“From your mouth to God’s ear” was what the fellow bagel-shop customer laughingly blurted out when I had just ASSURED that it was NOT supposed to rain that night. WELL, I WAS WRONG. That was 2 weeks ago now, and the rain did stop raining eventually and then the temperature shot up, I can’t even imagine the winter gear so necessary such a short time ago. God’s ability to put together our seasons of the year and of life are unimaginable. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
I am thankful for the cool weather in hindsight because I was in the last stages and days of helping my friend move, filling pods, sorting paper, cleaning, clearing, and closing a chapter. Whew… only thing left now is to catch a cat, but that’s another story… So the photo we received yesterday was worth it all, the JOY of grandma and grandkids together. How blessed they all are!
The temperatures moderated and now I’m definitely in summer mode. Inside and outside merge for me, I love it. Now it’s going to be beach weather. And I’m gearing up for a decent long vacation. And I hope it doesn’t rain TOO MUCH… but let’s let the Lord lead His plan, we just prepare for it.
Well, I also was wrong last night and the rain caught me off guard, I had left the mower out to finish the grass. I quickly called home and my youngest got it into the shed, whew… I should have prepared for rain. This is where we must prepare for God’s Plan over ours. Yes, I left it, was doing errands after a meeting and there are never enough hours in the day for me. Busy blessed busy… Someday I likely won’t be able to have such freedom of movement, so I’m maximizing my motion now. I did appreciate sitting at the members meeting for a historical society last night, one more opportunity to be busy in a small way. I appreciate that we sat but those people 200 years ago worked!!! We work – but not in a back-breaking way they did… Well, anyway – it was a good finish to my day. Saw the fireflies and thought a perfect night weatherwise (until it rained).
My evenings can’t even comprehend how I got through the day. Isn’t that true for you?
So in the morning, I try to remember to stop and write, write a praise for these Godly days. The Lord has blessed us being the Lord of our lives if we only could listen more for His Will. It’s like the Lord has to melt our hearts and also the wax in our ears of our hearts, we then have to listen, not just hear. The wax protects our ears but we have the ability to close our ears too much to His Will. “Walk by faith, not by sight”. And listen by faith too. And rest in Him. And work FOR His Will in us and others.
God’s ears – He must have wax-like waterproofing in His ears too – can you even imagine? God is God and needs no human protection to our tears – but oh the rivers overflowing in tears must keep his ears busy… and our complaints? Yikes… And yet His heart is FOR US. GOD LOVES US!!! God does not have clogged ears to our prayers, not clogged with wax. God is working on a whole other level that we can’t perceive nor understand. We must just trust.
Faith is for understanding deeply within THAT GOD IS READY TO GUIDE US. If we get from morning to night, then how amazing we get from night to morning. God’s Way is to start fresh with us, fresh hearts, fresh starts. Let us remember to praise what we do see, and double praise what we don’t.
Let us melt the earth wax and heart blockages, and trust, and PRAISE.
Amen
—
Isaiah 55 NKJV
An Invitation to Abundant Life
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And 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 -The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
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.
“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.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
A prayer for a sunny Sunday (for giving at church this glorious sunny morning after a week or more of rain)
Thank you, Lord, for giving us pause and we pray You know we are taking a moment to PRAISE. We ask for focus and the Holy Spirit to come – we ask to wash the cares of the world away at this moment. Just like you washed all the pollen of annoyance away with these Spring rains… We thank You Lord for growth possibilities even in the mud of the situation of our lives in a broken world.
May we appreciate, Lord, a RESTORATION of us as Your children, our foundness as lost sheep, and Your willingness to give us everything radically , including salvation through our relationship with You Jesus, so that we will grow in your love and be matured. May we know that You are Our Father in a caring and yet firm certain and devoted Way. And may we know that you take care of us in our worldly needs and most especially in our heavenly ones. May we see you guiding us, lifting us up. May we accept Your guiding hand in the Holy Spirit. May we especially realize that You want us to be heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, and rule with You in Glory.
No matter our present circumstances, rain or sunshine, may we have less earthly complaining and whine – instead turning to You Lord, in appreciation of You as Divine.
Amen
—-
Romans 8:14-18
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the GLORY that will be revealed in us.
Well – 10 years – wow… How could I not send this at midnight – both because I can’t sleep yet at scout camping tonight AND for the wonderful 10 year anniversary of my awakening – wow – blessed – and a blessing to share it with you folks.
Fittingly I am up writing – yes just like the times 10 years ago where I had to write out my awakening at 2am – but these days it’s more normal at 5am… Well, tonight, up is a good thing because this weekend is camping – and Saturday morning I am HOPEFULLY sleeping at camp…
Chances are that it will be raining – and that is OK – because my whole awakening at the beginning I considered my “Christmas Flood” – and now life is my “Christ Flood Flow” – of living each day in His Living Water… wow…
SO – for this 10 years anniversary I am going to post both writings from that day – Feb 1st 2015 – see it was 6 weeks of awakening from Dec 2014 then Jan/Feb 2015, and then the day of KNOWING that I was 100% with Jesus. I could not and would not step back – no turning back no turning back…
YEAH, 100% with Jesus – this was not from someone asking or telling – but between me and the Lord – surveying my heart and soul and my mind – getting me in ALIGNMENT after a “Christmas Flood” of God interventions.
So Feb 1st – I am sharing two writings – Ripple and The Rising – from 2015…. yeah… Blessed to have the archive of my awakening at my fingertips…
Thank you for being part of my continued journey with Jesus…
Amen
——————————
Note these were entered and numbered AFTER about a year of writing once I figured out how/where to place them – in a blog.
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor [PJ] alluded to it [my awakening] in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service 😉 haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like He did into mine.
“Ripple in still water…”
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup is full may it be again. Let it be known there is a fountain, That was not made by the hands of men”
————-
“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
——————————-
Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
an email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace…I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
—-
From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor
Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor alluded to it in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
(AND later in church I was running (yes running in church) in my new balance sneakers after a Sunday schooler – who decided he didn’t want to be there – he bolted all the way to fellowship hall… ugh… thankfully it was God’s timing for me to catch him – to rein him in. He was previously my kindergarten Sunday school student and that knowledge of him, and people in general, is INVALUABLE – if you can read the clues you can intercept…. you have to have open eyes to the clues… just like you have to praise or else the rocks will praise.)
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like he did into mine.
Lord, may our cups be filled…
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men”
————-
“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
——————————-
Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
An email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace… I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
—-
From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added these links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
“…praise every morning, God’s recreation of the new day!…”
Some major storms last night, but I was not and am not usually afraid. Not going to endanger myself, but I’ll certainly look interestingly outside the windows at the lightning when I’m not charting the thunderstorms on the radar.
We do need the rain, and it IS summer.
If summer is July and August, for the main event, like it is us having a weekend Saturday and Sunday, in terms of weather. Then surely June to summer would be like the Friday night warm up. Praise for the new season of summer. It will get too cold too fast. Praise for summer and wet gardens to walk though. Love the lyrics of Morning Has Broken – God walking in the gardens.
We can take the weather and weather it. Really rarely does lightning actually strike us people – but I’ve seen a tree get hit only feet away from me, and wow the heat was intense !!! So I respect lightning. That day, we didn’t know the storm would open up so quickly. We didn’t have alarms or radar. We were in a pavilion at a BBQ. Now we have lots of warnings, especially glued to our phones. Then we watched the skies. Run to the car or not? I opted for the car. Probably not the right choice but I survived. No, I’m not extra fearful now, it was just something that one deals with and moves on.
Respect over fear. Smart over stupid. Living over cowering. Just accept summer is summer. Live it!
Maybe like thunderstorm radars, we ALREADY know each day will bring us CHALLENGES. But do we move out into the day anyway? Yes. and we should. This is why we have roofing and good tires and common sense.
If common sense is useful, then our sense of place is just as important – and our witness of knowledge of God as calming AND our witness of God as POWERFUL – these thoughts keep us moving in our day.
If we remember that God can overcome all that is dark by being LIGHT, and He can overcome hate by being LOVE, surely we can look past the night to see the dawn, and we can calm our fears to accept His peace.
It can be dark, but morning comes. The life we live can be broken, yet the heat can be broken and the morning will be broken in our favor, because our God will never be broken unable to help. Yes – broken in body as Jesus was – but God whole never broken in purpose or plan. And God has walked all these gardens before.
haha).
Debbie Upper 