY for the children, parents, volunteers, and leaders. During covid, many VBS was at rest for not knowing what the future held… I recently reopened a closet that I filled and closed and walked away from 6 years ago – but stockpiling essentials and it contains photo displays, tape, chalk, markers, papertowel rolls (LOL), and other VBS “stuff” – which is good stuff. VBS starts with “stuff” and morphs into SOMETHING with the SPIRIT which guides us…

In my old emails, trying to help a new leader but not overwhelm her, I found the old flyers that I put together, the bible buddies and themes drift away from our memories but the scriptures are TRUTHS that never go out of season.And so for VBS this year please pray for leaders of this generation that they want to hear – listening to God to go in a direction, and pray focus right now on getting the kids and getting the volunteers signed up. The supplies are second and the decorations can come third, after you have rolled out your signups, electronic or email or phone call or church outdoor signs… it’s actually true, the more volunteers, the more kids then people can make decorations later. First we pray for the Lord’s blessings in bringing the flock.

Anyways, attached is from my old l training handouts – and that closet – good memory lane – into service – into fun – and into summer (and out of the hot sun)…

Thank you for letting me share – and please do pray for all the leaders and volunteers this year and all the student campers – MAY GOD BLESS THEM ALL.

The Forget-me-nots of Mother’s Day

It is a blessing to come up north for Mother’s day weekend to celebrate my mom, to absorb the spring again (40 degrees rain became 60 plus sunshine), and to get some projects done! Yeah, my mom doesn’t sit very long, we get up and go! (Saturday was first 9am cleanup session at preparing the camp for special needs kids for summer programs, it’s a camp my family has helped with for 50 plus years – beautiful in the rolling hills. )

(I’ll be traveling south later today for home, and my kids to have dinner with me! )

This repeat spring for me (there’s like a 3 week difference in our seasons and temperatures) meant I was getting a chance to revisit my favorite flower in forget-me-nots, as seen in my family’s backyard under the redbuds, as well as smell the lilacs, which are much more prominent up here. I missed the whole season in home south. I caught it up here! Mmmm…

These are forget-me-nots of the seasons. And these are times to remember the forget-me-nots of mother’s day and forget-me-nots of the Lord as our Shepherd gathering us but also letting us wander. Our mom’s sacrifice in love to bear us, raise us, keep track of us, inspire us and keep important memories alive. Moms also let us go do our own thing – cutting apron strings but keeping the kitchen open. My mom reminds us of our good times and the sacrifices seem obvious.

The Lord? The Lord never wants us to “be independent”, He does want us to both “forget-me-not” in His previous care and forget-me-not in everything in front of us. The Lord will continue to sacrifice and Shepherd. The Lord raises us as children not to be forgetful but to be trusting. TRUST – that is the TRUTH of motherhood too – trusting children to be OK. Thanks mom – thanks Lord…

May we love our moms and our Lord today, and BE THANKFUL!!!

AMEN

Psalm 126 NKJV

A Joyful Return to Zion – A Song of Ascents.
When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.

Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

Lord “Shine on Us” – May the Fourth

“May the Fourth be with you” a great fun saying for today, rhyming with the “Star Wars” movie’s “May the Force be with you.” And yet WOW, we have to avow an even unequaled great greater GREATEST Force of the great greater greatest power, of the greatest LOVE, of the greatest LIGHT, OF OUR GREAT GOD!!!

Yesterday, May the 3rd, with no catchy phrase, added to my witness of our unequaled greatest never-changing God. Wow I’m tired but a happy heart-filled tired. I was BUSY yesterday with helping a friend with her garage sale, then all day outside running a 50:50 raffle for the benefit of the local mansion upkeep – painting especially – I walked the grounds with a paint can and tickets. Then a quick shower at home (80 plus degrees all day, I took often respites in the shade of the great stone-covered building) and after that, whew, jumping on the road for an hour drive to an evening church service, was great praising the Lord – and after it I dropped off a friend an hour away then chugged home, an hour from there, whew! Midnight… TIRED… My eyes hurt from the headlights… SO GRATEFUL the LORD got me HOME SAFE!!!! Wow I’m tired today but a happy heart-filled tired from needed rest. Wish the cat would have let me sleep, but it’s more important to be up praising the Lord!

Clearly the Lord’s Light was shining on us last night, with friends, completely safe in a big church when a huge line of storms came through. You could see through the windows of the RAGE of weather and see the lightning, but heard NONE of it – yeah heard none! Great wooden church protection and double paned windows. I heard practically none of the fierce storms, felt none, and knew that security feeling. And with the Lord? Oh, He MUST be the most amazing greatest all in all, COVERED and all LIGHT! Security in Him and direction in Him leading us!

Led by the Lord’s Light.

I wondered if we would lose power, but we were holding electric candles, oh yeah, we turned off the lights to see more LIGHT of the LORD. To remove artificial light, artificial distractions, artificial false hope. We found the best HOPE in the Lord. Perhaps that’s the best thought: that in the storms of life, look for the light. In the unknowns, look for the Light of the Lord. Lord, Shine on us.

The song lyrics stood out to me when I saw my photo of a friend’s shared candle – the paper was shining in the background from the pew in front of us – wow: “SHINE on US” – both the lyrics and the physical paper illuminated by the light:

“Lord, let Your light – Light of Your face – Shine on us

That we may be saved – That we may have life – To find our way – In the darkest night

Let your light shine on us – Lord, let your grace – Grace from Your hand – Come over us”

Yes today, May the Fourth, Force, whatever phrases of the day and phase of life you are in, be in the Lord’s Light!!!

Let us shine from Him, His light, His power, His Grace, His Way. Today and tomorrow too with no catchy phrase either… Let us be a witness of our greatest never-changing God.

We (I especially) need the Lord’s Light today, even in broad daylight.

Amen

Here are the full lyrics and song link:

Phillips, Craig & Dean – w/ Full Vocal & Lyrics”https://youtu.be/i51ZYgVFCUo?si=aux5IQ304A57d0c1

Lyrics

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your grace come over us

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your love come over us

Let Your light shine on us

Praying Out the Storms

My friend’s son made a cute easter craft project and all the people around Jesus were every which way around the paper. Yes, that’s how life, even post Easter, feels at times, like a trampoline of life. Jesus would understand!

Jesus knew and knows about storms of the weather and the storms of life.

It WAS a wild storm last night, well a normal storm, we forget sometimes that this is how weather works, storms are “normal” – and thus building codes as they are, and it’s why there are drainage places, and places to take cover. It may feel like April fools with cold weather – but yes this too is “seasonal normal”…

I don’t live in tornado areas, my prayers for those folks for sure. We here have “normal storms”. I live on a hill, close my door and ignore them. Well ignore most of my fear now that we don’t have big trees here anymore. And I tamper my fear down while waiting for my youngest to come home late from work. It’s a normal storm so normal concern is normal. (The cat however knew the severity of the storm! Her eyes said volumes! And she knew to hunker down.)

I want to enter this month of Easter thinking of the storms and retreats of Jesus walking the earth. It was just 3 years on earth, that’s so short, yet every step was meaningful and real. Including and especially the retreats. Jesus took retreats, sometimes out of the storm, sometimes into a storm, ALWAYS praying through the storms and through the calm. I hope we remember the Lord’s STRENGTHENING and tap into it.

Jesus weighed not just the day in His sight, but the whole of all from the beginning of time. Jesus IS Alpha and Omega and every little letter in between. Jesus being the Word, provided the letters too to explain His journey. Luke tells us that He often withdrew and prayed. The Lord’s STRENGTHENING came in praying.

Jesus prayed in obedience not in requests alone. Alignment with God is not God aligning with our will. There are storms, there is HOPE, and with God there is guidance and strengthening.

“The Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”

Let us start this month with the wind still blowing, the storms still passing, but ourselves walking with Jesus, standing with Jesus, resting with Jesus, and just plain living with Jesus as we trail out of and into each day. Let us pray through our way, HIS WAY, and always one day at a time…

Amen

—

Luke 5:15-16 NKJV

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Surviving the Lion’s Den

I ventured out to the park in the sunshine for I felt like I was emerging from a winter hibernation, even though I have not been hibernating. Felt like a long winter (it wasn’t) and a long week too, even if it was only Wednesday. The park meant SPRING and I could use some SPRING IN MY STEP returning. I appreciated some of the beautiful first flowers of spring – not looking delicate like snowdrops, but these were precious and hearty and BOLD yellow treasures low to the ground. (bold, new, and not eaten either, but enduring)

Emerging in SPRING is like SURVIVAL with new and renewed life. Emerging from a Lion’s Den of danger or gloom, harshness or harm, such the classic of the Lord’s pattern for us all. Life after Death. Maybe not a dying death at all with His protection. Classic Jesus jumping in front of the lion for us. SAVED.

Classic Jesus is also allowing us to be bold in witness about life in the midst of trouble. And WOW – I just read an online article that led with “Sharing Jesus in the Lion’s Den” – when I know that I have been writing this whole first half of March about lions mentioned in the bible… Wow, it’s about a brave witness to Jesus who ventures to the middle of the tense protests demonstrating about the middle east war, blockades and forever bad situations. It’s a sad strife of this life we have seen years upon years. This person stepped into the Lion’s fight not just the den. BRAVE.

The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

I know it’s not normal to be so BRAVE, but Jesus is not normal but extraordinary and Jesus is fully powerful God, and His Righteousness and Strength combined with His Compassion and Love, give us the ability to emerge dangers, to Shine Boldly, and to Love in a merciful way. Daniel is our example to keep faith. Daniel worshipping the Lord in a public way even when forbidden escaped the punishment and told of the Lord’s provisions.

Worship Forbidden? If we are allowed to worship, let us remember those who couldn’t and those who still experience opposition, and pray them Daniel’s commitment and Jesus’s Presence and Protection.

Let us therefore be BOLD like the image of SPRING FLOWERS in the waning Lion of Winter and LET US SHINE, let us EMERGE and even enter new Lions’ Dens of tough activities, knowing Jesus takes us only where He is willing to go.

And Jesus IS EVERYWHERE.

Amen

—

Daniel chapter 6 in the Den of Lions

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly!

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.

He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

—

Article about sharing faith:

https://calvarychapelmagazine.org/articles/sharing-jesus-lions-den?utm_source=Calvary+Chapel+Magazine+Updates&utm_campaign=42

APPLY PRAYERS

Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice.

My cousins are doing preparations for my uncle’s memorial, couple weeks from now. In communications, our other cousins and I have been discussing travel via text and email and even phone calls. Prayers on getting there following prayers on if we are going. We discussed back and forth about driving vs flying, attending vs not, some wanting to go but being financially crunched, and the logistics of going with immediate or close-by extended family or not. When both my adult kids decided to go, it became a little easier to decide to fly, instead of the many hours car trip… It was and is both logistics and family need in consideration. I too have my tipping points of comfort.

Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice. Prayers on getting there safely apply to both plane and car and train, packing and work and all. Prayers help. Prayers PLEASE the Lord. Prayers show we KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE. Prayers acknowledge that we need the help of the Almighty. PRAYERS WORK.

APPLY PRAYER in everything.

One cousin was going to travel but now is not as she weighed it back and forth, and she prayed on it and decided she is going to stay home and send her best to everyone. In our discussion came relief for a decision. The prayers helped her for sure, she needed to have that assurance for she already had a gut feeling about not going.

Me too, my gut feeling of flying switched therefore from not a burden into more of an adventure with my crew, as well as a teaching moment in adulting with logistics of flying as waiting rather than driving. We could have arranged many choices, but THE RELIEF IS IN DECIDING and GOING WITH IT. Then steps to follow get laid down and you can return to other life planning. Best we pray and yet acknowledge multiple paths are viable, like ice cream flavors there are many GOOD choices in life. There might be bad choices in life too, but consulting the Lord is always GOOD. LISTENING IS EVEN BETTER.

Other and ALL planning and adventuring surely are best in ALIGNMENT WITH GOD, VIA PRAYERS FOR GUIDANCE. Respecting the absolute TRUTH that God’s ideas are above ours, makes us realize He sees the future best.

Best we not be too worldly and be weighted down. Applying prayers puts us on HIS FLIGHT.

Up Up and Up…

Amen

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:4-8

Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, PRAY CONTINUALLY, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:3-24

Pray Without Ceasing

Please pray for a woman whom I don’t know, the pain and defiance on her face, WOW, she was standing with 2 arm brace type canes in awful pain just entering physical therapy and there was no interaction you could have with her, with the exception that stated she HAD to talk to our physical therapist. I tried to offer her a chair and the PT aide tried to offer her the heat pack, but she stood solid in seriousness unparalleled defiant focus. I still see her face this next morning. Prayers and mercy were my thoughts rather than being put off that I could not interact to distract.

PRAYERS were and are our last resort and FIRST resort, only to be supercede by PRAISE to God that we DO have Him to pray to, for His intercession and mercy. Praying without ceasing is urged to get us through the day, even in our wordless groans. Hopefully those prayers are not always for our pain, but also for good reasons and for each decision we make. Thank God for His forgiveness in those bad decisions we also might make in missteps.

Grace is God’s example to us, we ask forgiveness and Jesus says we must GIVE forgiveness too. Grace given to those suffering in pain without choice must be unparalleled in God’s Hands. God must and is definitely and defiantly and decidedly going to still love those who can not utter praise at the moment. We should too, no matter how awkward or upsetting. When we forgive, it takes the weight off our shoulders. Forgiveness takes a God-sized task off our burdened shoulders weighing us down. Jesus said let me carry that. We really can give up things and people and situations to God for His judgement, and be grateful for His mercy on us. Remember, God goes before us and knows the valley of shadows we encounter, SO KEEP MOVING.

And please pray for MANY friends (and all those we don’t know) who are going through tough times, thanks. I know a few choice scriptures:

1) The Lord put this verse in front of me, on a bracelet: Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.

2)James 1:2-12 which came to mind in a conversation yesterday for someone a mess:

Trials and Temptations: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. …. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation–since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. … Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

3) and the thought that followed- no matter how good we are, amassing treasure in heaven over earth, we WILL cast our crowns down to the feet of the Lord, when we see Him. May we be in spirit, like John, and praise God, for we can approach but never gain His Worthiness of PRAISE. This is Revelation 4 given to John: The Throne in Heaven – After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.””

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

4) a favorite: Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

God-fearing Knees, Habakkuk 123

I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

It was remarkable to overhear, a God-fearing piece of advice given to the man next to me at physical therapy, practicing on the stairs. The PT repeated their sage advice to knee-replacement folks: “go up to heaven with the good and down to ‘you know where’ with the bad.” In other words, lead with good knee going up, putting your full weight on the trusty one longer. The opposite for down, the bad knee/leg leads down. (because the good knee can save it). Interesting.

Nifty advice – for knees and faith. Let us try to be good, put our weight on good motions, and trust one going up. Trust ONE going up, ah that’s where a devotion comes in – because if our knees or needs are out of whack or not, we will be kneeling in awe of God, Who has the righteousness, not us, we need a TRUSTY ONE to bring us to Heaven – Jesus our Savior.

Of course my mom’s advice rings in my head: “HOLD THE RAIL” for when climbing or descending the stairs – and surely we could take the MOST secure steps holding Jesus’s Hand.

In thinking of the very descriptive scenario of Old Testament prophet Habakkuk’s pleadings with God, while the exiled Israelites were under duress by the Assyrians oppressing them, and then knowing his supplications with God’s answers, we can see the decisiveness and fierceness of heaven and hell. Hell IS so awful and away from God and His mercy, we DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE. Instead let us GO WITH GOD.

Habakkuk asks:

Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

God answers: be patient, you will see, woe to evil, “but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”

So, the knees on stairs are a cute way of thinking about PT, and people for heaven and hell, but it’s righteousness and faithfulness which bring us up. Yes, good deeds and good knees give us a better life and help us each step of the way, true. But on bad knees and even good we know we can not get up to God’s level on our own righteousness, we need the Lord.

Not deeds but faith indeed.

And what about those “guilty people, whose own strength is their god” ? Heaven and hell will deal with them, we don’t have to take on judgment. And remember there is no joy in people going to hell. God takes no joy in punishment, none. These words from Habakkuk’s prophesy predict the scene at end times, mentioned in book of Revelation: “The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.”

May we all see the staircase and hold the rail. May we all know the Lord and be grateful. May we drink from the good cup of Jesus and not one of wrath.

Have God-fearing knees and bow in awe.

Amen

—

Habakkuk 1, 2, 3 (NIV)

The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

The Lord’s Answer

“Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness – indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk’s Prayer

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.

Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed – but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.

Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.

Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

31DEC Happy New Year eve EARLY from our ANGEL ARMIES

It’s that early morning CAT wake up, drives me nuts, but I’m certain it’s not the cat’s fault, it’s ANGEL ARMIES surely, up correcting the situation I’m dreaming about and the cat is the pawn to actually jump on my bed and get ready to bite me awake. Then sits peacefully. Really. Not lying, it HAS to be angel armies. And it’s OK, because it was truly a non-productive dream, I had written stuff in the dream but dreaming that I was frustrated that I didn’t write down awake and it was gone (but I was dreaming about dreaming) and then I was dreaming gardening and food leftovers and being shamed for the waste. I still see the lady’s face, the mushrooms were still good enough but I composted them, ahhh but I know that was NOT a productive dream. And that’s when the cat came out loudly waking me up… 430am, new years eve. And no I don’t have any plans to stay up later, but it’s best that I consult both the cat and the angel armies for that too.

What is good to reflect upon at the end of the year? Not my woes, not my no-go’s. Reflection upon God’s blessings and the releasing of those fruitless frustrations – yes, that’s to be reflected and appreciated. Since I am 55, I have seen 56 new years, and to have a whole next year, Lord willing, that is a blessing in itself. One day at a time.

How about a year to wait on this cat?

Lord willing.

How about a year to spend more time with family? And friends?

Lord willing.

How about a year to spend more time with the Lord?

Lord requested!

How about a year to stress less and smile more?

Lord commanded.

How about a year to get healthier?

Lord please help.

How about a year to roll things off the back more?

Lord-enabled!

What would you do with another year? I know what we should do, we should TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME!

A quick google to find the right scripture, shows AI algorithms that find top picks: Jesus says it in Matthew, and the Psalms say it, and recently I was telling a Jewish friend to not over worry, remember that manna that God provided and DON’T be hankering for any quail. What God provides is both good and sufficient. Even Jesus at the manger was surely provided for, look at the crowded scene of my mom’s nativity.

Jesus? All he needed was provided too. I’m sure He did not worry at that moment. Took Himself as a babe to be in the most vulnerable position, and yet knew the plan going in, speaking of relief of “it is finished” for His numbered days.

So, in Psalm 90, Moses prayed a prayer for us, asking the Lord to direct us, appreciating our God is SOVEREIGN, ALMIGHTY and PURPOSEFUL. Jesus also gave us a prayer for daily doses of HIM, and to not worry…

Really, I will appreciate (even these early morning wakeups), to know Lord that You are in charge and You want us to be productive for You! And appreciative. May we number our days and make the most of them!

Amen (and can someone get this cat some manna?)

Amen and Happy New Year early!

2025 will be fine, one day at a time.

—

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death – they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.

We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.

—

Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-34

Prayer

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

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

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

Fasting

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

Treasures in Heaven

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

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

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

Do Not Worry

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

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

—

What a DIFFERENCE a Year Makes, and 10! Christmas Flood, 17DEC 2014 and 2024!

What a difference a year makes! Just a recheck at the doctor right now, for my youngest, and no worries here, got a GREAT result! I am camped out, our 630am appointment. Last year was nerve wracking a bit, our regular eye doctor, a professor himself, identified a non-issue tiny cyst, surely just that, but wanted it checked anyway. So a year ago we cautiously awaited the tests and eventual great news of yes, just a benign little natural cyst. Now, a year later, a recheck and like camping in the waiting room, it’s a PROCESS, tons of people here, a four hour staged set of exams and consultation. It is know a known, what a difference a year makes, no worries and grateful for good medical insurance and doctors and health care, yeah!

What a difference a quick year makes, continued marching into the future… and WHAT A DIFFERENCE 10 YEARS MAKES!!! 10 YEARS now of my Spiritual Awakening season in life, when the Lord appointed the time to knock my socks off in a Christmas Flood, rolled STRIKES knocking down my disbelief system, and flooded my dry soil, causing me to think my head was exploding and causing me to write out my whole awakening. Wow, 10 years. 10 years, over 2000 writings now…

It’s not just a time to stop and marvel, even though I do sometimes, it’s a KEEP MOVING and PRAISING season for me, for a reminder of all our faith lives…

I do praise God’s grace and mercy and love in our lives, peace in pur purpose

Here is the original writing and explanation:

https://debbieupper.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/christmas-flood-17dec/

I did not know then, for why I wrote this piece – but obviously now, the Lord was telling me to prepare my soul and brain for rain… the new reign of Jesus in me… this was a crucial start of my flood of awakening!

I wrote this and a diatribe before and a Lego Christianity piece after, and I then hid them in my car, hid all my first couple dozen writings in my car. I thought I was going crazy…

I don’t hide them anymore… and I cherish the years of being able to know to reach for the Lord.

Thanks Lord for my Christmas Flood Dec2014 – Feb2015, 10 years ago now! I posted into a blog one year later… I’m now over 2000 blogs with over 100 followers online.

CHRISTMAS FLOOD, 17DEC2014

This is my pivotal first piece to process what I didn’t know what was coming to me – a monumental earth-shattering life change – but it came… like a FLOOD

Christmas Flood, 17DEC

Christmas is like a flood of spiritual emotion, not a light or sustained soaking rain that allows the parched ground to slowly open up and absorb the much needed rain. Christmas is like that short downpour deluge of flooding rain, where only some water gets to the plants and the rest runs off into the gutters or low points. Like in modern construction, we (our spiritual souls) need to set aside flood plains, safe drainage areas so that the spiritual seeds that we have planted all year long aren’t washed away … that the parched spiritual soul is not choked by flood waters. So we can nurture, patiently, our delicate growing belief that God works in our lives every day.

We need sustaining rainfall. We pray for rain, yet do we prepare for it? In the movie “Facing the Giants”, the coach of a “bad news bears”-like football team is finding the need for an emotional awakening (as well as improved football skills) both for his team and himself. A colleague relates to him the story of the two farmers in a drought…two farmers looked to God for rain, but only one prepared for it, so which fields receive the much needed rain? The gist of the quote from the movie is:

“I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain. And both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?” Well, the one prepared his fields for it. Which one are you? Mr. Bridges (the older advisor) continued. “God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

“Which one are you? God will send the rain when He is ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

Christmas finds us year after year flooded with buckets of wasted non-nourishing rain, excessive tinsel-covered giant hailstones and mud mud mud clogging and blocking our spiritual path…. If only we set up rain collection barrels to collect the deluge of Christmas excess rain to save some for watering our souls after the new year, to use all winter until we get to the next soaking rains of Easter, the greens of spring, the rebirth thru resurrection.

How can we prepare for rain? How can we dig trenches for excess while welcoming the much needed spiritual lift that comes with a baby in a manger. How can we? Pray. Pray for guidance. Pray for peace and clarity in your heart. Pray for the calming presence of God. And prepare. Prepare for the arrival for both spiritual and non-spiritual abundance. While you need to appreciate and delineate between the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and that of the showy, wing-flapping commotion caused by angels dragging your soul to the cradle…while you need to appreciate and delineate between your heart bursting with Christmas joy (think Dr Seuss’ Grinch’s heart growing “three sizes that day”) and your head saying ‘slowdown, wait, don’t get swept away with emotion’ ….

Either way, you need to prepare your fields for rain.

Keep Truckin Along, Matthew 6

On the back door of the tractor trailer in front of me the other night, during stop and go traffic, was some dust writing, a clean clearing of a smear in the corner. Written was “MATTHEW 6:13″… I followed for a while, tried unsuccessfully to capture a good reflecting image. Later I looked up Matthew 6:13 as soon as I safely could… It was a sign for sure, really all scripture is a good sign to pay attention – yeah – all scripture is good for teaching and reminding.

This one especially Matthew 6:13: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Ahhhh… good scripture and a prayer, these phrases spoken by Jesus that are captured in Matthew are for teaching the prayer of all prayers – the Lord’s Prayer. And a plea for us to not be in temptation, including the temptation to go it alone without our anchor of the Lord, our wave calmer. And there is a praise of the Lord’s Almighty Glory.

YES – Matthew is the gospel of identity for new followers of Jesus at the time and for all of us now, and therefore so much great advice in how to live.

Let us know the stability and strength of the Lord. Let us kneel in admiration, asking forgiveness, accepting mercy and His Grace. Let us pray His prayer. Let us keep truckin’ along.

Amen

—-

Jesus said:

“therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

—

Matthew 6

New King James Version

Jesus speaking:

Do Good to Please God

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

The Model Prayer

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Do Not Worry

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus, always Rock Solid

I’m not as sure-footed as I used to be. I would have enjoyed the challenge of the bold boulder field 10 even 5 years ago. But these are not smooth – these are challenging pointed rocks. The moment I stepped onto it, I decided it was better to crawl. Plus I didn’t have a great pocket for my phone in my pouch. I did have sturdy shoes on, good, and nestled my feet in. I stepped out into the field. It was worth it.

I realized this relates to us navigating life and Jesus holding tight and providing our rock solid foundation. We want to be good and sure-footed, but can’t always be, We are human. will make mistakes, knowing and even not knowing, we will guess, fail, sin. And faking a sinless life is pride, and pride is not to strive for. And knowingly being stuck between a rock and a hard place is just that, being stuck and needing a Savior save. Can’t ignore our missteps and footfalls, can’t even talk our way out to be back to a perfect we never were.

In life the challenge IS tough… we walk in broken boulders, broken rocks, earthly living. Repentance is asking for the repeal of the death sentence.Yes Jesus, the sure path is surely holding on to us. One Rock of Heaven HOLDS, not moving like earthly crumbles and craters.

I turned around to go back to the open path. At first I was just as nervous. But then I realized I really had come a long way. I took this photo. It’s not the path out but the path back. The path out I HAD prevailed, even though I had held onto the boulders and was so slow, I really did accomplish getting out there. So now, I was ready to trust and take it slow again. Go back in.

Yes, we do move and get places – may we put our trust where it should be. God gets the credit. And as for our sins and sideswiped lives? We HAVE to rely upon Jesus. It’s not ninety percent us and ten percent Him. It’s not ninety percent Him, ten percent us. Our repentance is our reliance upon Him, 100%.

Jesus is the One we need, He who is Worthy. His Rock. We can step carefully, hold tight, and often it’s actually best if we ask if He will carry us.

Amen

—-

Matthew 7:1-14 NIV

Judging Others

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

—

Luke 13:1-9 NIV

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Seven this and that, but One Most Holy… Daniel 9

It’s not a puzzle we are required to learn, we don’t HAVE to figure out all of Daniel’s Visions to move forward, yet it is worth remembering is that even if the puzzling visions Daniel had were SO INTENSE, that God sent an angel, Gabriel, to help interpret them. God never leaves us in the dark, God IS the Light on the Subject. On and IN! “For you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”

There are marvelous interpretations and teachings of all Bible sections, for me, for us, in this old testament we surely need some. We blessedly often can get the main gist by Holy Spirit Help. My favorite cliff notes of the moment is the Bible Project video (link below). I also found a couple hundred teachings. But I hold off taking these teachings in until after I read the Word for myself… Most importantly, we are to remember that the Word pertains today just as much as then.

First half of Daniel 9 includes what we should be praying: Forgiveness for ourselves and our fellow folks, “that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” It’s not just a joy, but it feels a duty to crack.Open our own bibles and it’s an obligation and a necessity to pray for our fellow men and women, society, children, everyone.

Specifically, reading the second half of Daniel 9, v20 on, these dreams prophesied, this one “Seventy-Weeks”, what stands out is the word, theWord, the Holy One, ahhhh the Messiah. Scholars will tell you that seventy weeks prophecy from God calculates to almost 500 in God years. It doesn’t take a scholar to remember God does His own thing in His own time. The sets of prophesied scenarios are of past and future.

“And to anoint the Most Holy.” – Well we know that the Most Holy IS the Messiah. And scholars and wannabees of the day, and for those next years, prayed and prayed and prayed, like Simon and Anna in the temple when Jesus was brought in as a baby. A select few chosen by the Holy Spirit to understand and witness.

The cliffnotes version acknowledges scholarly debate, and reminds us that Jesus used Daniel’s Visions to teach as well, to speak of God as Sovereign and Almighty. And we should trust that we will be active parts in God’s Kingdom, especially with our prayers for all.

Let us keep listening and learning. We know that the Most Holy IS the Most Helpful.

Amen

Link to video:

Daniel 9

New King James Version

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

“O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

***

The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

“Seventy weeks are determined

For your people and for your holy city,

To finish the transgression,

To make an end of sins,

To make reconciliation for iniquity,

To bring in everlasting righteousness,

To seal up vision and prophecy,

And to anoint the Most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

It IS in the Thank You, Daniel 9

A poem of thank you after my growing/grown son wasn’t feeling well (he is really OK – no need for worry), and he turned to me for help. At the very end of my helping, he breathed out a heartfelt ‘thank you’ – one that makes a mom’s heart WHOLE.

But even if you don’t hear a thank you from a child, God knows and strengthens you… so keep mom-ing, keep parenting, keep loving.

The poem – about thanking God… “It IS in the THANK YOU”

“It IS in the Thank You”

I think that God’s heart must want what I just got.

A “thank you” from a child, from the finish and from the start.

A child grown and yet not,

who just acknowledged that I love them a whole lot.

Oh joy when they expressed that gratitude,

without past clogging attitude.

Even take on a little humility,

in their grown yet needful fragility.

A “thank you” heard little child true,

and surely uttered as a grown up too.

That’s the joy in the thank you from children to mom,

And to God from mom, a thank YOU, from His child too.

Mom moments want both to be needed and to be not.

Mom moments like to be wanted and yet to step back a lot,

Free to step in undaunted.

Yet to step aside and be OK, moms needs not be flaunted.

And then as moms of grown kids slowly slow down from the chase.

Moms mom-ing simply want to know their children are well and safe.

God moments are different and exquisite.

God never ages out, He’s NEVER far away nor indifferent.

God wants and needs to be needed, AND wanted.

God faces evil undaunted. UNDAUNTED

God never did not have His children in His Embrace.

God IS and God WILL help, a gift to us to continue our race.

God gives MERCY

God gives GRACE.

Daniel was taking up the prayer of a nation, in the humility of a servant. Daniel could see the people rebelled against God, and begged for mercy and appreciated grace. A lifetime was passing of the struggles and yet they had to sit tight… perhaps Daniel can be an example of knowing that God is in control in the ruins, and praises Him anyway.

May we praise God in the trouble and in the rubble and look for His Face to guide us into Grace.

Amen Amen

—

Daniel’s Prayer chapter 9 NIV, v1-19

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom – in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

“Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Amen Amen

Praising even from the Pit, Daniel 6

“He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders, in Heaven and on earth…”

The most praise we can give the Lord is to praise Him in the unknown, when in the pits (or perceiving ourselves in the pits but maybe we aren’t but feel like it), and when we know the world is stacked against us. Like God in the fire with us, protecting us, God is ready to lift us from the pits, even the worldliness that holds onto us. Just hold on, take time to praise, knees to bow then raise and keep walking, keep believing, keep keepin’ on.

Daniel’s story with the PIT with the LIONS is tremendous, and so is the moments just before, when he knew the trouble and praised God anyway.

Daniel lived in exile in a prescribed time away from Jerusalem, where the Israelites were to be captives. Yet Daniel was able to get into the palace, serving multiple kings, having the spirit of God on him, able to interpret dreams and God-written reality. Now the new king had it in for him, and a scheme devised to trap him in his own faith. They could not find any fault so they made a law that no one could worship any god except worship the king. [This being repeated in history over and over, causing Christians to go underground, as many are today. They say there are more Christians secretly worshipping then there are Christians who are openly worshipping in churches…] Well, Daniel went to his room as usual and praised in prayer to God Almighty. Daniel GAVE THANKS!

We must not let attacks keep us from doubting God, we must draw closer to Him, as He is always with us.

The king who made the decree didn’t realize and he was feeling HORRIBLE and wanted to deliver Daniel from this punishment but the advisers insisted… the king Darius even said directly to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then the king himself stayed up all night, ran to the pit the next morning… “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

AMAZING.

The king then made a decree “that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.”

AMAZING to see Daniel’s faith.

Super AMAZING to see God’s Protection and deliverance.

Daniel didn’t need a decree to AGREE, God is a Living God.

We can depend upon Him.

Amen!

—

Daniel 6

New King James Version

The Plot Against Daniel

It pleased Darius [king after Belshazzar after Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon] to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps [local governors], to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”

The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”

So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

Daniel Saved from the Lions

Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.

Darius Honors God

And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

Then King Darius wrote:

‘To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.‘

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

HEALING FAITH – A SERMON

SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:40-56

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Sermon:

KNEE-D PRAYERS

My friend said her 2nd knee replacement surgery recovery seemed to have gone much better than the first. She told me she really believed it was the increased and incredible high number of prayers that she knew she had gotten. In addition to her family and regular friends, she felt more prayers (and heard of them) from her church community and our faith based community, especially with the increased communication and connections through our Facebook groups, etc.

Well wishes work.

Prayers petition God’s power.

And I’ve heard something like one prayer is a violin solo, but collective prayer, all together, is a symphony.

Don’t you love that saying: those who sing, pray twice. That double of praise!

Prayers are golden to God’s ears. It is both that we believe in God and that we believe God CAN intervene, bless a situation, and that He can fix some bad ones and move mountains, or smooth transitions that aren’t so easily understood, to bring peace and acceptance to a situation. God hears the prayers for Him to be present.

I heard the flip side of our role in prayer – sometimes when we aren’t hearing God – to remember that the teacher is silent during the test… Somehow I don’t always believe that one… because I do believe that God does remind us – He is here – and He does want us to excel in our own progress. He WILL give us the cheat lines – cheating sin and death.

One of the funniest memes/facebook images that I ever saw was: “God can move mountains but sometimes He hands you the shovel”… yeah get moving… I hear that one all the time. But we should know that when we go through something – and we are motivated to move – God is there. Jesus will always be with us.

HEALING FAITH

We just heard about Jesus in the flesh on His way to see someone very sick – so sick… (WELL that was Jesus’s whole SPIRITUAL mission for the sickness of being lost – us all to be found) and the person coming to Jesus, the leader of the synagogue had the faith and knew that Jesus was the One to make a difference – to heal his daughter.

TOUCH the Fabric – the make up of Jesus

THEN…………….. Jesus got “interrupted” by the sensation that someone in the crowd had just gotten healed in response to their faith – that we learned that a woman who was very sick found the hem of Jesus’s robe.

She had faith that if she just touched that fabric – not even him – that she would be healed… She had faith.

This woman was “unclean” from her illness –yet she KNEW what she had to do. She had pre-knowledge of His Power – faith in His Power – even before she met Him. What did Jesus do? He found her – not just so that He could meet her (Jesus knows everyone already) – Jesus found her so that she could know Him completely – not just the hem of his robe. Instead of just Jesus’s robe being what she touched – He wanted her to know the feeling of Jesus touching her heart.

Do we feel like our problems are that worth giving it to Jesus? Really am I worth it? Well Jesus says we are… Are things worth “interrupting Jesus” – ? Well – is it really an interruption? NO – Jesus came to serve – to have that face to face experience – that trust –that love and forgiveness and hope.. “I went to Jesus to just see what was possible and Jesus turned around and said I AM Possible.”

An EARTHLY INTERUPTION

Now – what about that first person who was bringing Jesus to the sick person – was he interrupted too! Yes – an interruption in earthly terms… The synagogue leader had to wait until Jesus was talking to the woman on the ground – Yes – that father had to wait however long to get Jesus back to HIS mission – to the original hope he had… that took COURAGE

Then when they were on the way, a messenger said oh no, your daughter has died. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore” – ugh – The man was upset but Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Don’t be afraid; just believe.” – isn’t that the best trust we can give to Jesus – that we believe.

RIGHT TIME – RIGHT PLACE

If we aren’t in the time to grab Jesus out of the crowd for a miracle – we DO have Him to grab onto in our hearts – the hem the whole the live and the love – what about those right place right time prayers? You can apply prayer first and foremost and then others might be praying for you to do something. Remembering that acronym from our friend – actually his neighbor – P.U.S.H. Pray until something happens… Sometimes you are the what happens… This happened to me Friday – I was leaving vacation bible school where we learned about Zacchaeus and Jesus as his friend – and that Jesus always loves us – Jesus is our friend. I had just taught about the Holy Spirit pushing Zacchaeus to do something in response to Jesus coming to him – and Zacchaeus decided to pay back those he cheated in taxes.

Zacchaeus was like the grinch whose heart grew three times that day. He realized he could and should do something.

So I was walking into the grocery store and this woman was conked out on the chair in front – like I was envious of a good power nap just then – but she was still there – same position – when I got out – and others had taken notice and the store people too. It was other people who mutually chatted with me included about doing something – and often we do walk away – and I first looked and wondered if she was dead – no – her color was great and she was breathing… but the people told me and others – store people too – that she would not awake. It was not anything but living in the moment and I capped her Gatorade bottle as that was held on her lap. The other woman next to me said: “I wouldn’t leave my mother like this” – and the ambulance came just in a little bit. THANK GOD for paramedics and fire and police people – they are the answers to prayers that we have.

It was weird but in the moment that The woman on the chair snapped awake – it was the result of a seizure she said – but she was out over 20 minutes – and the woman next to me who said: “my God would not let me not do something” said she got Holy Spirit goosebumps… I didn’t get the goosebumps but I was aware and believing that that woman did – urging us to join in the concern – it was a combination of prayer and action.

This is when life interrupts your “regularly scheduled program” – and the Lord calls you to action.

Isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing – a combination of prayer and action. Opportunities abound – like at the store or home – at work and at moments where we hear bad news… These “opportunities” seep into our life callings and making less barriers and more common spaces between situations… I remember being with a few scared kids on a girl scout camping trip – down at a revolutionary war fort by the airport – where we were staying overnight- and they did not want to go on the ghost tour – I ended up telling them that I did not believe in ghosts but I certainly believed in angels watching over them and us. AMEN TO THAT!!!!

CRUSHING

The 12 disciples that day when Jesus was in the crowd, were like ‘we got lots of people crushing and touching you Master – how can you even try to single out one – but He did and the woman herself came forward. Jesus wanted to have that woman meet Him!

That crush of people also probably one of the reasons He retreated to teach a close core of disciples who would then teach everyone. The disciples would have done that: “don’t cause the crowd to crush you because we have a mission – like Taylor Swift travels in a rolling case thru the backstages of her show, they say… Well Jesus did get out in a boat or top of a mountain – but rarely did He hide. Jesus had so many interactions with people, so many miracles that John tells us not enough pages in books could hold that info…

Jesus knew that the miracles were almost distracting from teaching – an important reason He came – to teach about how to get closer to God – how to recognize that the time was in the present to be with God on earth. Some saw the miracles and thought of an earthly king that God had ordained like David. And as some saw or heard of the miracles and thought of Jesus as evil – a magic man against God.

And yet, these miracles were always pointing back to the glory of God – of “knowing God’s Plan and Will for us:” – knowing we NEED Jesus – like that woman touching the hem of Him – Healing – And Jarius – knowing to bring Jesus to his daughter. Jesus wanted people to KNOW Him deep in the core and they became the witnesses to others. They both knew Him and knew they had been changed – and knew it was something the Lord needed them to tell others.

But what about that “don’t tell others” – is that more of a “don’t bring commotion because it distracts people from listening” – “don’t cause yourselves to create waves for yourself – just let yourself stand as a testament to faith. Imagine those laughing mourners who must have later saw the girl alive” – wow… Isn’t that us too – “Let your actions show you are a changed person”… “Live a risen life – and acknowledge that you had nothing to do with it – but your faith in Jesus did, does and will do …

There is a VBS video – of two twin young girls full of faith who learned their uncle did not believe in Jesus… They prayed and prayed and a year later – he came to Jesus – was baptized and how could he have known their impact – but God did…

Perhaps God is ‘Waiting on a prayer’ – as we are living on a prayer – it includes the Lord waiting to hear someone say: ‘I trust you Lord” –

AMEN and let us pray….

Lord – we know one soul already saved helps save another. You remind us that Iron sharpens iron – so prayers help praying. Saving Grace is to be embraced. “He who does the will of God abides forever.” – may we always abide and know Your LOVE.

AMEN AMEN

Packing Pollen and Potential!

This fuzzy decent-sized bee guy was stuck in my tent, so I got him out. He lost one of his pollen packs from his legs, but I hope he’ll be okay. I put him on a flower away from the tent. He looked tired (how would I know?!), but he seemed to know it was a flower I put him on and he transferred easily there. I felt bad he was stuck – the net is confusing – he could not see the hole to freedom just a few inches away. at least he still had his pollen – he could have paused to eat. The potential was there to keep moving – he had to be patient. He is now on his way.

My tent doors are open all the time because I don’t want birds to get stuck in there as in past years – now I keep them open. I just close them sometimes if I am sitting there in the evening – but the mosquitos are low (I think) due to this dry weather. And any breeze is good – plus I started draping white landscaping fabric over my shoulders and legs – it may look silly but no one (except the cat) ever sees me in my tent – it is like NO ONE uses their backyards anymore – let alone their front yards… Me? I feel like I grew up outside in comparison to my kids and all kids these days. We were outside all the time – tents, shade trees, climbing trees, camping, picnicking, living life. Summer is my favorite for these outdoor-attitudes to inside activities. I may say that I love Fall the most, but honestly my body loves the summer and the freedom to NOT be cold. I hate that it is TOO COLD in the office and I sit outside at work too. I love the outside air. I walk in that cool dew-ed grass too.

The morning is the best… the coolness… the possibilities… the quiet… and watering and tending to things outside in PJs – on a Saturday where there are activities but there is also rest. How can you say that summer isn’t the best… I’m not digging ditches or doing heavy construction so I am not complaining of the heat although I know we need the rain almost desperately. Pray for my friend putting in pools all season long – he says the soil is rock hard (and yes I can attest to that in my vegetable garden – after 2 tomato plants, nothing else went in).

Saturday, this day is not 100 but warm and yet cool at 70 degrees – high will be 84. I am leasuring until I head out for lunch with friends – blessed as the calendar coordinated with the Lord. And in thinking of how we are blessed in the Lord, Psalm 5 comes to mind and I will always be humming it, as it was a praise song I sang in a band many years ago now.

A song from David: “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.”

David prays for the Lord’s Way as his highway – and to see it clearly. David states that he will pray and the Lord will hear his voice. David did continue in this Psalm 5 about wicked people – but he also called out how wonderful the Lord was and is and will be to direct his path – our paths: “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.”

David knew, even when he went off-plan, to come back to the Lord’s Path. Really – David like many of God’s favorite sons in the scriptures have stories of going off the path but then returning. The Lord WANTS us to come back – He wants us to pack the pollen of life onto our paths and keep moving – there is such potential in each day serving Him. He will pick us up – get us unstuck. God will make His way in front of our faces – we just need to keep praising – and looking up.

Thank you David for singing the sections that are on our minds: “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

Let us take our days into your ways, Lord…

and Shout for JOY!

Amen

Psalm 5 KJV

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.

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Freedom, Death, Life – A Beach Day Foray

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 KJV

I know not to be playing on the rocks, but I was free to sit on them, these massive piles in the ocean. I needed to warm up, in the sunshine. Yes! YES, I SAID WARM UP! Warm up as the beach ocean breeze brought 65 degrees water temp into the heatwave, and so it was NOT nearly 100 degrees like at home, 1 hour away, but perfect 75 to 80, except in the shade, chilly! The clerk at the store said enjoy yourself – we all need some time to ourselves – AMEN – and for me this was my reading day.

What a treat! BEAT THE HEAT! The pier brought cold air up channeling it like a cave wind – and people under it were wearing sweatshirts while reading – yes sweatshirts – I brought my books too – but I moved out a bit – to under my umbrella. I think this is my new favorite beach – instant shade with the pier – free parking – and signs of God everywhere.

The rock outcropping next to us did not move, but the people could and the waves did. The lifeguard came to warn a small boy to get away from the rocks. It is the crash that is dangerous – and this is in life too – the flip flop washyness – best we stand firm in our faith and trust in the Lord. Here is another translation of psalmist David’s scripture: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22 NIV

Not shaken – Not moved – and we are cared for – that is what my scripture card said – and what a perfect day to bring my summer reading books – about the Rapture: the Great disappearance – interesting and so is the second coming of Jesus after the millennium. The Rapture – the time when the dead in Christ will rise to the Lord first and us (if we are still alive) will rise next. And it is said people will wonder where we went. SO, if we leave these books and our bibles around – perhaps people will realize what happened – and trust in the Lord Jesus too – ready for their opportunity to meet him and accept forgiveness.

Cared for! and yet we are people in this world not without debate, and thus the second book suggested to me I will read too – when AT THE BEACH for this summer. Yes imagine that – there are differing of opinions of God’s end times for the earth. All I can tell you right now is just be ready for any scenario – and know that we GO with Jesus and therefore we will OK in the forever-run.

The saying is: those who are born once, die twice. and those who are born twice – die once. yes – so with a born again spirit in Jesus, we won’t die the second death – and thus we WILL be OK in the forever – and so therefore don’t fear the first death – or the rocks to be bashed against – or fear much of anything.

So feel the righteousness of Jesus as the wind inside the empty sails – the anchor holding up the umbrella – that pure gift of perfect to cover our imperfect – better than sunscreen – and so at the beach DO wear sunscreen and a hat and stay in the shade if you can – but accept the foray into the world – the tough world – knowing Jesus is with us. And let us pick up our freedom live in His Grace.

Amen

His blessings are all around us!

Amen

—

The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2

Windows Open

It’s a small devotion book, very powerful, “Windows Towards God” 1950 Charles Schmitz. He explains it is from RADIO broadcasts captured on paper, hoping to continue to inspire. I found this book buried in a box, buried in a closet at my old church, in the early weeks of my awakening. I knew the Holy Spirit gave it to me to understand that even “vintage” Word is Perfect Word for new ears. Mine were NEW. Like the windows cleaned fresh! I pray for each of us to renew NEW.

This vintage Spirit of old is openly new, every day, as our Lord is a Living God. The author urges us to open the windows and let God in FRESH! I have no problem opening car windows, house windows, even found a great day off to clear my head here in the shade OUTSIDE. Yet we all could pray for some more openings for cleaning our faith, our temples, our lives. And not let it get OLD, NOR COLD.

The author reminds that Daniel in the midst of old testament oppression by being an exile from Judah, lived a tough existence on the outside but inside let his spirit be refreshed – he learned that it was illegal to pray to God, but “when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Chapter 6:10. HE WAS PROTECTED AND RENEWED

There are tough times, but nothing worse than stale-ness of faith. WE NEED FRESH AIR!

God is FOR us. Let us open up to Him to do His work… that never gets old!!!

Amen

PS – someday I would like to publish a tiny book (big too) but a tiny book easily tucked away, easily kept, easily shared. Place it forward. For now, the window of opportunity is open, wherever the Spirit takes me! It’s open for all of us – to make the most of Spirit refreshing ways! Amen

Memorial Day prayers – Life and all that…

Ah – Memorial Day weekend – oh how I feel like resting not working, but I know that my yard calls to me – will do that first and then later – maybe – will tackle the garden – but not yet – that bug has not quite bit me – but the flower beds do… Flowers are traditionally planted on Memorial Day weekend – for the living and for the fallen.

Oh how unbelievable war is – and this Memorial Day we honor those who have fallen in war – we remember all of our loved ones no longer with us – it is time for flowers and parades. Parties and picnics too… And even my old friends camping in Gettysburg this weekend are doing civil war reenactments… We have a nostalgia for the past. However we have failing memories of the present, we really do. If our news cycle is spinning somewhere else, we forget about the current challenges – I certainly do…

A friend asked me, at work, to help with making a thank you for some children in the Ukraine to boost their spirits – to thank them for gifts that they made our site which were their way to say thank you for some donations – including cleaned up equipment donated to a school. These children are the future and we forget the hardships there and practically everywhere – not everyone forgets but if I forget then others must forget too… So for me to be the “photographer”, this was the smallest slice of my energy to send prayers and well wishes to those kids in war. Lest we forget that EVERYONE needs our encouragement.

And it IS easy to forget far away places when it is so beautiful and peaceful in our pockets of peace here. Just like last week, when in the center of the city, when I helped with a community garden, the peace was punctuated with birds chirping – having the airspace and trees to roam. Our children too need these places, places like schools and clubs, neighborhoods and church activities… We raise our kids and then we forget about the other kids… I don’t know the answer to this but to keep praying… We can’t fix the world but we can fix-up the small places we live in. We can pray-forth the people we can’t touch.

Another prayer would be for those times that we must put distance and not closeness into our lives – for people whom we purposefully don’t have contact with – and know it is for the best – everyone has long stories of these times. And this “healthy” separation of life brokeness can only be placed into God’s Hands. Thanking God for the buffer and asking His forgiveness for the fracture – and knowing there is good space in buffer of space and time and moving on… Another reason that we need God Himself to be our healing force – we can’t do it ourselves and there are times we don’t want to do it – but one day – if not today – and often it is not today – God’s forgiveness will reign. We can try to tap into that if we can’t muster it ourselves.

And a last prayer (for this blessed quiet morning) is for the acknowledgement of the challenges that the Lord has gotten us over in the past and therefore we must remember He will get us through the ones in our future – near future and distant future. He will heal wounds, He will preserve peace with a restoration and not a quick fix, He will rule and reign and return. All knees will bow.

Let us bow our hearts in praise, hurt, humility, and hope. Where we can only fathom peace, God IS Peace.

God bless ALL!

Amen

Wing it, but on a Prayer

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

—

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.

Back to God’s Word Preparing Us, Jeremiah 11-12

And the Lord will return…

If life is like the weather report, predictions of events, seasons, living conditions, then we should prepare. And when God is going to move, He often prewarns us and let’s us prepare. We pray more people turn towards Him. We now get weather foreknowledge down to the hour when the rain drops will start, so we can choose to freakout or breakout the fun rain slicker and boots. We prepare by getting to safe places with supplies in the worst weather. Now tornadoes? To me that’s something different, yet pinpoint accuracy is amazing. Simply take cover and pray, know your safest place. Tis the season of bad weather, it’s something you just can’t totally prepare for but you can try.

We especially can prepare by knowing that God will get us through this weather of our world. So how about life? Prepare by steadying ourselves in Him. God called to even the furthest wanderers: “if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ …. then they shall be established in the midst of My people.“

What would you do if God told you that your life was threatened? Would you freak out? Or would you pray it out… In the case of Jeremiah, he had to TRUST the Lord and just keep doing HIS work, which was to warn the people into compliance. And Jeremiah’s enemies? God said: “I’ve got this. – keep going… (and those people not listening to God in Jeremiah’s time – God said listen to me or you will certainly be threatened not just by your situation but by your non-compliance to return to me).

We don’t seem to have that level of enemies in people, like Jeremiah did, certainly we now witness evils in modern distractions and dangers, especially trying to go it alone. We should surely prepare by trusting God to take care of us. And keep going. Worship over wandering our eyes.

Jeremiah said he did not know he was like a lamb headed into schemes he didn’t know. But he did know there were many walking away from God. Now, think of what a BIG contrast this is because Jesus KNEW that He was the lamb to be slaughtered. SACRIFICED. And He walked that Way anyway, He even told people why, He was the compassion God the Father sent to heal the people from broken living. Jesus faced the enemy down, said “I’ve got this”, crushed the head of the snake (even if his tail is still wriggling). Jesus wins. In marching forward keeping His mission, Jesus complied the ultimate compliance. Satan knows God wins, he’s just trying to spoil the last bits of time before he is banished forever. Revelations tells of the times he will be gone then gone forever.

If you see evil in this world, or in your next steps, remember God has got that accounted for in His Plan. He will comfort us by calling for complete trust in Him.

Stand up to enemies of distractions with the power of God’s Might and the enemy will flee. God will walk you through the shadows and into the Light.

It’s a lesson from this prophet Jeremiah to keep shining the Light of God on all the evil, and keep living.

Amen

—

Jeremiah’s Life Threatened. Jeremiah 11:18-23, 12

Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.” But, O Lord of hosts, You who judge righteously, testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed my cause.

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, lest you die by our hand’ – therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.’ ”

Jeremiah 12 NKJV

Jeremiah’s Question

Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.

Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.

But You, O Lord, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, “He will not see our final end.”

The Lord Answers Jeremiah

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you.

“I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies. My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; it cries out against Me; Therefore I have hated it. My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; The vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour!

“Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; they have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, because no one takes it to heart. The plunderers have come on all the desolate heights in the wilderness, for the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the land to the other end of the land; No flesh shall have peace. They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; They have put themselves to pain but do not profit. But be ashamed of your harvest Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I will pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.

Debbie Upper

A Child of God Awakening to His Love

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CHRISTMAS FLOOD, 17DEC2014

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Back to God’s Word Preparing Us, Jeremiah 11-12

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CHRISTMAS FLOOD, 17DEC2014

Christmas Flood, 17DEC

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