Selahgirl Chats About Life

Network TV is causing it's own demise...

2012-02-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

I still love love love the NEW GIRL.. but I am no longer a loyal fan.. see here's the thing, networks and such want a loyal fan base but they give so little in return.. fan-base is sick of reruns and delayed scheduling for whatever reason.. whether an attempt to tantalize the audience and get them hooked or just poor production on their part.. such LOST tactics are burning ppl out. Back in the day, a series had a dependable new episode each week, reruns were occasional or rare.. but today with better technology and blah blah blah, fans are regularly disappointed when they tune in most weeks.. not just NEW GIRL but it has become the norm these days. If networks want loyal fans they should at least give a little loyalty and commitment back instead of just focusing on strategies to up their ratings and revenue. With all the social networking and living in a television, podcast, society, ppl wanna tune in each week and have something to chat about.. hard to do when the networks let them down constantly.. so that's my rant.. just don't get it.. why do you think ppl tune into S&L and Fallon regularly, cuz it's usually something fresh and new to chat or blog or text about.. so yeah..

yes, I know, and the fact that Fallon is so absolutely stinking funny ^_^
... but seriously, when you have to announce to fans that there is a new episode tonight cuz a new episode is such a rare thing (even tho it's a new series).. that's pretty sad.

EMPTY: letting our hand drop from his

2012-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

‎"I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." (Psalm 59:16)

I testify to the truth of this passage.. thru tears, thru gut-wrenching agony that we find ourselves walking thru at times in this life.. when our joy has been stolen and our heart is shattered and the pieces seem lost forever.. he stands beside us and guards us from ourselves and others who mean to harm us.. holding our joy in one hand and restoring every little piece of our heart one by one with the other.. until we are whole enuff to hold onto that joy for ourselves... he doesn't abandon us when the world goes black around us and we can see nothing good in the world any more, rather without words at first, he walks beside us in silence, serving, nourishing us, healing us bit by bit.. and then he washes over us with the warmth of his breath as he assures us that we are loved, that we can make it, that hope remains, that someone knows the truth and the hurt and cares and is fighting for you.. that joy is Him.. the love of Jesus Christ, and no matter how empty we feel at times and we drop our hand from his in our numbness.. he refuses to abandon us, he refuses to let us die or to wander in the darkness.. as long as their is breath in our body and the chance that we will whisper to him from our heart to help us.. he will continue to serve and to wait and to love.. our God is great, our God is love, not some politically correct or socially correct or trendy kind of love.. he is genuine and real and gutsy.. to the death, to discomfort, to giving up the good things he could be basking in to walk thru sewage and war and decay.. because he loves us and refuses to give up.. His love is the kind of love that never quits, he finishes the task, he labors no matter the cost or the loss to himself.. I just.. I just love him so much ♥

"I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." (Psalm 59:16)

Formulas are Insulting (abortion)

2012-02-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

In response to a post about women who have walked thru abortion..

This is a great post.. taking it a step further.. we need to be building stronger more gritty relationships with our pre-teen and teen girls, as well as our college age girls.. not just letting them know that we will stand with them no matter what happens in their life.. but to mentor them to be there for their peers who don't have a church family to stand with them.. and who are hesitant to confide even in their friends let alone an adult.. that begins by opening up conversation with the young women in our lives about real temptations they face without making them feel ashamed or condemned.. rather like Christ approaches all of us, by being examples of consistent truth, of gentleness even when we disagree or are afraid for them, seeking the direction of the Spirit of God for each person rather than using a formula on them and insisting that we're not... it has to be genuine, they have to know we see them, and we claim them as family.. so much to say about all of this.. but I have said enuff for now. Much love to the women reading this post who have walked this difficult road of abortion.. you are loved ♥

TWISTED

2012-02-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

You know how crippled my feet are and how often I fall to the ground,

And yet you help me up each time and continue to trust me to carry so much.
You put precious and fragile things in my hands,
things that belong to you, things that are close to your heart,
and I fall and they scatter on the ground.

But you keep them from breaking
and you dust them off and you hand them back to me,
trusting me each time
as though you don't remember my many stumbles and falls...
as though you don't see my crippled feet..
as though you don't expect me to fall again for the millionth time.

Why would you trust me with so much?
Me, a cripple?
Mangled and twisted feet that struggle along in imperfection
failing to advance by leaps and bounds,
always creeping along,
always searching for strength and balance,
always weak?

Yet you continue to be strong, you continue to trust me, you continue to love me.

How can such love exist in a world so full of darkness,
a world that is so unworthy of your presence, so blind to your awesome beauty,
so undeserving of your affection and your constant care?

I don't know.

But it is that love
that guides my feet and my heart to find the strength to get up again.
And it is that love
that makes me able to move forward,
ever so slowly, but always forward.

I will never understand it.
It will continue to amaze me each and every moment,
forever.

Without you, I would remain a cripple in the gutter, begging,
at the mercy of a dark and truly evil world.
Alone and Hopeless.

But because of your presence,
I have a companion,
a comforting voice that speaks wisdom,
a friend,
a strong arm reaching out to me --
I have someone that trusts me,
that encourages me,
that give me direction and purpose in this life, in this world,
in my weakness.

Either way,
I am a cripple.
But life is worth living because you see me
as healthy and able and whole.

And as you help me to see myself as you see me,
I am falling less often, though I still fall.
And it is easier to find the strength I need along the way,
because you place it near me, at arm's length,
so I only need to reach for it
to find it.

The world is still dark,
My feet are still twisted,
and I stumble along and fall quite often.

But my heart is full of light
and your hand is always there for me when I'm face down in the dirt.

So I continue to get up and to stand.

I continue to hold tight to all that you have entrusted to me
and I continue forward in search of more of you,
in search of the things you have made mention of
in our many conversations along the way.

in search of our final destination together
when this dark world will be only a memory that we seldom think of,
and my feet will be as you have always seen them,

never stumbling,

forever strong and perfect.

Amanda
2007

2012 year of prayer (unite)

2012-02-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

~ Nothing in life is perfect.. there's always a catch or a glitch or a messiness to things.. it's God that brings perfection.. if we just try wholeheartedly and trust him.. he is the key that ensures the fulfillment of good things.. scripture says to be perfect and that can be confusing.. but not when you understand what that's sposed to look like.. seek to be perfect with everything in you is what that really means.. and trust God to fill in the gaps that you can't... that's what it means to "be perfect."

~ Perfection in life is possible.. but it is never something you can do in your own strength.. Perfection is a team effort.. your whole heart with all it's imperfection and short comings and failures.. wholly committed to SINCERELY TRYING.. and God on your side doing what you can't to bring that WIN that we are all looking for.

~ ‎"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
We are adopted in.. we are part of spiritual Israel.. do we love him like this or not?

~ Think of that person that you love with everything in you.. the one that no one better mess with or you will show them what's what.. now measure that with your love for God.. do you love God with all that is within you? Do you understand how huge his love is for you? You give good gifts to the ppl you love.. you commit fully to them.. how does that measure up to your romance and passion for Jesus Christ who loves you way beyond anything you could imagine?..

~ What ministry or outreach has God put on your heart to do recently? Cover it in prayer.. agree together.. 2012 is gonna be a year of unity in ministry like never before among God's ppl.. I have seen it, and feel it, and believe it.. prayer is the one common bond, that moment and action where ppl find themselves able to put aside all differences and hurts and agree together in their love for God and ppl.. they may part company for a season as relationships continue the healing process.. but when they come together, no matter the history involved.. when they bow their hearts to God and agree together in ministry.. that is the connection place, the assurance of uniting hearts as the ppl of God.. his bride.

~ pray this over whatever outreach your church is working on, substitute the name of your city in place of mine.. God is working in individual churches and yet in his church as a whole at the same time.. I stand in agreement with what he is doing in your church body as I stand in agreement with what he is doing in my own <3

"Father, we agree together for what you have planned for this city.. we put our hearts and our offering on the table in this UPRISING event and we ask you to use it to make your presence known to every man, woman, child, and family in this city.. we ask that you open doors of opportunity for relationships to be planted and to bloom, and that you would prepare hearts to receive as your word goes forth from this event.. bring provision in every way, bring laborers that will unite with one heart, stir something in the atmosphere of this city so that it will know that God has come down to visit us because of his great love for us.. loose your Spirit Oh God.. go to the hard places and dark places, to the city square and to the most remote and forgotten.. break the chains that have held so many in bondage in Clarksville.. remove the masks of deception and bring a cleansing and a freedom that ppl have never known.. we need you Lord, Clarksville needs you, and we cry out to you to use this event to change lives and to draw hearts to you.. protect your laborers, make their hearts humble, and fill them with courage and faith and love.. thank you Father that you have answered before we even asked, in the name of our Savior and Lord and Friend, we love you Jesus. Amen ♥

Without a Word

2012-01-29T15:08:00.001-08:00

It's truly alarming.. like a mafia boss of sorts..

so this guy becomes a Christian, a business guy, dabbling in real estate.. becomes a Christian in a trendy cutting edge denomination.. has some tension with his leaders but manages to move back to his hometown to plant a church for that denomination. The church takes hold and begins to grow under a tight fisted leadership ruled by this guy.

Down the road, he has some further tensions with the leaders above him.. so he meets with his staff that he has put together consisting of a doctor, a lawyer, a journalist and several other ppl of power in the community.. and swears them all to an oath that they will not repeat the discussions of that meeting with anyone.. THEY ALL SWEAR TO THE OATH. Needless to say such a thing is against scripture on every count.

The pastor guy tells his staff that he wants to pull the church out from under that certain denomination and create a new denomination all his own, and he wants to know who is willing to go with him and help him make the transition... everyone agrees to go with him.. but one man has a stipulation.. he will go, if the pastor goes to his leaders and makes peace with them first.. he said that he didn't feel that God would bless what they were about to do if they didn't resolve certain issues according to Scripture.

The pastor was literally livid.. and a chain of horrid and cruel events followed which were typical methods of this guy to maintain absolute control of everyone and everything.. I have blogged I think on this blog about much of it. So the pastor outs this guy.. puts a 6 month gag order on him using fear for his family to silence them and the rest of the leadership not only goes along with it, but helps to terrorize this family into silence.

The common ppl have no idea, and the low level leadership has no idea.. but are instructed of the story they are to tell everyone under the guise of making the turnover of leadership a smooth transition. So the pastor resigns and announces that it is because he needs to attend to his wife's ailing father in another state and to have knee surgery.. and he appoints his lawyer lackey and journalist wife to be the new pastor. The turnover goes without a hitch.. everyone is all smiles and thinking it is God and has been done scripturally and peacefully and all is well.

Altho there are some dark and evil things done behind closed doors and under-handedly that are heartbreaking, shattering the hearts and lives of good ppl. But God kept them in the dark time and after much torment moved them far away.. to another country even.. and gave them their hearts desire on the mission field and blessed their ministry and family beyond their hopes and dreams. They are forever scarred, but well.

In the mean time, this pastor is back and forth in his travels but never really leaves the church. He is given the title pastor emeritas, and is consulted over every issue of business and ministry of the church without the knowledge of the church body.. again, as he mentored his leadership, they answer to him, and all leadership business is done secretly and according to his mandate. His lackey serves as the official pastor of the church, tho he is not the one who runs it.

Each new church plant of other denominations is befriended.. their reputation is impeccable.. the pastors and lawyers and business ppl they pull into their church and put on staff are largely selected for their standing and reputation in the community to give sway to this church leadership.. who they all assume is the seated pastor. But the reputation of the pastor emeritas is so bad.. few would shake hands with such a man or such a church if they knew the true face of who actually owns it.

It is a nasty tale.. but thrives in our city. The face of it all is beautiful and trendy and fun.. but the fruit of it is filth and adultery and lies and yuck. So much is hindered in the churches that shake hands with it because they are so busy trying to be popular in the city and community, that they lack discernment. The prophets are murdered and scattered and in hiding, rejected and outcast from the church, while ppl with zero discernment tell the pastors eccentric and lofty things that they want to hear.. tickling the ears of those in power.

This is not a tale just in my city.. it is happening in many cities and many countries.. corruption in leadership.. idolatry among the ppl of their leaders and mentors.. a bride dirtied by wolves wearing masks and setting themselves up as divine authority, some not even realizing what god they serve, consumed with deception as they are mouthpieces of it.. but there is a cry that has gone up.. there are questions being asked of God.. there is a request for direction, for intervention, for cleansing and healing.

Their is a turning over this city.. the clouds are darkening and the voice of the Lord is declaring that it is enuff.. and war is about to come down into the camp.. into the church.. not your buildings and your earthly domains.. but in spiritual places, thru doors that will affect the physical atmosphere and locale of the true church.. it's coming.. watch for it.. a time of extremes.. extreme war and violence overlaid with extreme peace and joy.. eating at the table with our enemies and yet the presence of God being so heavy that they tremble and are unable to swallow their own food.. they say all the right things, they adjust every hair on their head to appear perfect, they can charm the rattle off a snake with their kindness and flattery... but all their pleasantries will fall to the ground and be as sludge in the gutter.. with no confrontation, with no spoken words of rebuke, with no tit for tat.. the presence of God will walk into the room and all will come to order, all will snap into place, all will be aligned simply by his breath that fills the air..

He stands ready to come.. and he will without hesitation..
as his bride calls for him in her misery and need and love for him..
he will come...
if we ask him to,
he will come.

THE ROAD

2012-01-29T13:58:00.001-08:00

You have walked
so many miles
and your feet
are torn and bruised
but your strength
has not left you
because he
won't abandon you

So
lift your head up
you're a child
of the king.
yes,
lift your head up
and let
the praises ring.

The road
is long and painful
but he
has walked this way before
so lift your head up
oh my child
he needs you
to walk a little more

He has provided
living water
his arms
to comfort you
when the thorns
crowd in around you
he will gently
pull you through

When the wounds are deep
and bleeding
he will
cool their burning sting
The road
is not an easy one
but you can walk it
in victory

So
lift your head up
you're a child of the king
yes,
lift your head up
and let
the praises ring

The road
is long and painful
but he
has walked this way before
so lift your head up
oh my child
he needs you
to walk a little more.

Amanda
2003

What will we do when he restores our sight?

2012-01-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

~ Every portion of Scripture that teaches forgiveness.. teaches an IF.. but no one ever expounds on that part.. I just find it interesting.. seems to have created a huge block in the church of enablers and people pleasers and users.. small wonder so many are turned off by the church.. even the Roman Road which leads to Christ is paved with stipulations.. the cost of salvation and forgiveness has been paid and is free to all who sincerely seek it.. but there is a requirement.. change.

~ Leadership or a title or money doesn't justify gossip and judging someone by the opinions of ppl in your social or professional circles.. that makes church a business just like the world.. so much talk about personal relationship and such and yet I see little of Christ in the politics of the church.. really miss the lil white church back in the day when ppl spent time getting to know one another before forming opinions based on what the popular pedestal crowd likes or doesn't like.. I'm not even disappointed with it any more.. just saddened..

~ I have seen popular leaders and pastors blackball ppl cuz their group of good 'ol boys wanted that person out.. and they have crushed them and outed them time and time again.. it is devious and evil.. but God sees all.. secret meetings where a pastor tries to pull a church out from under it's denomination, and then secretly blackballing and blackmailing ppl under the table who ask them to go about it peacefully and according to Scripture.. there is such a corruption in certain church circles in this city that God will not be patient with forever.. wolves wearing masks that remain exactly that, masks of humility and wisdom and Godliness.. yikes.. if anything in 2012.. I pray God cleans up corruption in the church and exposes it all in the streets.. according to His wisdom and His mercy ♥

~ Doctors and Lawyers and men of power and money.. lavishing good things on key ppl to build themselves up in the community.. while murdering others who stand in their way behind closed doors and in meeting halls.. it's evil.

~ Here's the technique.. someone opposes the GROUP.. make them vulnerable so that they are forced to keep silent from telling the truth about the actions of the GROUP.. for instance.. control their money, their medical treatment, their deepest hurts that you swore were safe to confide in you.. take key ppl in the church out to lunch one by one and tell them that someone is being outed but there is peace between everyone about the change, even the ppl being outed.. the pastors just need ppl with influence in the church to calm any concerns or questions among the body.. leadership feeds the story of what is to be told (aka the gossip and alibi of the GROUP) to the common ppl who have no clue of the secret meetings and selfish ambition that has eaten away at the foundations of everything good and Godly that once governed that body.. and the tongue of leaders murders with absolute precision.. while the church and community and their followers worship them.. sounds like a movie.. but it's not..

~ There are Christians and pastors and leaders I don't trust.. because it is beyond a minor offense or a disagreement over the carpet... it is a character thing.. a deep and evil aspect of who they are and they refuse to follow God as they lead and handle ppl rather than their mentors and their GROUP of buddies.. really really feel like vomiting when I consider how deep rooted this thing is.. no wonder there is such a surge of gangs and drugs and violence and crime in our city.. the bulk of the church is either blind or the ones blinding ppl.. will we ever find our way out of the ditch.. will we ever truly seek God to scrub out the infection in his body no matter how painful it is to us personally?..

~ I pay attention to "IF-THEN's" in scripture and in life.. cause and effect.. today I added a new one to my list.. was asked to consider vss 17-19 in Philemon, "So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. "
... but in my reality with God and men.. this passage means nothing to me without coupling it with vss 10-11 "that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me..."
... FREE GRACE was offered and given, as Onesimus sought to CHANGE.
... If CHANGE.. then RESTORATION.. but that doesn't erase a measure of consequence that comes with the sin you willfully committed.

~ Which makes me wonder.. what exactly is COMPLETE RESTORATION.. we envision it as everything going back to the way it was originally before that sin occurred.. but is that what we see in Scripture.. is that the way God defines it?.. I think we mistake COMPLETE RESTORATION with COMPLETE FORGIVENESS.. and they are very different things from what I read as I seek to understand God's words rather than pastors and leaders in the church...

~ I wish there was a way to strip everything pastors or ppl have told us about God and we could just sit and read thru the Bible for the first time again as tho it were a letter straight from the heart of God to us personally.. I wonder how far from the mark we would find ourselves from where we are today...

~ Every time I hear a pastor share or a message preached.. I will weigh it to the Word of God seeking that His Spirit help me to discern it rightly with all sincerity and zeal to understand the God that I love and serve.. and I will question what doesn't seem to line up to me.. no matter who it offends, tho my heart is truly to be at peace with ppl.. it has been my experience that pastors much like doctors take up offense quicker than any profession on the planet when someone questions their expertise... more often than not I am the one who has missed something, I am the one who God has to take to the woodshed and teach me a thing or two or twenty, to rewire my brain and my heart to put me in touch with what He has taught someone else long before my milk guzzling self centered self.. but sometimes.. bad leadership reveals itself as it veers from the word of God and steps into -isms and selfish ambition coupled with false humility..

~ Pastors and leaders and you and I have gone from putting God first to putting mentors first.. that is idolatry.. no matter who it is whose opinion and teaching it is that we give credence to before all others.. if we close our hearts and minds to something God may be trying to speak to us or some common Joe just because our high and mighty mentor said it was something different.. we just silenced God and given our worship to another.

~ A good pastor, good leadership, is a rare thing.. a precious thing that is to be treasured.. but never put above our God and His Word.. it is a sobering thing.. bad leadership or the lack of leadership is never a reason or excuse to separate yourself from the Church as a whole.. if it is your heart to not obey God's mandate to fellowship with other believers.. then everything on the planet will give you an excuse.. so it will be easy for you to find one, but.. God says to not give up on his ppl or on him or on the world. Don't use evil as an excuse to do evil.. if you are a follower of Christ.. you should be meeting with other believers regularly.

~ Like I said.. there are some pastors and leaders out there that can be counted on to teach the whole Truth of God.. who are approachable when you question something.. who will walk thru the scripture with you and search out an answer as God leads you both to it.. Godly voices, leaders totally in love with and committed to the Truth of God and not a man, not even themselves.. not puffed up, rather sincere, respecting mentors of their own but never above the Word of God.. it is refreshing and assuring that God continues to raise up such leadership and guards it in this dark time...
"God gives us 2nd chances, but how do we access it? Repentance... Encounter TRUTH, TURN from sin, TRUST God..." (Pastor friend currently in KY)
That is the change, the requirement, the stipulation, the IF...
THEN there is complete restoration and new beginnings.

~ Sharing the Gospel and teaching the Word of God.. and leaving out the IF's.. is like the half truths that Satan spewed out as he tempted Christ in the desert.. we have taught such error for so long that we have come to believe much of it ourselves.. we are blind and leading others that we have blinded into the ditch and all manner of destruction..

but I believe that God is about to open our eyes and restore our sight..
the question is..
What will we do when he restores our sight?

Its Terrifying

2012-01-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

~ I find it terrifying how far the Church is from those without Christ... And how deeply immeshed so many Christians are into adultery, arrogance, and all manner of evil...

~ As Paul said.. it is better not to marry so you can fully commit yourself to the service of the Lord.. but if you cannot keep your mind off the mandate to have sex and replenish the earth.. that beautiful expression symbolic of the intimate union of Christ and His Bride.. then get married.. just remember that you marry yourself to their dirt, so you will be made to walk in it at times.. as they walk in yours.. their dirt will never be a valid excuse for divorce.. except in rare cases.. problem is, ppl all to often divorce for very common excuses..

~ Adultery is a valid reason for divorce.. but not a mandate.

~ ‎"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3).. only God can bridge that gap for us between such grief and brokenness to joy and hope.. I glimpse it but don't have a handle on it.. but somehow he keeps moving me forward toward it..

~ In other words.. when you encounter someone and it seems that God walks close to them despite their weaknesses and imperfections (by your standards).. know that they have had their guts ripped from their body by someone they love. The healing process is not a pretty thing, and will not be rushed by impatience.. but God will remain by their side and he will be their strength, their guard, and their guide...

~ If you haven't bled in this life.. I mean a gut rushing hemorrhage (not a bandaid cut or a skinned knee).. you have no idea what it is to be like Christ... he bled to death and suffocated from the loss of so much blood.. couldn't pull his weight up on the nails in his wrists enuff to get another breath.. and then he died.. if we are like him.. are we ready to hemorrhage, to suffocate, to die?...

~ and if we are, what would it look like to die such a death daily? Are we ready for that? To commit to it to the end, our last breath, and not quit?.. Cuz the world and ppl and a number of Christians will hand you every excuse to fail, to take control back from God and do what makes sense to you instead of the seemingly foolish thing God has asked of you?

~ I am thinking out loud.. preaching to myself more than anyone.. the question becomes not how many times must we forgive.. but how many times must I die a brutal death Lord?... the answer is seventy times seven.. or perfectly and perfect.. with Godiness and Godly.. until it is enuff to accomplish all that you were set upon this earth to accomplish before you are called home to a hero's welcome.. that was the example Christ left us.. as much as it makes us cringe and fight against our flesh and our desire to quit and to run.. that is what we must bring ourselves to embrace.. dying violently day to day at the hands of ppl we love.

~ I die.. and death throws are never a pretty thing.. they are actually quite grotesque.. in our weaknesses and our messiness and our smallness, we can only pray as Brave Heart did, trusting God to take our best effort and make it something miraculous.. "Let me die well."

Users All

2012-01-19T08:26:00.001-08:00

Every body uses every body at some point and in some way.. but some ppl are habitual, selfish users... door stays open for them if they ever wanna change.. but I won't be hugging up to them as tho its okay for them to devour lives and families and friends.. if you have nothing they want, they will convince you to be in awe of them.. but they will slit your throat without thought the minute you have something worth robbing.. no matter what label they wear or authority they walk it.. leaders are often the worst.. that's how they got that position of power.. heartbreaking.

And that something is as simple as your name, your reputation, your marriage, your job.. anything that increases their power and ability to control others. It all sounds so negative.. but it has been my experience in life.. in the church and outside equally, in my religion and others, in the family I married into and the encounters that waltz in and out of my life.. to draw a line, labels you as a bitch.. but is it better to let them label you as you protect the innocent and the ppl you love.. or to let them devour all that is good in the world, leaving a gruesome trail of broken and crippled ppl.. yes, I am angry..

cuz no one else seems to be.

incest, child molesters, adulterers, murderers, selfishly ambitious thieves.. I find myself nauseated and deeply grieved that ppl are so commonly mean and blatantly evil.. excusing it all as tho the evil done to them by others is an excuse to continue the cycle..

do justly, protect the innocent, walk in humility putting others before yourself..
everyone preaches it.. but who really lives it?

THINGS HOPED FOR

2012-01-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

There was a whisper in the wind.
It was gray.
It had a chill to it,
but it sparkled.

The earth sweetly warmed to it's voice,
arms reaching
seeking to hold it close
to know it well.

But the circle of the sun shifts
all that is,
and whispers fall silent
on a dark night.

So lonely in the quietness,
nothing stirs
as emptiness consumes
what was once full.

The black seeping deep to the bone
becoming
unbearable as time
staggers onward.

The earth turns and whispers in hope
once again
as gray invades the sky
violently.

She listens intently, waiting
to hear it,
sweet whisper in response
to her wanting.

Leaves softly stirring beside her,
unnoticed
at first but then lively,
careless and free.

The breath of the wind on her face
His fingers
now gently tangled
up in her hair.

The sun rises warming the earth,
refusing
to shift in its course on this day.
Smiling, she weeps.

No more shifting of the circle
of the sun,
No more deadness of night
to pale her skin.

The whisper now fills her fully,
head and heart,
mind, body, and her soul.
She knew it would.

Promises whispered for so long
now fulfilled.
His arms holding her close,
His sparkle now...

in her eyes.

Faithful Friend

2012-01-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

~ Amazing message today.. Amazing worship.. God greets me in my joy and in my sorrow every time.. All I have to do is look for him in the room and before I even find him, his arms are wrapped around me and his kisses are on my forehead .. And he looks at me with a smile and an answer in his eyes without a word being spoken.. The one man I can fully trust.. The one friend who who sees me to the core.. The one love who owns my heart ♥

~ There was a girl sitting on a bench and the world walked by one by one and admired her scarf.. But God sat down beside her in silence, put his arm around her shoulders and let her cry...

Loving, Limping and Leaving

2012-01-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

~ We live, we love, we laugh.. we loathe, we leave vengeance to God.. We learn, we limp.. we Live, we Love.. We leave this world behind.. Such is life.

~ Wanna hate it.. But gotta love it.. Too many ppl I love hang in the balance for me to just quit.

~ ‎"Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts." (Amos 5:14-15)... "A whole bunch of folks claim that God is on their side. In reality, that's not important at all. The real question is whether we are on God's side! That's determined more by what we seek and do rather than what we say and believe. God longs to be with us, but he will not sacrifice his character to extend us cheap grace, a grace that does not call us to be like him. He's looking for believers who put their character where their mouth is." (Ware)

Vanity Vanity All is Vanity

2012-01-11T07:33:00.001-08:00

.. but if you're reading my blog please follow it.
Thanks ^_^

Nicotine.. to treat memory loss.. really? O_o

2012-01-10T07:49:00.001-08:00

All the years of study resulting in the hazards of smoking and nicotine.. and now suddenly there is a break thru and the medical community has found that nicotine treats memory loss?.. wow.. incredible.. and who has memory loss?.. the elderly.. and who is the drag on the insurance companies?.. the elderly.. does anyone else question the funding and accuracy of those recent studies..

Lemme spell it out for you...

Too much money goes into the treatment of the elderly, many of which have incurable memory loss among other health issues.. so why not put them on nicotine to supposedly help their memory to some degree.. even tho it increases their risk of mortality.. basically, it will put them in the grave quicker and save the insurance companies a ton of money.. and ppl that can't afford the medical treatment to get them the patch, will hand them a carton of cigarettes to get them a lil nicotine fix..

makes you question how easily such systems are manipulated.. and who is doing the manipulating and where exactly does all the money go that is supposedly saved.. of coarse these are just thoughts and conjecture.. but the irony of it all is pretty glaring.

maybe I should pick up a carton of cigarettes to improve my short term memory... =)

instead of "she saved a bundle on her car insurance" my headstone could read "she saved a bundle for her insurance company."

remarriage after adultery = > dead beat parents.. DUH

2012-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

POSTER: "Good morning. It is time to stir the entitlement pot.
Am I the only one who has noticed that there seems to be an over-abundance of young, unwed mothers lately?
Blame the immature, illegitimate "baby daddy"?
Blame the needy, immoral "baby mama"?
Whatever happened to "no"?
Our once great society is failing."

--------

It's the preachers fault for allowing ppl to bring person after person to the altar after cheating on their former spouse or getting bored with the responsibilities and mess of the family they first committed to.. it sets a precedent that sex outside the standard God set is okay.. so if sex with several ppl is okay then why the hell get married and deal with the mess of a divorce.. that's the msg we have put out there.. that's the example the church has set by allowing adulterers and adulteresses to trade ppl in at the altar.. does God hate divorce or not.. if someone is cheated on, it's a whole different set of rules.. BUT if someone cheats on their spouse or gets bored with their marriage.. they should march their butt down to the courthouse to trade them in for a new one.. don't bring it in the church... otherwise it teaches that sex is not the sacred beautiful thing that God created it to be...

We allow church leadership to put God's stamp of approval on things that God says he hates and that go against everything in scripture.. and then we're gonna gripe about ppl not committing to the children born from adultery and fornication.. if we fail to teach God's standards and live them by committing to our marriages no matter how better or worse it gets.. we teach a double standard..

Its the root of the matter that needs to be dealt with.. not the consequence.

-----------

Forgiveness is not a get out of jail free card.. it doesn't override doing justly and walking humbly before God.. It saves us from death, and gives us the opportunity to clean up and live right, but only if there is a sincere passion to love God and love ppl and stop sinning against them, breaking their hearts and devouring them to fill the belly of your own selfishness.. forgiveness is not about, "I got what I want now you need to shut up and stop ruining my buzz about it or you're not a forgiving person.."

Great God Almighty

2011-12-01T05:30:00.001-08:00

Driving along yesterday early morning, I noticed what I thought to be a small cloud of smoke in a gravel parking lot as I passed by. The sun was just rising high enough to throw a beautiful orange glow across the earth highlighting everything that was willing to reflect back the light. As I looked closer, I noticed that it was one small puddle in the middle of an expanse of gravel and five little birds were taking a morning bath in it. What I thought to be smoke was a shower of mist and water crystal lit up by the rising sun.. and the realization became such a sweet image on a frosty morning in the late fall. The little birds flitted around and hopped and played, splashing one another and creating a wonderful natural shower of water mixed with the warmth of the sun..

so much beauty in the world around us.. those small and seemingly insignificant things that are so shadowed and choked out by the din of life's stresses and disappointments. God is so kind to allow a brief breath of such gentleness and beauty to remind us that there is good in the world.. that was his plan.. love and joy.. the darkness and difficulties we face are not his doing, not what he wanted for his children.. but in the perfect world that he created and that his creation corrupted, he refuses to give up on us.. not only that but he showers us with that miraculous mist of the water of his Spirit and the warmth of his Son at just the right moments to help us regain our strength.. as brief as those glimpses may be.. they are powerful and they change us with a sense of permanence that guides our thoughts and leads our hearts back to the one who loves us with a pure and complete and faithful heart..

God is good.
His plan for us is good.
And my love for him is great.

Whose Image?

2011-11-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

~ ‎"Brokenness is not an emotional experience of an event. Brokenness is an act of the will - surrendering your will to God. To be broken means to say yes to what God wants despite what you want. To be broken is a decision to humble yourself and acknowledge your need for help. Brokenness occurs when God strips you of your self-sufficiency and gets rid of your pride so that the life of Christ can be made manifest in you.

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 4:11, "We who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." We undergo problems, difficulties, and frustrations so that the life of Christ may be made known through us. " (Evans)

~ The attitude of the world looks at that and says that God is mean and cruel to allow ppl to be stripped and broken, Satan with his serpent tongue and his false concern asks us, "Did God really say?".. Did God really do such a mean thing? ...
but the attitude of Christ was and is, "whatever it takes Father, however you need to change me to seek and save others, cuz I'm all in... no matter how painful and difficult. I trust you and will do whatever you say is necessary."

~ That's the choice in every decision we face each day, big and small, how we handle ourselves, what we embrace in our heart, how we treat the ppl in our lives, who we choose to be.. do we act in such a way that makes us take on the image of Satan, full of ourselves.. or do we choose to reflect the image of our God thru Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord of mankind? ... Who's your daddy?

~ ‎"Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8)

~ "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." (I John 3)

~ Lest we forget... "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (I Corinthians 6)

~ Put your hand over your heart...
Is it still beating?..
Then it's not too late to change.
Christ will show you how and will make you able <3

BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY ON THURSDAY

2011-11-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

~ I will not be doing Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving.. employees are upset cuz it's robbing them of family time with their kids.. are we that selfish to save a little on CHRISTMAS PRESENTS that we would stress ppl out at a time when family and friends and neighbors should be our priority instead of hitting the sales a day early.. BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY ON THURSDAY!!! It's just wrong.

~ some ppl agreed with that, some had other concerns relating to the issue. The dialog spawned some additional thoughts..

~ Family should be together on Thanksgiving.. it's not the employees I have issues with.. it's the employers that make them work on such a family and value centered holiday.. and with the public that feeds it by participating.

~ We complain about how society cares so little these days, but then we feed such things that put corporation first and ppl last.. that's the only part of the OCCUPY movement I agree with currently, altho I don't think corporations are at fault.. I think we as individuals and the public are at fault because we are selfish and talk out both sides of our mouth.

~ (someone commented that they worked at Blockbuster for over two years and they never had to close for a holiday).. You were doing ur job.. Blockbuster should have closed .. Cpl times a year is not gonna hurt their biz, ChikF closes once a week.. Fams should have made their movie plans day before so other fams could enjoy the holiday too.. But ppl are lazy.. So we feed the beast for our own convenience.. Then we wanna complain when it grows so big that it starts eating our young.. Bleh

~

your wonderful law

2011-11-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

‎"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18).. the Word of God, the commands he gives us, are wonderful and beautiful.. their purpose is to cause the fruit of good things to spring up and grow in our lives.. laws and absolute truth have become such negative things in society today.. but they are security and treasure and peace of heart and mind. If our honest motive is to obey them to the best of our ability.. God will make all things work for our good along the way, no matter what hell and this world and evil ppl throw at us. Life hurts.. get over it and get on with it.. the laws of God will bring justice as well as mercy in the end ♥

Substitutes, Blankets, and Confusion

2011-11-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

~ ‎"Jesus lived the life I should have lived, died the death I should have died, so I could have what he has..." Joe Coffey
I don't know if I have ever heard the Gospel expressed so beautifully.. so powerful ♥

~ ‎"Jesus says: ‘I have come to stand in your place. To be your substitute. To give you My righteousness, and take your sin.'" Joe Coffey

~ Blanket statements and assumptions are convincing when they sound syrupy and holy.. but the reality is that there is usually always an exception.. whether divorce or shaking the dust off your feet against someone or hanging out with drunkards and whores.. be careful how you judge someone else's life.. I guarantee you don't know the whole story or both sides to it..

~ I heard someone, a respected someone, make the statement during a Bible study that "you haven't really forgiven someone unless you treat them as though they have never sinned against you to the point of allowing them into your life to commit the same offense again." That's a gross exaggeration of Scripture and Forgiveness but it sounds so holy and ppl actually embrace it. But if some guy raped my daughter, I'll be damned before I let him walk her to her car again on a dark night. The God I know would call that wisdom, not unforgiveness.

~ I believe in love and kindness and forgiveness to the point of seeming foolish.. but I don't believe in foolishness passed off as holiness... God would have us use wisdom coupled with love and kindness and forgiveness. Blanket statements have caused so much damage to the church.. scoffers use them as contradictions of our faith.. but the true Word of God coupled with the discernment of his Holy Spirit has no contradiction. The error is ours not God. We simply quote ppl so much and fail to truly study what Christ actually taught.

ENSLAVED

2011-11-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

one nation at a time.. France, England, America.. it's coming and sadly we have become ripe for the picking.. ppl these days can't even commit to their spouses, their children, their country, and they are losing them all.. when real opposition comes to our faith, the consequences for that lack of courage and commitment may shock us I fear, and enslave us beyond anything we ever imagined...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056467/Charlie-Hebdo-French-magazines-offices-torched-mocks-Prophet-Mohammed.html

When local businesses begin getting hit by such things in these difficult economic times.. the money loss will cause them to support such groups for fear of future attacks.. they will become pawns like they have in other countries.. just think of how Walmart controls us with what we purchase (a small example).. be careful how you try to silence the voice of protest.. someday when your freedoms are threatened by those in power and business and religion.. you may find yourself in the street crying out for justice and freedom..

THE RIGHT TO TAKE...

2011-10-31T06:31:00.000-07:00

So it would be an interesting thing to see those pushing for a socialist society to set up a community based on such a government.. What if you took the group of ppl that you are on the same page with and threw all your belongings into the pot to be equally shared and divided among you. Everything from food to bikes to clothes to money to whatever.. your bike is no longer your bike but belongs to your community of ppl and you all get a turn to use it.. some days you get to ride what used to be your own bike, others you ride someone elses, some days you get to ride it for part of the day and then you hand it off to someone else.

If everyone is contributing their food, there should be enuff to go around because each person is currently not starved to death. And any surplus would help those among you to eat better. You could go fishing and add to the food available, you could buy some flour or corn meal and make bread, you could have everyone go to the soup kitchen and then throw it all into the community cupboard.

You would need no laws and there would be no checking up on each other because no one would hold back on the rest of you. Such a community would be utopia as everyone would work for the good of the community and to provide the basic needs of everyone signed up to it. If some of you want to garden, if some of you want to play video games most of the day, if some of you want to sit around a fire and talk about life most of the time, if some of you want to play music and write music and make stuff or site see or ride your bike and walk some trails.. you are all free to do that.. and if there isn't enuff food being brought into the group.. or if the bike needs new tires or the toilet needs a new part.. it can sit until someone feels like doing something to earn some money to fix them.. cause it would be wrong to infringe on their freedom to enjoy life at their leisure 24/7 by asking someone or requiring them to work or to dictate to them what they must do to help..

Unless someone decides they are tired of being hungry or seeing their little cousin hungry or their niece or nephew wearing rags and cold in the winter months.. unless someone gets tired of EVERYONE just hanging out and doing whatever comes up for the day.. and they decide to work a job or do something to earn a little extra money or learn a trade to barter for food and necessary basics of life..

But even then, they don't get to keep it.. because it is socialism and not capitalism and democracy that rules your community.. so you give it to the make shift government that you have signed up to.., and all that you worked for to meet the basic needs of those you see in need is distributed among those who prefer to stand around a burning barrel all day or walking nature trails or riding their bikes.. yes, I know, but if everyone were working and contributing.. there would be plenty to put into the community coffers to take care of all basic needs.. but who are you to ask ppl to work or to take on your definition of an occupation to contribute to a system that tries to dictate to them how to live their life.

Ahh, and there is the rub. It is not the system that is the flaw.. it is the character and heart of ppl. How can you be sure that all that someone earns and claims to contribute is actually given to the whole of society? you can't, and it won't be.. because there are always ppl, not all, but enuff to bring ruin to such things, who will hold back because they are selfishly motivated. A socialist society is easy to promote as a good thing.. but it fails in the end because ppl are selfish to some degree, no matter how they reason or justify it.

And so when you get tired of working hard and watching others stand around a burning barrel playing music with their friends every day.. you're gonna get tired of it and you are going to feel the injustice of having them take what you have worked for. And you are going to be tempted to keep a portion back from the community that you pledged to share all things with equally. And in-fighting will emerge, and laws will be put in place, and ppl will be assigned to handle the gathering and the distribution.. ppl who are dealing with the same frustrations of working and working and having it run thru their fingers to other ppl who seem to do less and contribute less..

And now a new group of ppl have the power to deal crookedly with the socialist community they have pledged themselves to.. and the unavoidable evil in the hearts of most ppl emerges and once again corrupts community and victimizes others to get it's own selfish gain.. And soon the corruption becomes blatant and without concern and the government changes and those that have given up their democratic freedoms are now enslaved to a government that has enslaved them and the face changes to reveal itself as no different than the former capitalistic society that they caused to crumble.. with one exception now that it has evolved to maturity and taken on the face of communism.. that exception being that there is no freedom to speak against the government, there is no public assembling, there is no question that the govt you pledged yourself to has the legal power and might to call out the firing squad to silence your voice.. because you have no rights, no voice, and no freedom.

Ppl died to give you the rights and voice and freedom you enjoy in this nation, this nation based on capitalism and democracy.. you can choose to give that up and and try to convince the rest of the nation to give it up.. but once you lose it.. you will be crying out just like North Korea for someone to lay down their life and resources to give you back the freedoms you arrogantly scoffed at. Look hard at the faces of those oppressed by former socialist nations.. why do you think they cry out to America more than all other nations to help them.. because our system of government and our Christian heritage has proven itself as effective. Why are there no socialist governments stepping in to save them, to fight for their cause, to gather resource from it's ppl to help the persecuted and enslaved?

Corporations are not faceless... there are ppl that own and operate them. Some are good and some are evil.. no different than any community or government system you will ever bring about. It will take a grassroots movement to bring change, but there are necessary steps.. peaceful protest is a part of that, but misguided protest will only lead to chaos and bringing more harm to our community and nation than is already in place.. it is a time for clear thinking, a time of necessary personal prayer, of coming together across the board from the Tea Party movement to Occupy Wall Street.. it all comes back to wanting the same thing.. rebuking greed in our city and federal governments.

That's not gonna come about by trying to overthrow the government or establishing a socialist platform.. nor is it gonna be a reality by using the homeless and a meandering college age crowd as shields while you stir up drama.. such things might make you feel in control or that you won something but the reality is not real change.. the reality is just a season of selfish excitement..

The fix.. putting officials in place who will pass laws to limit the power certain entities have.. or to at least enforce the laws already in place.. but the problem is that that would require alot of time and effort.. and few govt leaders have the character to truly invest themselves to ensure justice and the good of the community.. most are like the rest of us, they wanna do their job and go home to their family or to play with their toys or just sit around their fire pit with friends in their backyard.

We need leaders and govt officials who possess courage in this difficult economic season..

We need ppl in the public, the common man, willing to be the watchdogs who hold them accountable, who commend those who are sincere and effective, and who have little patience for the corruption and greed that is often swept under the carpet.. instead of letting corrupt leadership line your pocket to keep you quiet and looking the other way.. at the expense of our communities and govt and nation.

The lack is ppl of good character on all levels..
To correct the greed and selfishness that is eating away at the foundations of our nation, ppl need to change from the presidential office to the homeless guy occupying the street downtown. There will be no true and lasting change by demanding change from others.. it will only become a reality when EVERYONE changes and cleans up their character, takes on more responsibility, gives more of themselves to serve in whatever ways they can, works, is more honest and less selfish, is full of courage and no longer content with the appearance of things that mask a lie.

My question to ppl occupying our streets is what have you given up, what have you sacrificed, how have you changed to bring about the change you are demanding from our government and our officials and our community?

Real change requires a give from both sides.. not just demanding the right to take... demanding the right to take without giving back makes you become exactly what you say you are fighting against.

OCCUPY

2011-10-30T15:22:00.001-07:00

OCCUPY: Here's the irony of it.. from the mouth of ppl attending such events.. they have meetings to support LINK.. Liberty In North Korea.. freedom for those suffering under communist government.. and yet many of the same ppl organize and attend meetings to Occupy Clarksville and Nashville.. with the intent as they explain to change our government.. the irony being that they want to liberate a communist country at the same time they want to move our country toward socialism, which is the proven stepping stone to communism... history proves that socialism is not a sustainable government, it always leads to communism.. it just seems like a contradiction to me..

I strongly support their freedom to protest.. it just seems that they are protesting out of frustration about difficult economic times with no actual focus and plan of how to bring change that is truly expedient to society as a whole.. as long as they are peaceful in their protests and not causing drama for media time and disrespecting police officers who are employed by citizens of Clarksville to keep our streets safe.. I applaud their freedom to protest and feel that arrests and harassment are violations of their rights as members of our community and our country..

They are right on in their frustrations that serious change is necessary.. but much of the media coverage I have seen are exaggerations and displays for attention.. little is shown of the antagonistic actions and verbal assault that many protesters unleash to push officers to react. That's not peaceful protest. Some ppl are just good actors, but your pant leg pinned to the ground does not cause the excruciating pain and writhing on the ground that they fake for drama. Hype stories of bystanders behind caution tape, just watching the events, and yet attacked with pepper spray by police is ludicrous.. if such video exists and is truly accurate, they have video tape of officers breaking the law.. but there is no lawsuit.. because the truth of the matter is that they were either warned to leave the area or they were directly involved in the protest.

Yes, change is necessary, yes you should have the freedom to stand on public streets and peacefully protest without fear of being arrested as long as you are not threatening the person of bystanders, opposition to your cause, or the police who are there to guard the safety of the public.. including that of the protesters. Bring change.. I want it too.. but no one is going to really hear your concerns if you are exaggerating facts and over dramatizing behavior for media attention.. it just makes you look foolish and hurts your cause.

Occupy is merely a first step, a coming together of those who want change and who are willing to take action.. but their character and intent and focus remain unclear.. currently it comes across as selfish ambition.. think through what you want.. truly think it through.. that means considering realistically what are the consequences to what you see as necessary change.. what is the definable goal.. where are you heading and where are you trying to take us as a community.. how are you gonna protect and ensure justice with the government you envision.. how will it differ from Animal Farm..

You gotta be honest with yourself and those you are trying to convince of your concerns.. what mistakes has Occupy made so far.. what are you willing to admit you were wrong about and other ppl were right about.. only then will you be able to breathe life into your desire for change.. only then will you be able to correct the margin of error that is in every movement.. get your intent back on track.. get away from the behavior and the drama that has drawn disgust and suspicion from the public you are trying to convince to change.. it's not the government that's gonna bring change.. it's the public that brings change by who they put in those places of government..

Capitalism and Democracy are not the problem.. consider the past successes of such systems.. compare the history with that of socialism and communism and dictatorship.. it's not perfect, but it's the best ship afloat.. it is the only government that allows the public to legally bring change, to have a voice and an opinion.. the issue is not our government system.. it's the ppl we put in charge to make it work.

So much more comes to mind on the topic.. but bottom line.. officials should leave protesters alone if public safety is not at risk.. and protesters need to rebuke their own ppl who demonstrate exaggerated behavior because they are hurting their own cause.. just my initial thoughts on the matter.. but I am open to discussion on the matter.. peaceful discussion in an attempt to come together to find a solution that is truly expedient to society as a whole.

October 31st

2011-10-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

~ Foggy morning again.. what's up with that.. makes for a spooky halloween weekend.. and the dogs in the neighborhood are not helping, Goku howling in the backyard and unusual constant barking from several others.. kinda eerie.. maybe the fog is freaking them out.. idk..

~ Halloween trivia: The Jack o' lantern was actually called the Jack of the Lamp.. Druid priests would walk the moors looking for human sacrifices and they would invite demons to possess them in the night. They would carve faces into turnips of the demons they were inviting and put lights in them as lanterns as they walked the dark moors.. the Jack of the Lantern was the demon of the lamp, their spirit guides of sorts as they celebrated the feast of Samhain (the god of death).

~ More trivia: The pope tried to deter ppl from celebrating the feast of Samhain when it migrated to the Americas.. so he declared Nov 1 would be ALL HALLOWEDS DAY or ALL SAINTS DAY (hallowed means those who are worthy of praise or honor.. like the faithers of the faith, Moses and such), to celebrate the saints of the church, in an effort to give the ppl a fall festival alternative.. it didn't work.. They still celebrated it and began calling it ALL HALLOWEDS EVE.. which became HALLOWEEN over time.

~ The feast of Samhain was celebrated on October 31st, so the pope had chosen the day after the feast as ALL SAINTS DAY (November 1).. but the two just merged into ALL HALLOWEDS EVE and ppl continued to celebrate October 31st instead.

~ More trivia: Druid priests had weird diets, similar to witches.. they ate eccentric things.. and so as they would gather victims to sacrifice to Samhain at their ceremonies, they would often stop at houses along the way. Ppl would prepare their favorite foods and make them as comfortable as possible in hopes that they wouldn't take someone from their home or family... that's why kids knock on your door and yell trick or treat.. you give them candy or something they like, or else they punk you or your house in retaliation, lol.

~ Raising our kids in church.. we always tried to give fun and exciting alternatives.. to strip them of such social and community events completely seemed kinda mean and unhealthy to us.. even tho we are still not fans of halloween.. they didn't trick or treat until they were teens, and then it was more just dressing up and walking around the neighborhood with their youth group friends and being silly.. it kinda became their decision as teens how they would celebrate the event socially.. they had and have lots of fun with it.. I'm proud of their decisions and trust God to guide their hearts in it ♥

~ Afterall, Jesus sat at controversial feasts with crooked tax collectors and prostitution in the back room.. that's why the Pharisees and the church crowd called him Beelzebub (son of the devil), and a WINEBIBBER, a drunk... his own disciples were disgusted with him for wining and dining with Matthew and his bunch.. and yet, he set the example of separating his character from sin and sinners.. and yet, going to the lost and socializing with them in community, being a friend to them.. not an evangelist or a prophet or a church guy.. rather...
a friend.

vote for Tim

2011-10-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hey my friend is in the running to win Taylor Swift tickets.. go to this link and like the picture to help him out. He is holding a sign that says Turn Me Up ^_^

Www.facebook.com/sydneycubit

what then?

2011-10-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

‎"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." (1 Peter 1:24-25)... ppl are gonna wither, they're not always gonna be there when you need them, they are gonna fail you at some point... what then? what remains despite the trials of life, the disappointments, the discouragement..

what continues to stand strong despite it all, that truth that gives peace of mind, that helps you find the courage and joy and hope that you thought you lost..

the voice of God that whispers to you, without fail, without faltering.. the words he speaks.. hold on to them, they will never fail you, cuz he will never forsake you. You are not alone despite how alone you feel ♥

dividing soul and spirit..

2011-10-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

‎"The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)...

What a great passage!.. it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.. separating what is in our heart from what is in our conscience.. an accurate picture of the warring that goes on inside of us when we wrestle with sin and temptation..

that is why it is so dangerous to judge the appearance of things because you may be judging what is in the soul (the mind, the flesh, the reflex response to the initial attack which is seldom accurate as to who the person truly is, or how they might choose to change as things play out)...

while the person is fighting with every thing in them to yield to their spirit (the conscience, the CHOICE they are truly making despite the appearance of things or their initial reaction).. Only God can see the whole picture..

that's why we are not to judge.. the separating of soul and spirit is a process.. the true state of their heart and their choices at any given moment is what God is waiting on. There is a time to be patient.. and there is a time to judge.. but all things must involve seeking God and waiting on his timing.

Moses was at first a coward, trying to get out of what God was asking him to do, to lead his ppl out of Egypt.. he was looking at the appearance of things and judging with his head and his thoughts, his soul.. but after the wrestling, after conversing with God, the Words of God convinced him otherwise and his conscience won out, he chose to go with what was ringing in his spirit, the Word of God.

The same example is seen with Gideon, and with countless others in the Scripture and in the world around us. God speaks, ppl hear his Word, they react with their soul, their thoughts, their flesh and physical man.. but then as the Word rings in their being, it separates the soul and the spirit and they must make a choice which they will submit to, which they will embrace as truth, which they will actively respond to.

Nothing else has that power, nothing else can affect a person in those deep places.. only the Word of God.. it is not to be taken lightly or to be minimized as tho it is merely just another opinion we are to glean from, tossing out what doesn't appeal to us. It is truth in it's entirety.. not all truth, but all we need to live this life on earth until Christ returns.. Then he will share all things as necessary.

It can be sharp, it can cut deep, but always with love and goodness and always to bring life as it conquers death <3

Common Sense

2011-10-26T05:32:00.001-07:00

~ ‎"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)...

gotta read it to know it.. gotta trust it to live it ♥

‎~ ".. rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness..." when ppl judge the appearance of things, such things don't look kind and loving.. enabling ppl in their sin, failing to protect the innocent from the selfish, ignoring commands on the lips of the same God to take a stand against injustice... some things don't look like love and kindness.. but they are, in the purest sense ♥

~ we are told to be slow to anger..
we are told to be angry but not to sin in our anger..

we are never told that anger is a sin.
even tho anger doesn't look very kind or loving..
sometimes it is right and a good thing.

~ sometimes, to quote a good friend..
‎"...looks like deja moo"

(the same old bs again)
... so true, so sad, so hysterically funny ^_^

DREAM: When Three Storms Converge

2011-10-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night that I was in my yard with my kids and some friends and I noticed the sky was looking pretty rough.. it began to drizzle.. I was in the back yard as we were working in the yard or about to cook out or something, so I went to the front yard to see where the storm was coming from.. but it was coming from all directions and yet no direction, so I ran to the back yard and told everyone to get inside cuz it was about to get ugly.. you could just feel it.. and then it was like they realized why I was concerned and began checking the sky. Someone yelled, "wow, it's like three storms all converging!" And I said "yeah and right over us.. so lets get inside." Some continued to watch the sky in amazement, others helped me grab stuff, and as we were heading for the back door I said, "here it comes.. you can hear it!" I ran inside with several others, but a cpl stood on the porch just wanting to see it to the last minute before running inside. It was a heavy, huge rain that was coming. And that was it.

I know alot of ppl put no stock in dreams.. I think they have relevance at times, so many stories but no time to share them here.. but either way.. just wanted to encourage you to pray for your family and friends and those close to you at the moment.. spend time with them, bless them in some way, go out of your way to strengthen your relationships with each other and with God.. I just feel like something is coming, some kind of crazy attack or several, that it will hit all around us.. but God is saying that he has warned us and if we are paying attention, we will know the place of safety to go that he has prepared for us.. maybe rushing thru a little drizzle and wind.. but untouched by the downpour. Be praying.. even if this is pizza or a bunch of bunk in your mind.. it can't hurt. Love to you and those you love ♥

Actually, it was my kiddos and some of their friends and not sure who else.. it could be that the storm will hit to affect them since this is such a time of soul searching for so many of them.. perhaps the storms are what will drive them back to the places they grew up in, places where they know God exists and isn't a question mark, places where they once knew peace despite the craziness of life.. some waited until the last minute.. perhaps their mind is more on curiosity or fun times and refusing to consider the seriousness at hand.. perhaps as they feel the sting of the rain as the storm hits with such violence, they will finally return to those places where God first planted them and is calling them to go back to (the battlefield is pretty intimidating). Perhaps, the ark is being filled, so much possibility.. so much prayer that has filled the heavens.. God is not deaf, nor is he one to neglect his children.. perhaps the enemy desires to bring the hammer down while so many are exploring his camp (he knows his time is short and he's not stupid)... either way be praying and listening and watching.. be reading Scripture, be ready to love and forgive and move forward to what ever God has in mind. There will be losses, there will be the temptation to fear.. but don't take your eyes off of the hand of God who has prepared a rock for you to stand strong on.. Jesus.. and all with PURPOSE in mind.. nothing takes him by surprise. He is so proud of you, he has faith in you.. now have a little in him ♥

"When the Sun is Bright, but Nothings Right.."

2011-10-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

~ Oh my goodness, I love this song NO WHERE LEFT TO TURN
http://www.joshlacount.com/#!audio

~ ‎"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will." (Romans 12:2).. so many misguided doctrines have come from this verse.. a long list of do's and don'ts, based on superficial things... bottom line, whatever you are doing, where ever you are going, however you are interacting in relationship with any group of ppl, whether work or school or fellowship... stand out in your character so that ppl can see Christ in you, not so you blend in, but so that they know there is something about YOUR CHARACTER that goes against all that brings harm in this world.

The Rotting Time

2011-10-13T16:14:00.001-07:00

~ A hungry man stands in a beautiful green meadow, and tho the sun shines down and the green of the grass is dark and lush and rich.. he is still hungry for lack of food and soon he will starve to death and die... because even tho some things are beautiful, they don't give life. The only way to live is to rip up the field, that thing that is beautiful but worthless.. and plant something that will produce fruit/food. Hmmm... so much comes to mind when you consider such a thing...

~ The sharp edge of the blade, hooked and plunged deep into the ground.. the farmer plows through the soil, violently ripping thru that thing that once appeared so beautiful. Row after row, until the entire field is laid open and scarred and broken. He works the ground and works it until the green is gone and the once lush green meadow is barren and brown.. no wonder brown is symbolic of humility.

~ The seed is planted and buried in the darkness of the earth.. and the dying begins.

~ Such a parallel.. we are planted in the earth and all of life is that dying process..

~ Looking out across a planted field, the ground just looks like dirt.. but under the soil the dying process continues as the germ (that tiny plant inside the seed) fights to live. At the same time, the seed concludes it's death as it enters into the rotting time... so many ppl are in that rotting place right now in this moment of life.. but there is something I really wanna say about that in just a minute.

~ The seed that dies and rots becomes food for the life that lives inside of it... you know where I'm going with this...

~ And suddenly after that rotting time, the most amazing thing happens to that empty barren field... the tiniest of infants breaks thru the deadness of that soil, and new life is birthed into the earth.. not the same green life that covered that grassy meadow, but a new life that has the power and potential to multiply itself, to sustain life, to take all the rot and death that surrounded it during that dark time in the earth and use it for something good and powerful and truly BEAUTIFUL...

~ The seed was planted and is dead... but new life stands in the field in time.. covered with fruit, with countless seeds.. all in the image of those who died in the earth and rotted to give sustenance and health and strength to the harvest that will bring LIFE...

~ Such is life on this earth.. it is the dying process.. and the life that will come from it will be an eternal existence.. the church has come thru such a time of darkness, that rotting time, such a stench, such suffering and testing of our faith.. and yet, it is a good thing, an exciting thing if you consider the whole picture of what God is doing...

~ All things are ready, the ground is about to burst open, new life is about to be birthed on the scene of the church.. revival is at the door.. don't let this rotting time discourage you.. ask God, truly seek him, petition him with all that is in you to use this dark time in your own personal life to bring strength and health to what he is about to do in the church as a whole. Your hurt, your suffering was not in vain, God wasn't blind to it, nor was he deaf to your cries, he hears the dying, and he weeps just as Christ did.. but he waits for the right moment to bring the greatest good to those he loves. And he loves you.

~ The rotting time is coming to a close soon.. but it must reach it's darkest point before the church emerges strong and refreshed and full of LIFE once again... the season is changing, and so is the face of the church.. Christ is still the head, still the image we are to conform to and to reflect.. but God is about to do something new that will affect a generation and the world. I truly believe that. The timing of much of that is going to depend on each of us dying to our own will and seeking God for His to be manifested in each of us.

~ Malachi 4

1For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

2But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

3And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

4Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

~ Malachi 4 was the last chapter of the OT.. a dark time for the nation of Israel, 400 years of silence, God did not speak.. then suddenly there is Matthew 1.. the Gospel, Good News.. God had come to us.. Come Lord Jesus.. we need you as never before.. hope has been so deferred and our hearts are sick.. arise and bring healing to your Church ♥

Fight Wounded

2011-10-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

~ Stop telling ppl that the pain will go away and there is healing in this life.. not all healing comes in this life, tho it is coming... Scripture speaks more of fighting wounded, of faithfulness unto death.. peace and prosperity are the hope of the heart, but not the reality of this world.. tho it is real and waiting for us, a little further up the road as we pass from this life into His immediate presence... FIGHT WOUNDED, GET UP AND KEEP WALKING, LIFE HURTS, BUT YOU GOTTA GUT THRU THE PAIN... that was Christ's example. Such sacrifice, such dying and death to self.. for the goodness and glory that will bring an end to pain and suffering once and for all... by the grace of God.

~ To be alive, to have our spirits awaken to the reality of Christ and the Spirit of Truth, is to suffer thru the storm that is life, the war zone that cuts us and rips us open.. the hurt is deep because we are alive and able to feel the heart of God.. if it didn't hurt, we would still be dead... pain is a sign that you are alive... the sting of injustice, of betrayal, of disappointment and discouragement.. Be angry, but sin not.. fight against the right enemy.. such pain and suffering is what Christ came to end, but death is the price that must be paid to end it.. are we his reflection or not?...

~ When the enemy wins a battle and cripples you.. you learn a great lesson.. you learn that there is a real enemy and that you bleed.. you learn what your own screams sound like.. you learn that the pieces of your heart can be violently ripped from your chest and showered on the battlefiled.. and yet you learn something quite incredible at the same time.. you learn that it won't kill you.. you learn that to live is Christ and to die is gain.. you learn that battles are lost, but there is a war to win at the end of this road.. you learn to trust that God is good tho the current circumstance is the purest blackest evil.. live and learn ♥

~ Everything in me wants to give up.. everything around me beats me to the ground and screams at me to let go of the promises of God.. but there is a whisper in the core of my being that says "no..." I'm not quite sure who it is, if it is me or my God, I just know that that whisper is so solid and strong that every doubt is removed and every temptation is resisted and my mind is made up that I will finish this thing even if it kills me... the dying is so hard.. but to live after death will not be taken from me.

~ The fight is merely making up our minds to trust God in all things... even when healing never comes in this life, even when injustice seems to prevail, even when the world seems to pass us by and a physical or emotional poverty seems to plague us... it is sitting in the ashes of absolute ruin and heartache and still crying out that "even if He slay me, yet will I praise him!"... it is not the circumstance staring us in the face in this moment.. it is our love for him and his love for us despite it all.

~ We hope for mercy and healing, we cry out to him, we know he will answer in his wisdom and in his perfect timing.. hope for it.. watch for it.. and rejoice when you see it.. but know that this life is not the end of God's time frame.. quite often that hope, that mercy and healing, comes on the other side of eternity.. the key is to trust God and to know that God is faithful either way.

~ When you read the Gospel, Jesus says that life will be hard, that we must be faithful to the end despite the pain and suffering we would endure.. that the hate and rejection and betrayal and disappointment he encountered in relationships with ppl, would be the same experience we would have... how in the world did we as the church begin to assume and to teach that life would be easy as long as we say the sinners prayer?... Christ's whole msg was about hope despite suffering, about enduring hardship until the end.. his disciples were rejects and died painful deaths.. such should be our cross to bear as his followers, his family, and his friends.. or are we all just posers?

~ Cry out when you are attacked, scream in your agony and your pain, life hurts, you have permission to cry and to ask God about the why's and for direction and for comfort and for something to help you find your feet again as you scrape yourself up off the ground.. but you don't have permission or excuse to give up or to quit.. ask for comfort, for God to hug you and hold you and carry you when no one is there, or for him to send someone to be his arms and his hands and his feet in your life.. it's okay when it hurts so much your walk gets messy, just be sure to always be moving forward, and to clean up along the way.. no one said it was easy.

~ You are GREATLY loved... you are beautiful.. despite your messiness, with your dirty face and your sweaty ripped up clothes... with your scratched up shield and the faded banner flying over your head.. God sees your weaknesses and your failures along the way, but he dwells on your courage and your persistence and your heart... you're doing good.. you're gonna be alright.. God's got you, just keep moving forward no matter what. There is an end to this rough road that is life ♥

AGNOSTICISM... the great cop out

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

~ "I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed -- I, and not some foreign God among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God." (Isaiah 43:11-12)

~ ‎"It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him." (Deuteronomy 13:4).. respect those authorities in your life (parents, pastors, teachers...) but follow only Christ, and that with an even greater respect. He loves you with a love that no one else can match ♥

~ Love always.. but only follow what you see in another person's life that reflects the character and person of Jesus Christ. Sadly, just because they wear the name Christian doesn't mean that they reflect Christ, and just because they don't doesn't always negate the goodness in their character.. the proclamation is so true, "What Would Jesus Do?"... know Him, study Him, talk with Him.. and then follow all that aligns with who he is ♥

~ The holiness of the Pharisees duped an entire nation to follow them into the ditch... Christ came and shook up the church world so much so they called him the "son of the Devil (Beelzebub)." Sometimes the most religious ppl are the ones that fail to reflect Christ at all.

~ And yet, some of the kindest ppl rejected Christ as God altogether... they acknowledged his kindness and emulated it, and yet they chose to reject him as Lord of their life... such kindness should be something we adopt and follow as a reflection of the character of Christ... and yet, guarding our hearts to not let half truths lead us astray into a doctrine of devils. Consider the effectiveness of Sheep's Clothing used to cover a devourer...

~ Christine brought up the other day during our walk and chat that if we truly know and love and spend time with the One True God... we will know the counterfeits when they cross our path, we will know what is truly God and what isn't. It made me think about the sheep knowing the shepherds voice... "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me..." (John 10)

~ ‎"Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you..." (John 10)

~ ‎"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matt 10)... be careful about proclaiming agnosticism just because it's trendy..

~ Agnostic... (A = not, GNOSTIC = know)... the belief that you cannot know if God is real or not... but that's not what God says... to deny all that he has said and done to convince you to believe, even to the point of coming to the earth and dying to free us from our guilt and sin... I see little truth in agnosticism. Rejecting Christ is a choice. You choose to believe or you choose not to believe..

~ Agnosticism is merely a lukewarm heart... "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev 3).. that means vomit you out of my system, cuz such a trendy lie makes God sick to his stomach.

~ ‎... so what does any of that matter anyway... if you don't believe.

~ My Dad always said... "A man is only as good as his word."

~ My Heavenly Father said it this way... "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." (Matt 5)

~ Basically, let your word and character be so faithful that when someone asks you "Yes?" and you say "Yes" they know you will stick to it no matter what... or when someone asks you "No?" and you respond "No" they know you are a man of your word. Such proven and consistent character has no need of swearing or taking oaths.. ppl know you as being a man of your word... that's what Christ wants our reputation to be.

~ Yes, I know sometimes my words sound harsh, but you know that I love you, truly love you (and that he loves you so much more than me).. reject me, I'm willing to risk that... if it keeps you from rejecting Him ♥

~ God never ceases to amaze me how he cares for us... tragedy and hurt happen in life.. but looking back, God's hedge of protection is always so evident.. How Great Is Our God!

It's Just a Deeper Truth

2011-10-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

~ If an apple falls to the ground... and everything that is released falls to the ground.. it becomes an understandable scientific law that there is a force that pulls it down and that everything dropped will hit the ground... however, if you knew nothing of helium gas, what might go thru your mind as a balloon is released?...

~ How far beyond that concept is the mind and workings of God... gravity is real and certain every time a person jumps off a building and splats on the ground.. and yet, there is more to learn to explain that rare phenomenon that causes a balloon to fall upward... some truth of Scripture is gravity and easy to demonstrate every time, and some truth requires a deeper investigation and expanding of the mind.. but the bottom line is to know that God and all that he has declared in his Word is TRUTH, no matter how incapable our minds are of wrapping around the craziness that is life... we are so small in the infinite expanse of such a huge God.. makes you wonder why he would even acknowledge us.. let alone, create, die for, and love us so completely ♥

The Down Side of Freedom

2011-10-04T07:09:00.001-07:00

~ When I was a new Christian at 21 years of age, I just wanted so much to know the Truth of what God wanted of me and concerning life... so my petition to God often included a request for discernment... later in my walk I learned that you can have all the discernment available but if you lack wisdom, you can really make a mess of things.. so I began to always couple that request for discernment as well as the wisdom to use it... made a huge difference, tho I blame it for turning my hair gray, lol.

~ I am at a place in life as I approach 50, where I have begun to ask God to add to those petitions for discernment and wisdom... courage... we are entering days when acting on our faith and speaking up about injustice is becoming more and more difficult... as our freedoms are challenged and taken from us, it will require much courage to follow Christ and his leading.

~ Cause and Effect... these days minds are manipulated by preaching theologies and social injustices based on the Effect, while ignoring and minimizing the Cause.. the result is a generation being duped into embracing Socialism while they mask it with other names and color it up as something new.. To effectively bring change that guards truth and justice, it is the Cause that must be examined (as well as the Effect).. otherwise you're just smearing dirt around instead of getting at the root of the fungus...

~ Elementary school carries so many memories of teachers that truly affected my life... incredible teachers.. God sent I sincerely believe.. I am not a big history buff, but in the fifth grade I had a teacher that was so passionate about history and was just a good person all around.. I had a great respect for him. For some reason, the only thing I vividly remember him saying was concerning Socialism... he said that it is not a sustainable social climate.. that Socialism will always be the stepping stone to Communism, history has proven that there is no way to prevent that gradual slide. I see it in our country, the battle for the mind of a generation.. if just one generation embraces it, we are well on our way and regaining our freedoms will require much bloodshed all over again if ever. We are at the door and it's a frightening thing.

~ The best way to shut someone up or to silence their voice is to label them in a way that causes ppl to only hear their label and never what they are trying to say... alarmist, opinionated, fanatic.. that's what happens when truth doesn't matter any more... when ppl begin to feel their opinion matters more than those opinionated fanatical alarmists... When govt fails to give ppl a seat at the table to at least be heard by ppl who have the freedom and power to act on what they are persuaded of, ANIMAL FARM has become a reality and the PIGS ARE RULING THE BARN... *grin*

~ If a generation chooses to embrace Socialism... they have the freedom to do that... but not for long.. as Communism emerges, they will no longer be free ppl, they will be government owned and operated, they will be made to work hard and keep nothing, they will eat from a ration card and it will never be enuff, and there will be no more doors of opportunity to change your life or the world around you.. Ppl in Communism want to be free... it's like hotel California, a prison, a hell, but when you finally wake up.. there is no escape... that's the down side of freedom, you can choose to give it away.

~ ‎... that's the down side of freedom, you can choose to give it away.

Take Courage... and Die.

2011-10-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

~ No matter where your life is at, or that of your parents... no matter where ppl may have fallen from or ascended to... God made promises over your life, plans for good things, don't underestimate your worth or what amazing things you are capable of.. as you have that awakening that God is faithful and will fulfill every promise and declaration he has agreed to (and planned) to do in your life.. the tide will turn.

~ The key is not to look at your life... it will always be filled with pain and difficulty, cuz this world is not paradise.. this world is cursed and a warzone against evil. The key is to look at your life and see the hand of God at work in it since the day you were born to where your feet stand in this moment. Hear Him, See Him, he was always there before you knew him and will remain even if you reject him... it's not about life, it's about how Jesus turns every attack of hell into a win for you when you accept him as Lord and Friend ♥

~ gotta say it one more time...
Jesus turns every attack of hell into a win for you when you accept him as Lord and Friend ♥

~ Life is ugly.. stop letting discouragement lie to you that it's sposed to be pretty, that's how he keeps owning you... discouragement is a a reality in all of our lives, but the voice of hope and truth whispers a way out of every storm.. sometimes it's a process, but God promises that he will walk that road with you no matter how dark or difficult or long it takes.

~ There is no paradise in this life.. there are glimpses of heaven, glimmers of hope, moments of joy... but life remains a painful journey... a battlefield of the worst kind.. death permeates the physical and the spiritual all around us, the sounds of the wounded, the dying, and our own screams under fire... it requires wisdom and maturity to see clearly, a humble heart, a pure heart, patience and courage... all the things that Jesus came to demonstate... to teach us, to train us, to lead us to victory.

~ Life is never gonna be easy, face it and get on with it, and know that you are loved and never walking it alone. It hurts, horribly... I'm not denying that... I am so sorry... God sees your tears and wraps his arms around you as he hooks his under your arms at the same time, whispering.. "you can do this, I got you, just a little further up and a little further in, we gotta get all those depending on us to that final win so this will all be over, I'm so proud of you kid, now lets do this ♥

~ The question is...
How much courage do you think you have,
and how much are your willing to let God hand over to you in this moment?

~ Accepting courage can be a scary thing, cuz with it comes a challenge, much change, and the death of something inside yourself so that others might live.

Life is Smellie

2011-09-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

~ Lots to do today.. so much to complain about.. but it's beautiful outside.. and my coffee is yummie.. and I'm just too tired to not appreciate the little things at the moment ^_^

~ Perhaps that's why the big things go haywire at times.. to help us gain a whole new appreciation for the little things.

~ Yesterday on the ride, I was so impressed by how intense everything smelled, it was wonderful.. and it made me wonder about the seasons of our lives. How sweet things smell in the spring with so many flowers blooming, how the summer is all about cut grass. The fall with it's depth and richness, and the winter with such a void. And I began comparing it to the seasons of our lives... made for some interesting thought.

~ In the spring of our lives, everything is so new to us. It parallels the sweetness and beauty of blooms and flowers and so much activity in the earth around us. Youth is an exciting time. Summer follows with the smell of cut grass, laboring, and yet such intense sunshine. It seems that in those early adult years, work becomes a weight and yet a greater appreciation emerges for the good things in life, the things that really matter.

~ Fall, the harvest, the abundance all around us, the preparation as the end approaches, is such a time of richness and depth and wisdom. All of life around us smells ripe and amazing. That appreciation intensifies beyond description. Making way for the winter, as the air becomes cold and empty, and purpose seems beyond us. And yet, it is a time to open our eyes and see the beauty, the whiteness, the glory all around us as the snow blankets the earth with such ironic warmth and tenderness.. and that final rest becomes a welcomed friend.

~ Life hurts... but what a beautiful misery.. I live because the good things far outweigh the bad.. and because where sin dwells, grace resides in such a greater measure.. hugs to you in the midst of your hurts.. and strength and joy to you as the love of Christ makes it all worth it ♥

~ God prepares us for things... which requires change.. in us and all around us.. it is painful and yet exciting.. confusing and yet makes so much sense.. it effects us and those we love, every life that touches ours.. change is the smell of life, a stench and yet.. a faithful truth with a sweetness all it's own.. seasons will come and seasons will go for each of us.. I have a harvest to continue in that thrills my heart, and yet... rest can not come soon enuff ♥

Little to Do With Food...

2011-09-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

~ Sometimes your life isn't the perfection ppl try to mold you into... sometimes the reality is that you are scarred and damaged and that's not gonna change in this life.. but it doesn't affect the fact that God loves you, passionately, or your love for him.. trials and tribulation and the cares of this life are all just part of this life.. perfection is an internal work.. pressing thru, onward and upward thru the mess.. that's the outward appearance.

~ Often times ppl don't see the perfection that God has worked in your heart and your spirit and your being... because they only see the outward appearance of your scars and the messiness of the process as you conform to the image of Christ... but that's okay.. they are small, just like you and me, but God is HUGE, God is Omni and Beautiful and Good ♥

~ God is so very present.. it humbles me and fills me with hope, so quiet, so still, so constant. The presence of God, my comfort, my strength, and my guide..

~ This is your day.. God created you and set you in it with specific plans to make it a good day, to work every good thing in your life and your thoughts and your being.. agree with him, no matter what gnome is staring you in the face denying that truth, lol... see beyond to the beautiful sky God has set before you, his incredible presence that fills it, his voice in the stillness that somehow silences every storm, including that very storm that is raging around you in this moment. God's got you ♥

~ I would love nothing more than to curl up with my Bible each day and converse with God in the floor for the better part of every day... that was my life once, for one brief season.. and yet, on a sunny perfect day in my yard with my coffee, God whispered to me "this is not the time for paradise" ... and the season that followed hit hard and mean and sudden. Those words still ring in my heart... and are a strength to me.

~ It's hard to live in a warzone, all the while convincing yourself it is a time for peace and paradise... it opens the door to a greater pain and difficulty dealing with the storms that blow thru.. disappointment stands at the door and picks ppl off like fish in a barrel and Satan laughs.. Christ reminded us soberly not to lose sight of the ugliness of life in this world, to hope and fight and keep moving forward, to love, to forgive, to believe Him when everything around us seems contrary.. but to know.

~ life is hard.. we don't walk it alone.. the armor behind us is thin because God is our rear guard.. we are equipped and armed to move forward.. our armor is thick and sure so that we can be on the offensive, going forth, claiming what is God's, hearing his voice and obeying all commands.. all for love ♥

~ ‎"6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."
(Isaiah 58)

~ What is the fast God has called us to... what is the fast that will bring healing to us, to our families, to our nation, to the world?... Isaiah 58... it's not about what you eat or don't eat, God has cleaned it all, everything in the earth is cursed, just make healthy choices as best you can, eat what is set before you as your nourishment is the person serving you rather than your own stomach or physical gain.. this is the fast the true church is called to.. this is the fast the Lord has declared in these last days.

~ The anointing in this hour rests not on the fast of making ourselves more holy physically.. it rests on fasting from our leisure and likes to better the life of others to offer hope and compassion in the name of Christ.. yes, be healthy, but don't live a lifestyle that puts ppl last on your list as tho attempts at personal holiness matter more than ministry to the ppl God has placed in your path.

~ Christ left peace and paradise and home and hearth... he lived in discomfort, giving up what he was wanting to do, compromising his own health to death... we say it is our heart to be like him.. but I think sometimes we convince ourselves we are living like him all the while we cater to our own comforts and selfishness.. distorting and corrupting the true face and identity of the Church... brings to mind the passage.. from Matt 7..

~ "20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matt 7)

~ Sacrifice your comfort in some way today... not an inward sacrifice that makes you holier.. rather, do something you may not feel like doing to bless someone who needs to be reminded of the love of Christ, that God sees them, that they are not alone in this world... the same msg Jesus came to tell us, that made us fall so completely in love with him ♥

~ Giving up a day off, giving up a moment of catching our breath and relaxing, doesn't have to leave us depleted and exhausted.. often times, it can recharge us and increase our health and performance in every area of our life.. when we fast God's way... God has promised such a sacrifice, such giving of ourselves, such embracing of our own discomfort with a cheerful heart and love of ppl, will bring healing to whatever hurts we are seeking to be healed of... success to our failures.. peace to our storms.. we give from our brokenness and God blesses everyone that it touches, including us and those we love. That's POWER!

~ Fasting God's way has little to do with food.. it has everything to do with choosing to live in discomfort, giving up your likes and saying "my pleasure" with all sincerity rather than as a trained monkey.. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen..?" (Isaiah 58)

~ Such fasting cannot be dictated... it's a choice.. a personal work.. don't let someone guilt you into it, or brow-beat you into it.. it's a challenge put on the table by authority and teachers, to remind us of the word of God, and yet, it's up to us to pick it up as God directs us..

Bible Believers

2011-09-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

Often times, I think we insist that ppl be on the same page with us.. when Christ is trying to open our eyes to the fact that being in the same book is the bigger picture ^_^

Maybe, Maybe Not

2011-09-22T08:15:00.001-07:00

~ I talk with so many ppl who are discouraged lately.. legitimately discouraged.. yes, there is such a thing.. and often times the response is to just reject church and the ppl of God and the Truth of the Bible in their pain... I get that.. have been tempted to do the same after so much disappointment in my own life.. but such a response locks you in a prison of despair and hopelessness. It's a subtle deception, and oh so deadly. Don't stay there ♥

~ Two pillars you have to make up your mind about is that 1) Jesus Christ is God become man because of his love for you. And 2) He left us a handbook with just enuff information in it to get us thru this life and his Holy Spirit to help us understand it. Selah.

~ Some ppl know they are embracing what isn't truth.. just as Satan did.. but pride and selfishness cause them to make excuse, just as Adam and Eve and each of us do when we pick up a lie and try to defend it as tho it is right and true ^_^

~ Some ppl don't know that they are deceived... but God will always reveal truth in such matters, somehow, in his perfect timing... ppl of a right heart (that good soil) will choose to reject the lie and turn from it, seeking God to clean them spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And he will ♥

~ I can tell you I would stake my life on the fact that the Bible is Truth, and that I will not waiver from that.. I can encourage you to believe the same.. but I am not the one to convince you to believe it.. it is the Spirit of God who draws you to Truth, and it is your freedom to choose what you believe is the path to life and the path to death.

~ "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.." (Deuteronomy 30:19).. It is your right to choose what you believe, no one can manipulate or force you to make those deep decisions and commitments of faith... nor can they undo your choices when life after death becomes a reality. Choose wisely, this is your last shot at LIFE ♥

~ Some ppl choose to reject Christ.. to write their own Gospel, to follow another teaching, to cry "Fine, curse me Jesus, I don't believe in you anyway!" What if he is real, what if everything else really is a lie, what if everything in the Bible is true and all the warnings that you can't change your mind after death are the ultimate reality? ... maybe I'm wrong, maybe centuries of believers are wrong.. maybe not.

~ Fear.. intimidation.. if someone is unknowingly or carelessly handling a case that contains a dirty bomb.. the warnings I yell to them as they scoff at the reality of the situation would very much sound like fear tactics and intimidation.. but their life and the lives of others around them hang in the balance of what they choose to believe.. no matter how manipulating my pleas to convince them of the seriousness at hand may seem.

~ Scrape the candy coating off of every philosophy and the reality of every teacher or believer of any faith is to persuade you that what you have believed is error and what they believe is truth... truth doesn't matter to some ppl because the candy is so sweet and pure and stress-relieving.. but sooner or later that outward appearance wears thin.. and your choices leave you with a truth that proves to be truly good, or a deception that fills you with shame and regret.

~ Some mainstream churches are teaching that the Bible is error and myth.. but when asked if that is what they are saying, the response is, "no, I'm not saying that.." Then the examples are presented using supposition and assumption to say exactly that. There is something at work, a deception birthed that Revelations speaks about.. the frogs (symbolic of lies) that come from the mouths of teachers and leaders in the last days. If you don't believe that Scripture is the measuring rod to check truth against.. I fear for you ♥

~ God created us as spiritual creatures, and sent his Holy Spirit to guide us to truth.. God also created us as physical creatures, and gave us a handbook to guide us to truth.. When we reject the maps that walk us safely thru this warzone of life.. we are lost and tortured and slaughtered... sheep gone astray and food for all that is evil.

~ But even as we stray, Christ came to search for us.. to get us back on the path, to reveal himself, his spirit, his word to us.. so that we would not be deceived, so that we could know Truth and Goodness and Love in it's purest form.. As long as their is breath in our lungs we can talk to God about any or all of that.. we can ask questions, we can call upon him to talk to us and reveal himself to us.. Come Lord Jesus, Come Holy Spirit.. it's one of the last things said in Scripture..

~ Ask him, Challenge him to reveal himself, reason with him with all the zeal and passion you would with me or any other follower of Christ.. debate, dispute, question, get emotional and graphic and low down dirty and real with him... no one has to know, just you and him, any place, any time... I just encourage you to do it with the utmost respect you are capable of.. I stake my life on the fact that he will answer you without question.. whether you choose to believe him is up to you ♥

More Negatives About Positives

2011-09-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to me that during this month when so many are praying against depression and suicide, that this huge push toward positive thought and rebuking ppl for expressing their hurts and concerns emerges as the response by so many. Just seems like a huge error to me. Could push ppl over the edge who already feel guilty for the mess attacking their lives at the moment. Really hate that positive-thought movement, it's such a subtle way for the enemy to silence ppl and to put chains and weights on ppl. Christ came to free ppl of such a thing, to free them from emotional and physical bondage, and here we are as Christians often times binding up those that Christ is trying to free.

When you think about it, it's a brilliant attempt by the enemy... for so many reasons..

It puts ppl in the mindset of being silent, of failing to communicate what is happening in their life, to fail to tell their story and allow ppl to witness it as they walk it out.

If the enemy can condition ppl to be silent in such a way it will keep us from sharing our testimony with the power it was intended to have. And the word of our testimony is the second weapon in our arsenal in these last days.

And the fact that he enlists Christians to do his dirty work... well.. we have all seen the effectiveness of sleeper cells and terrorism.. we often times cut off our nose to spite our face not even realizing how much damage we are doing.

The positive thought movements are not of God... I hesitate to even call ppl Christian who follow it. I don't see Christ in it at all. The truly frightening part is that it is so subtle, it sounds good and right, but it goes against the teachings and ministry demonstrated by Christ and laid out in Scripture. Makes me think of when Christ told his disciples that they didn't realize what spirit they were of... zeal can take ppl in such a wrong direction, so quickly.

Negatives About Positives

2011-09-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

~ No one wants to hear just the negative in a person's life... but ppl that only want to hear the positive aren't the kinda friends I would want and are definitely not the kind of person I would want to be... Jesus said to bring him your burdens, most ppl in the Bible were coming to Christ with the negatives in their life.. sometimes they got rebuke, sometimes healing and comfort.. but always truth and love and compassion.

~ Christ welcomed ppl that brought the negatives and burdens of their life to him.. in the middle of the public square, the social network of Bible days.. if you are going thru something or stressed or frustrated, and you just need someone to listen or be that sounding board or just to hear that someone cares and wants to encourage you to better times... your real friends want to be there, they want to hear it.

~ Especially during Sept, suicide prevention month, talk to someone, encourage ppl to be open and to reach out when they are hurting rather than wearing a mask like life is superficial and everything is fine... God cares, and there are ppl who care, maybe it's private msg, maybe it's a public msg.. examine your heart, be watching for hope, be searching for the Light in your situation, but don't be afraid to say, "I'm hurting, and life isn't good right now."

~ Just realized that Corinne Bailey Ray's song, PUT YOUR RECORDS ON is a response to Bob Marleys song THREE LITTLE BIRDS... so great ^_^

~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIjkW6iyXNo

~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkEeNpWMvgk&feature=related

~ If Christ had slammed hurting ppl.. how effective would his ministry have been?... He said for us not to grow weary in doing good... it's tempting to get tired of hearing about ppl's problems, to only want to hear positive words from ppl's mouths, to rebuke or shun ppl for expressing the challenges and hurts in their life.. it can be tiring and exhausting.. I pray God's mercy is great to you when sudden storms violently cripple you and your world.

~ How long did Job cry and sit in the ashes scraping his wounds with broken pieces of pottery, asking God what the **** is happening and declaring that it would have been better if he had never been born?... His "friends" rebuked him and looked down their noses at him in his pain and groanings.. Christ's response was so different when he came to the earth, not for the ppl who had it all together, but for those who were hurting and needing help.

~ Ppl without Christ are hurting in some area of their life, just like those of us with Christ... it rains on us all when the storms hit.. we look to Christ and those who reflect him for comfort, and yet we fail to be there for others when they are hurting because we just don't want them to drag us down.. wow, can't imagine how Christ views that. Maybe like the man who was forgiven a debt and refused to forgive a much smaller offense. Takers all.

~ We complain when insurance companies send ppl home too early before they recover, and how rushing them out the door actually slows their healing process or results in them returning to the hospital.. and yet with emotional hurts that often go much deeper than physical wounds... we rush ppl thru their pain and healing process claiming that they need to be more positive or optimistic..
*profanity warning*

~ Our frustration with ppl that are seemingly negative or pessimistic is often times our own failure to be compassionate, empathetic, and patient... if only we could see that beam in our own eye that Christ talked about... ppl that truly know each of us, could tell us some things we seem to fail at... and yet we have our reasons to justify our bad days... *I need some air*

~ Some ppl are whiney, and pessimistic, and negative... but it's easier to blow behind their back or avoid them or complain about them when they're not around, than it is to build true relationship and earn the right to speak into their life, to love them, to open the door of communication in a way they can hear and comprehend... to invest in their life and spill our own blood for them.. You're either their friend plain and simple or you're posing as one.

~ In truth... we all fail to take a hard and honest look at ourselves, because we know that if we do, we will find that the failure is more our own than other ppl.. maybe it's not that they stopped talking to you cuz they can't use you and you stopped giving them attention... maybe it's because they thought you were someone you aren't, maybe they were reaching out in their pain and desperation the only way they knew how and you had too little to offer.

~ I know alot of ppl with legitimate hurts, that are afraid to even reach out in small ways, because they are afraid their "church peers and leaders" will think less of them, that they will think they are not positive enuff, or not Christian enuff, or failing in some way that will only increase the rejection they feel already... that's not love, that's business... is that what the church has become?

~ I will never reject Christ... and because of his love for me and my love for him, I will never reject his ppl, the true Church. I will not get so frustrated with how little I see Christ in so many Christians today that I stop meeting with other believers.. Christ commands us to continue as the Church... he said it would be this way.. but he said to remain faithful to the end. Change isn't coming to the church. It's here. Each of us must determine our response.

~ Our response will not be the same... you might wear a mitten while I might wear a shoe, our children might disappear under a coat but they will remain a rib and just as equal and as plain and as naked as the nose on your face.. the church has lost it's identity.. but if believers truly seek God in this hour... he will remind us who we are... and our face will once again reflect his image. He has not changed, we have all strayed for so many reasons.

~ Father, gather your sheep... we are scattered and lost and so in need of you. Speak to us, give us ears to hear, feet to obey, and hearts full of courage. Put your hook around our neck in love and jerk us back to the flock, lift us onto your shoulders and reclaim us as your own, you never give up on us, help us to understand that commitment and faithfulness so that we never give up on you and never give up on your ppl. In the name of Jesus, Amen ♥

~ Don't lecture me to be more positive or that I'm being too negative... walk with me along the Greenway or let's go have a drink... and while we are catching up or laughing or pouring out our hearts to each other... ask me with the utmost sincerity and love,
"what the hell is wrong with you?"...

Stand then...

2011-08-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

~ ‎"When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." (Psalm 94:18-19)

~ ‎"Even though I can't see the sun through these clouds
I know it still shines
Even though I can't feel Your love through this pain
I know You're alive

Even though I can't understand
Why this storm still blows, and
Even though I can't hear Your voice
I love Your rain

Even though I can't see the way up ahead
I know that You lead
Even though I can't feel Your presence now
I know I believe

Even though I can't understand
Why the storm still blows, and
Even though I can't hear Your voice
I love Your rain

Who can measure Your greatness
Who can count all Your faithfulness
Who can doubt that Your presence
Silences every lie."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zHdrqh6l7s

~ Our city mayor just signed a proclamation making September Suicide Prevention month.. so timely.. Suicide has robbed me of friends and family in the past.. there is such a heavy hopelessness weighing on so many ppl right now.. everyone feeling alone, everyone disappointed by ppl they once leaned on. Pray against that spirit of suicide.. in the name of our Lord Jesus. I claim an outpouring of hope, an anointing of faithfulness on the ppl in their lives. Pray now & thru Sept. I just don't think this is coincidence.

~ so many have come thru a season of such loss.. a friend sent me this video recently and it just resonates of that sorrow and hardship so many are feeling... and yet as they come to the end of themselves much like the end of this song... they resolve to fight, to stand, much like is declared in Ephesians 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFmBFDz2VTA&feature=related

~ "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then..." (Eph 6:13, 14a)

~ an evil day is definitely upon us.

~ how to respond? How about this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ptqw0HzSXk&feature=fvsr

POWERFUL... oh my goodness... much needed declarations and proclamations.. anointing all over this one!

~ "bleed the blood, plead the blood" brought such a covenant to mind of our commitment to Christ... the mingling of our blood, our promise, our hardships, our own crosses he warned us we would be made to carry as we are hated and attacked and betrayed as he was... I could just see our hands each stained with our blood poured out for the cause of Christ and love of God clasped in agreement and Oneness to fulfill the commission he began and trusted us to live out on this earth ♥

a time to heal, and a time to not...

2011-08-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

~ All the rot of this world and of ourselves becomes food that nourishes the germ of life that God guards within us so that life can be preserved and multiplied... but oh what a painful process... death and dying and murder and evil... so glad this existence is but a vapor in time... were it not for life multiplied in those I love, I think I would pray for a wind to disappate me and get me gone =)

~ It's so easy to show a text or an email to smear someone else.. all the while failing to mention all that was said and done thru conversations and phone calls where the whole truth is revealed.. be careful what you believe about someone else if you haven't gone to that person and asked for yourself, be careful how you judge, cuz God says it's gonna be measured back to you.. RAMPANT in the church as a whole right now... yikes.

~ So I had set my towel on a compressor box in my livingroom while the power was out (eternal remodel continues)... shook it for some reason when I picked it up and a spider falls out of it... I squished it, went to get a tissue to discard it, when I got back it was gone... it had continued to crawl along missing body parts and half flattened... found it and put it out of it's misery a second time... and yet...

~ I felt bad for it in it's suffering... cuz I found myself relating in some bizarre way... some days I feel like that spider, missing parts of myself, half crushed and wounded all the while just trying to live.. to survive. God heals but it's not always time to heal... some wounds release a fragrance much like crushed rose petals, some wounds serve to nourish the well being of others and are added weight to the cross we are called to carry. His promise was never that this life would be without pain and hardship, his promise was quite the opposite about this life... it's his promise about the life beyond this life that makes it worth it all.. no matter how much we vomit from the pain.

~ please excuse the stench of my vomit...

more conversations with GABI

2011-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Gabi:
I'd reallyyyyy appreciate your prayers. The Enemy is REALLY trying to stop me flying home. I'm having difficulty finding a flight I can afford and now this morning my insurance company have said I'm going to have to jump through hoops to get them to cover me for the rest of this year. And then they won't allow me to renew my policy in 2012. Ugh.

Selah:
will definitely be in prayer... for you to remain in the center of God's perfect will according to his wisdom and his mercy... I know that is your heart... the enemy can challenge that but he cannot stop it. Strength and love to you Gabi ♥
"Father, I ask you to comfort my sister... the journey has been so long thru this dark time. You have never abandoned her thru it, but hope seems so constantly deferred. Keep her heart from sickness, give her strength, renew her hope and her joy and guard her health. Open doors and give her insight to know which ones to walk thru, close every door that will only hinder and confuse. Give her favor with her insurance company and with her financial supporters. And yet, keep her from getting ahead of you or behind you... do a work in her to keep all that she does according to your perfect timing, and fill her with peace as you fulfill every promise you have made. Guard her thoughts and her mind as well, open your word to her as never before and give her direction in the big and the small. We give you thanks and praise with humble hearts, amazed at your constant care of us. We love you Father, Lord and Spirit. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Selah:
Sometimes we feel so alone in this awful world.. I wrestle with that as well. But he has not forgotten you and he never will... one of my favorite names for God is "El roi" which means "the God who sees me"
He sees you Gabi, always, and he fights for you, always. The enemy can growl and spit and sputter, but God equips us to win.

Selah:
From the Narnia book series, in THE BOY AND HIS HORSE it tells of him escaping on horseback and a long journey to get where he was born to be... along the way he encounters different cats in the form of a lion that chases him and scratches him causing him to weave along the path in the darkness during a fearful mad dash thru the night... of a little cat that keeps him warm in the dessert when he ends up locked out of the gates of the city, alone and afraid and separated from his friends, wondering if he will reach his destination or not... eventually he reaches a place in the story where he talks with Aslan in the garden as they stroll along in a brief but long awaited conversation. And Aslan reveals that he was the lion and the cat and all those things that appeared along the way to keep him on the right track and to care for him in the journey... I was reading this late one night my first time thru the book series and just began to cry so hard from deep places... no Gabi, he has not forgotten you ♥

Gabi:
oh I love that...maybe i'll re-read the books one day. listened to a sermon yesterday and the guy preaching said some of us feel like we're in the hardest season of our whole lives but that we're so close to all He has for us that the enemy has sent in re-inforcements to try and stop us entering the Promised Land. REALLY resonated. ♥

Selah:
I just mentioned this passage yesterday in Sunday School...
"They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
We are living in the last days, no doubt.. but no matter how bloody his attacks... God says we can and will triumph over him, in the name of Jesus.

Conversations with GABI DICKINSON

2011-08-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

conversations with Gabi, young missionary who contracted malaria while ministering to children in Uganda... endless months at deaths door, and God's constant love for her... light in very dark times...

Gabi:
can't give an answer to all those asking her what she thinks His purpose has been in me being so very, very, sick & having to come back to England. Yet she can say in the past three months she has been entirely re-made from the inside out. My story basically screams'' Love brought me back to life.''

Selah:
scream it girlie, whisper it, write it... any way you wanna say it, the Spirit of God has prepared you and is preparing you to share it.. just as he is drawing ppl to hear it... to truly hear it... he is about to use the seed of your life that died so completely in that dark place to raise up a harvest of life.. be strong and courageous, be watching and ready, be you, not a cookie cut out, rather be the ugly duckling that God designed you to be... ppl are about to see you as God sees you, absolutely BEAUTIFUL, absolutely a reflection of Christ like never before ♥

Gabi:
oh wow He really said that? And haha about the ugly duckling, sure feel ugly! xx
I keep re-reading those words...
And I really feel like that seed part...oh dang Jesus...

Selah:
The past three years have been a bloodbath for so many believers... I don't understand any of it.. but there is a turning of the tide... you can feel it... so many are touching on it... and your testimony is one of the examples of what God was working during those times of darkness.. a great LIGHT is about to be seen and a great harvest is about to be delivered from the blackest darkness of this world. I truly believe that. He gave the stories.. the testimonies... the words that align with his WORD to those who he knew would be faithful.. there is just so much in my heart about it all... so much I can't put into words.. but I see it so clearly and He is standing (not just at the door) but in the threshold of it to manifest it for all the world to see. We live in exciting times. We are exciting ppl, with exciting stories to tell of the goodness of God despite the enemy's failed attacks. Jesus Lives and has made us to live abundantly, even when heartache seemed that it would destroy us. Good times are now. Good times are yes and amen. In the name of Jesus. Love to you, Thank you for being so real, so beautiful my friend ♥

Gabi:
Mmm does this resonate with you too?!
the end part about knowing something is going to grow and refusing to leave? yes!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFmBFDz2VTA&feature=related

Selah:
I am at a loss for words... this spoke to deep places in my soul, places that have been ravaged and wounded for several years now... absolutely that ending of hope and faith and fight.. "bleed the blood, plead the blood" brought such a covenant to mind of our commitment to Christ... the mingling of our blood, our promise, our hardships, our own crosses he warned us we would be made to carry as we are hated and attacked and betrayed as he was... I could just see our hands each stained with our blood poured out for the cause of Christ and love of God clasped in agreement and Oneness to fulfill the commission he began and trusted us to live out on this earth. I will definitely be passing this link to many others ♥

Gabi:
Hehe just remembered something a friend said to me when I was in hospital in May/June: ''this verse has always given me strength and hope when i thought i just didn't have the strength to make it and everything seemed senseless: i think your spring is on its way, my dear little kernel ;)
http://bible.cc/john/12-24.htm

Selah:
‎"And die - The whole body or substance of the grain, except the germ, dies in the earth or is decomposed, and this decomposed substance constitutes the first nourishment of the tender germ a nutriment wonderfully adapted to it, and fitted to nourish it until it becomes vigorous enough to derive its support entirely from the ground. In this God has shown his wisdom and goodness. No one thing could be more evidently fitted for another than this provision made in the grain itself for the future wants of the tender germ."

Selah:
Never heard this brought out before about all dying except the germ and all that dies being for the purpose of nourishing that germ.. our life is poured out for the health and wholeness of others just as Christ was the first fruit and poured out his life for us. He has called us to do the same... Immediately the story of Job came to mind and how the enemy devoured and murdered his life but God drew the line to preserve life in Job.. and it was that life, that germ, reserved and committed to God, that was the power of his testimony that has brought life and hope and truth to so many of us concerning the love and goodness and greatness of our God. Gabi.. the presence of God is so very near every time we share about the things he is speaking in our lives. We can't be the only ones... God is doing something in his Church, in his ppl, as a whole. I am in awe of our God and his love for us ♥

KARITSA... pushing back against the darkness of these last days

2011-07-29T08:21:00.001-07:00

My daughter and some friends have been involved in music projects for years... they recently put together a new band called KARITSA (which means LAMB in Finnish). Just performed their first show at a local underground music venue called THE COUP... they allow all expressions of music, including Christian.

My daughter wrote the lyrics... and my favorite line in the chorus is "We're all worth fighting for! I'm worth fighting for!" Powerful ambient, rock genre. Here is a link to their youtube... check it out if ur like us and into cutting edge music. Not just cuz she's my daughter, lol, because it's part of a wave of expression rising among this 18-22 year old generation that is tired of being pushed around by the darkness in these last days. God has come down and is speaking to them as never before.. there is a revival coming on every level... and the darkness trembles because Jesus Christ is their battle cry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnzku7aeHUU&feature=player_embedded

we who?...

2011-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

~ God doles out mercy, and just as surely... he doles out vengeance.. I trust his wisdom...

~ Love can't be put into words... but you know it when you hear it... Love can't be demonstrated... and yet you know it when you see it... We wear our imperfections and our attempts at love appear off color... and yet, God walks with us and covers our imperfections so that others are able to hear the Gospel thru our crummy words, and to see Christ in our grimy hands... It's pretty miraculous ♥

~ ‎"5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1)

~ That light is not a church doctrine... it's not even words written on a page... it is the unity and bond of Father Son and Spirit as laid out in the Holy Bible and inspired by the leading of the Spirit of God. Don't point me to a byline in some paperwork... don't quote Scripture to me if you haven't prayed over the situation.. it is not one or the other, it is the whole... Satan's technique as he tempted Christ was to take parts of the Truth to bring confusion.. he is no different today in our lives.. if there seems to be a contradiction or any confusion concerning the things of God or his plan for us.. it is our error.. it is some measure of Truth that we have left out or that the enemy has distracted us from.

~ ‎"8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." (1 John 1)... we who?... Christians, church goers, pastors, teachers, musicians, pew warmers, followers, believers... us.

~ we like and love ppl who agree with us, who have things in common with us, who are like us... but Christ says that if we perform the commission he has called us to with such a heart... we are not different from the Pharisees. We are all in need of Christ at all times, none of us is beyond failure and imperfection. If we view someone else caught in sin as less than us, Christian or non-Christian, believer or not, follower of Christ or not, church goer or not, pastor or not.. whatever... we have completely forgotten the Grace of God and our need of Him.

...

He actually compared us to tax collectors and pagans rather than the Pharisees.. just looked up the verse to double check it.. still the same msg tho...

"46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5)

Truth

2011-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

~ So we all know our failures, our sin, our shortcomings.. things that we are in the process of cleaning up but have not perfected... so are we to call ourselves believers and yet not Christians.. are we to stop all ministry and service in his name because not one is perfect but Christ.. the enemy would love nothing more... but is it God's heart that we crawl in a hole for shame of our lack of perfection?

~ Ppl that truly love Christ, fear bringing shame to his name, they understand the holiness he asks us to walk in, and often times the guilt and shame of our imperfections persuade us to withdraw from the things of God, from his ppl, from his presence... and the Church more often than not is the one pointing toward the door for us to get out of Dodge.. but not all, there are voices if we are listening...

~ As the church, as individual believers, we are at a crossroads... divisions are no longer between denominations... they are between pews, between leaders of the same congregations, between families and family members.. Christ spoke of all of this coming in the last days. Guess what... the last days are upon us.. do we ignore the situation or do we seek God for the right response in this hour?

~ when has the right response ever required less than courage, inconvenience, sacrifice and blood?... the easy way is not the right way, the popular way is not the best way, the entertaining way will never be truly fulfilling or long-lasting. Do not abandon your Faith, do not abandon Church as some are persuaded to do and preach... do not let discouragement overwhelm you and cause you to give up.

~ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV)

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)

~ If you're around me long, you're prolly gonna hear some profanity slip at some point, you're gonna see me buzzed after drinking a few, you're gonna see me seduce my husband, you're gonna see me as something other than a church lady.. but I am still a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and I still call myself by his name because he brings out the best in me, and I still meet with other's who love my God.

~ I could pretend you're gonna love me and always witness textbook church behavior from me... but that would be a lie.

~ So does all that justify sin.. God has to forgive us after all... ppl aren't allowed to judge us according to the Bible?... uhhh, no.

~ God may not kick us to the curb as long as we still have a heart to be good, but his belt across our backside is a given if we don't fly right.. he disciplines those that he loves... if you ain't feeling a sting when you act selfishly, if nobody cares that you are loving yourself and others... then you ain't loved. Truth.

As Tho He Did Not...

2011-07-08T06:56:00.001-07:00

‎"I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Ps 138:2)"

God's name means alot to him, and if we're gonna be called by it, we had better live up to it... as Christ-ians.. His Words are also impt to him, ppl should be very careful about twisting things he said as tho he didn't say them..

There is a WIN that waits for you...

2011-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Satan dresses in sheepskin to woo you, to put his arm around your neck, to pull you in closely.. a great cloud of deception brings ur guard down in that moment.. but it is that intimacy, that yoked relationship and trust, that allows him the proximity to slide the knife deep and sure thru the center of your heart.. and in the crippling, he devours all that you love with a greedy satisfaction.. such is the reality of betrayal.

tragic.

But the greater tragedy lies in the fact that we are that sheepskin that he clothes himself in, that he reaches thru, that he hides behind as he weaves his web of deception to steal and kill and destroy. In our weaknesses and selfishness and sin, we are that spouse, that trusted friend, that Christian neighbor or coworker that fails to reflect the image of Christ. Instead we ooze that cloud of deception and open the door for the enemy to attack the children of God and his beloved creation. Wow...

And then, after the deed is done, he sheds us and drops us like a bad habit.. leaving us on the ground covered in the blood of those we love, those we have betrayed, those we have used to satisfy our own greed and lust... we lie grieving and ugly and lost, crying for the rocks to fall on us and hide us from our God and ourselves. Guilt.

Satan steals so much in that moment.

He robs the innocent, those who trusted, those who loved blindly and completely. He robs the weak, each of us at some moment in our lives when we failed to choose what is good and right, when we hurt ourselves and those we love and most of all, the heart of God. He robs those watching, those searching, those so close to the door of salvation who take their hand from the handle in confusion over the contradiction between our message and our walk. He robs God. He robs all.

But what he actually WINS and KEEPS depends on us.

As long as there is breath in your body, there is victory within your reach, a victory that turns the tide, that restores all that was stolen or replaces it with a greater wealth and glory... Specific things, specific victories, revealed only by the Spirit of God to you in that moment of need. It is never too late. The damage is never too much. It is never too broken. The glass and rocks and mess along the path may be painful under your bleeding feet, they may open more wounds upon your body and your heart as you crawl along, but there is a WIN that it is leading to that you cannot see or imagine. You just have to trust in the One who has promised that he will fulfill it in the end. The path must be walked, the process must be complete, you gotta fight to keep moving forward as he makes you able. Choose to take back what the enemy has stolen. Choose to keep breathing, to keep fighting, to endure all, to trust and know that God remains on the path with you, that victory is his promise, that the blood and darkness and evil that surrounds you lies... Satan lies.

He wants you to stay down, he wants you to believe that hope is not a reality, that his lies are true. Don't give up. Know that the scars have purpose, that every drop of blood, every tear, every cry... will be rewarded and then some. Your hurt is not in vain... If God keeps every tear in a bottle, and records every deed in his book... trust me... everything you endure in life, big and small, matters...

including your choice to repent... to change... to resist evil... to restore what you can and to trust God to heal those you have hurt.. to help others to forgive you, to forgive yourself, to find your feet again, and to walk faithfully by faith once more. You failed, you fell, you sinned... now get back on your feet and make up your mind to let God bring change in you, in your heart and in your circumstance and in the lives of those you love. He forgives seven times seventy... that simply means that he forgives perfectly and completely every time you need and sincerely desire forgiveness. Ppl struggle to forgive, and that's understandable when the hurt and betrayal are great... but God will walk them thru their own journeys in that. You may never lose your sorrow over what you have done, you may never be completely forgiven by the ppl you have wronged, not in this life anyway... but such is life, such is repentance, such is restoration, and recovery and the process of healing and wholeness...

Just get up and get on the right path no matter how hard it is.
Tell the devil he is a lie!
Recognize his tactics... God says we aren't ignorant of them. Seek out wise counsel that you trust, that measures itself to the Word of God and with prayer. Forgive yourself, demand nothing from those you have wronged, not even forgiveness (it is -- and must be -- a gift afterall)....

God will lead you in the way that you need to go,
It's up to you to follow his lead no matter what it costs you, no matter how much of yourself you are asked to give up. No matter what consequence scars you. Some wounds are self-inflicted... but they can be healed just the same when we call upon Christ to help us.

Rise up and walk, in the name of Jesus, our Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Amen.

And Yet... There Is Hope

2011-07-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

In response to a comment by a college age friend..

"I believe God has turned America over to its own lusts and preversion, exactly as Romans 1 describes. Why? Because they have submersed the truth, and loved evil. As C.S. Lewis described, those people will eventually live with their horrible freedom for the rest of eternity. That's the last thing we want. Pray for the revival that's been coming for some time." Incredible College Age Guy I Know

................

This may well be true... and prayer always makes a difference.. but there is a prevalent attitude in the church these days similar to that of many ppl during the sinking of the Titanic... what is to be our response as followers of Christ? Not really responding to your post, but thoughts that came to mind after reading it. I love your passion and zeal for the things of God...

But it does seem to be the attitude of many to stand on the bough of the ship and yell that it is sinking, while ppl are drowning all around them and needing assistance into the life boats. What is to be our response... perhaps to help the injured find a seat to safety, perhaps to pull those drowning in black icy waters of the world to a place of warmth and salvation, to be that hand, to offer that blanket, to cry by their side that their loved one didn't make it, to pray that some how they did, to salvage food for their bodies, hope for their soul, and encouragement for their spirit...

All that is happening in the world attempts to silence the church and we must not go quietly, and yet, the state of our nation comes as no surprise... it is Scripture afterall that men would choose selfishness as a majority... I ask myself often lately, as I lie scarred and bleeding on the battlefield... where is my strength to continue, how do I stop the intense bleeding of myself and those around me who lie mortally wounded... yes doom and gloom in our face, it is our reality..

"All these are the beginning of sorrows.Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matt 24

and yet...

There is hope on the horizon, those trapped in the darkness of this hour and in the rising flood of a sinking ship need to hear that message of hope... all is not lost, there is salvation, there is a path that leads to better things. None of this has taken God by surprise, none of this will win because Grace Does Much More Abound... If all is lost, our nation, our families, our possessions >> atheism/Islam prevails, America falls, divorce, death of loved ones, starvation and homelessness... Christ will remain with us and he expects us to continue to believe in all that he has promised... and that we will continue to tell others about that confidence and faith in that plan of Salvation which is Truth.

I love that you have such a heart to listen for a word from Him, and that he honors that by speaking to you so often about such things. Here is a quote from a missionary that has remained in my heart lately. such a powerful word in these dark times of personal hurt and loss felt by so many, around the world, not just in our backyard...

"To truly live. To choose love through the costliest of risks. To choose peace over comfort. To see the lifeline in your promise before the circumstances around you conspire to agree. To know that there is always a cost to love and that it is always worth paying. To choose to see scars as Life’s signature..." Gabi Dickinson

Tangled Up In Your Feet

2011-07-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

‎"To truly live. To choose love through the costliest of risks. To choose peace over comfort. To see the lifeline in your promise before the circumstances around you conspire to agree. To know that there is always a cost to love and that it is always worth paying. To choose to see scars as Life’s signature..." Gabi Dickinson, young missionary to Uganda

Some ppl can go thru horrible circumstance and still live selfishly, never understanding this truth.. others can merely witness it in the lives of others and empathize so deeply that such love becomes a part of their heart forever.. some ppl live a life that others cannot imagine and will never know because the appearance of things fails to reveal the depth and reality of the scars they carry in their body and on their heart... the key is who God has called you to be... we are all selfish ppl to some degree... how much of self are we willing to give up, how much hurt are we willing to endure, whether or not we receive comfort for our pain in this life, no matter if others offer sympathy and compassion or NOT, whether no one ever knows the whole truth of our suffering or not... God sees, He values every tear, he values every act of faith, he treasures every sacrifice made in love... God sees... you matter... he will carry you, he will equip you, he will cry with you... Jesus wept, he is fully God and fully man... he did not cease to feel and express those feelings just because he ascended.

We look at others and their issues seem huge or they seem very small... and yet, we watch them and we judge them and we measure their lives to our own tho God continually says not to. We are to watch Christ and follow him, and we are to love ppl in their hurt and their failure and their success.. we are to hate their sin, their selfishness, and the circumstance of this sick sick world... but we are not to lose site of the truth that this life has purpose, you have purpose, we all have purpose... and God loves us despite the stink we are covered in and the yuck we puke up and willingly consume again and again. That's Bible... like a dog to it's own vomit... change only comes when we choose to change... one thing at a time.. each in it's own timing, each as God works a process in the fabric of who we are, some work is quick, and some is very time consuming, and some we will never master... but all he asks is that we have a heart that sincerely tries.

All we gotta do is make up our mind, ask him how to do it, and he leads us in how to change that one thing that he is talking to us about in this moment. Different conversations with each of us, but God is talking to you, to me, to every person on this earth... in our own love language, in our vastly different needs... to bring us further away from who we were to who we want to be... go with him, go with God, his Spirit is the hound of heaven and will track you and tangle himself all up in your feet to get your attention and to let you know that his presence is always with you, always loving you, never giving up on you, never abandoning you... my daughters dog annoys the **** out of me every time he is loose cuz he walks on my feet and has to brush up on my ankles when you try to run with him... it's his way of letting me know he is there and he loves me and enjoys time with me...

Love God, Love Ppl, tangle yourself up in their feet and in their path not so that you become annoying, but in a way that wins their heart. I love that goofy silly cheesey dog... cuz he makes a point to love me... how much more does Christ love us as his creation, as his children? How can we think we know how to love better than he does?

To love like Christ... is to live like Christ.

Hell... and other necessary chores

2011-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

~ Really bummed about the emerging theology about hell lately... that it is not a literal place... very baffled that mainline denominations and about half of the Christian community (including some leaders, local and celebrity) are accepting and teaching such heresy. To say that "hell on earth" in the form of trials and tribulation is the hell that Christ warned of is false doctrine... not the Gospel of Christ.

~ The Gospel is that God became a man and dwelled among us, fully God and fully man, died in our place to free us from our sins... sins that condemned us to hell, that place of eternal separation from God, prepared for the devil and his angels, but expanding itself to contain all who choose to join in rebellion against God. If I reject Christ.. I reject salvation.. I reject being saved from a literal physical hell.

~ You don't have to believe me.. it's a faith thing.. but Christ warned ppl more about hell than he spoke to them about heaven... it was important to him to say something.. and he has commanded Christians to speak the same warning... Christ is alive and well... and hell is a literal physical place of torment just like he said it is... pls accept Christ as Savior so he can save you from going there.

~ So if I avoid God until I'm perfect, I will never get to enjoy walking with him, and I will never improve in any area of my life.. he loves me despite my imperfections, but he expects me to constantly be working toward the perfect plan he laid for us from the beginning.. free of tears and all the things that hurt ourselves and one another.

~ Don't follow me, my example is "as filthy rags"... that's pretty apparent... follow the one that has asked us to follow him... Jesus Christ ♥

~ In all of my imperfections and failures, Christ says I can hang out with him.. he actually asks to hang out with me... chats with me at the well while I'm doing mundane housework.. enjoys friends with me at the party where most holiness ppl would never be caught dead... he walks with me thru life and convinces me of Truth and change.. each day he draws me a little further in... he never gives up.

~ Everyone around me can condemn me.. Satan accuses me daily of sins that are real and glaring.. but there is one voice that remains in my head above them all... he believes in me, he talks to me like I am the beautiful person he sees in me, he brings out the best in me and cleans up the worst, bit by bit, day by day.. always patient, always with loving discipline, always with clarity. He makes change doable.

~ How do you marry the two worlds in which we live... as ppl and yet as children of God.. we are both, there doesn't have to be as much contradiction as we assume there is. Sex as God ordained it is a good thing. Fellowship and Wine as God ordained it. Life and Reality and Truth as God ordains it. It's not as hard and impossible as we make it out to be. He's right here with us, inviting us to ask him.

~ When I was eight, I had a friend whose family didn't have a mower or know how to use it. So I took our mower and mowed their yard. First time I had mowed a yard. It was a hack job. Then I mowed my own yard soon after... and my father decided to teach me how to do it right since I was so determined. Each time the missed strips got smaller and smaller and my skills as doing it right got better and better.

~ I am still not perfect at mowing a lawn... none would call it perfection. And my dad had to reteach me a number of times and always just enuff that I could keep in my head and grasp. I accomplished a little more each time, and so he imparted a little more wisdom to me each time. Until he had poured into me all that he knew about yardwork and then it was up to me to do the best I could each time.

~ That's my vision of Christ, of my God, of my heavenly Father and his Holy Spirit as I am growing up in Him. I can't mow a perfect lawn, and I can't be perfect in this life, but one day.. mowing the grass will no longer be a necessary chore and striving for perfection will be a thing of the past.... but today is not that day ^_^

Every Word Will Happen

2011-03-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

~ Ran into a friend at Kroger who asked me what I had been doing all day... to which I replied, "well.. I got my toe nails painted."

~ The grass is always greener... they think they want to be here, and I am convinced I would love to be there... but we both have a lawn to mow either way.

~ The world tried to ignore Hitler and think positive thoughts until it was too late and so very many lives were lost... today the trend to ignore evil and deny it's existence in the name of peace and positive thought is more rampant than at any time in history... denial from a personal level to an international level.. it is scary.

~ ‎"The World's Christians are in Danger," Franklin Graham.
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/franklin-graham-christians-muslims/2011/03/18/id/389992

~ Scripture warns of end time events and the evil that will thrive and appear to have the upper hand... we are to occupy until he comes as best we can... but our hearts should not be afraid, our hearts should look up as never before, watching and listening for him as we labor... our redemption is near, he will come for us. Ignoring the truth all around us won't make the evil go away or fix things. Look up!

~ The message of John the Baptist was to Repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord... that message is in the heart of the Bride today as the Bridegroom approaches. Christ's marriage to the Church, his ppl, mirrors the Jewish wedding customs of Betrothal and the coming of the Bridegroom.. Scripture is full of symbolism of that time of Rapture... the Bride is to be ready and watching for him.

~ That doesn't mean to retreat to a hole in the ground or into the mountains of seclusion... it simply means, what is that thing that God keeps gently speaking to you about. That thing that he so lovingly reminds you that you need to change, that thing that you know is a stain in your life that you need to clean up. It's betwn you and God, you two are the only ones that understand. Do whatever he's telling you.

~ It's that simple and that clear... put your finger on the problem... ask him to make you able and to help you see clearly.. ask him who to trust for advice... he will send someone, he will speak thru someone, whether they realize they are his mouthpiece or not... but he will answer and he will help you clean up the oldest of ugliest stains in your life and in your heart. It' time, and you know it. He loves you.

~ Repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord... no one knows the day or the hour, not even Christ himself, only the Father knows when he will send him to get his bride, only the Father knows when all things will be ready... but their is an anticipation and a longing in the heart of both the Bride and the Bridegroom. The Spirit of God bears witness to it in the heart of every believer. There is a crying out.

~ ‎" “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22..

~ "35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”" Luke 12

~ Jesus tells us what will happen today in these end times and he tells us how to react... even to the point of assuring us that the Spirit of God will give us what to speak when our faith in Christ is put on trial... Luke 21

~ Luke 21

1And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

2And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

3And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

4For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

5And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

7And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

12But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

13And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

14Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

15For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19In your patience possess ye your souls.

20And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

29And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

30When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

31So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

32Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

33Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

37And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.

38And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

~ It's like reading the headlines in the world news... Some are markers for the Rapture.. some are further along into the time of Tribulation... we really need to go thru the time line again... the time of Daniel's trouble is betwn God and Israel, the Bride is not meant to go thru that time of Tribulation, she will be taken out before, those in the Church who are waiting and watching for him to catch her away before.

~ Doom and gloom is repulsive talk cuz it will be a scary time on the earth, fear is the trigger that causes ppl to respond with anger.. often ppl get angry at such Truth because they feel the stirring in the world around them and they are afraid, usually that fear is because they don't understand what is being asked of them.. but in Christ, his Word, his Spirit, we can have peace. Each of us must choose to trust Him.

~ There is a definite plan laid out in Scripture, glimpses of what is to come, all that we need to know... not all the details cuz we cannot understand the mind of God... but there is enuff to give us warning and to tell us how to prepare our hearts, what to do and what not to do. In a crisis moment, at a crucial time, there is an emergency procedure... this is that emergency, the last days. Stick to the plan ♥

~ so yeah, just another day in the life... so let's live it good ^_^

~ Had the most vivid dream last night... marked by colors, full of imagery, those are the ones that go in my prayer journal.

Leaves

2011-03-22T17:03:00.002-07:00

~ it's like the wind... it's a following, a leading, a not knowing, and yet an understanding... it is a Spirit filled life... it is mysterious and yet sure.

~ Ever get to the end of your day and look back, knowing that you were everywhere you were sposed to be when you were sposed to be there, and yet you are no where closer to nor further from any one thing than when you started that morning...

~ some days... the purpose just isn't clear.. it's as real as it ever was, solid and etched with deep cutting... but out of view, untouchable and silent, foreign to the senses.. and yet written in your heart and mind, a burned in and intimate knowing...

~ So often the plan takes you in a direction for only a step before a detour opens up and what seemed to be the path has become the sidenote on a road that deterred you to be exactly where you were sposed to be... life is funny, not always entertaining, but definitely with a sense of humor and irony =)

~ Leaves blow in the wind revealing it's direction and then fall to the wayside... such is the life of the Chrsitian. We move in the direction of the Spirit for one brief breath of life on this earth and then to dust we return.. but what we leave is the way to Truth, the forward motion of the will and plan of God for others to glimpse and to follow. Our lives reveal the Way to others... that is purpose, divine.

Walls... the prelude

2011-03-22T17:03:00.001-07:00

Sitting in the backyard the other day and looked down at two little plants that had sprung up... So much came to mind in an instant that i definitely plan to blog about first chance i have.

[image] http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/196215_160598363998038_100001436269515_374408_6995128_n.jpg[/image]

God doesn't see our smallness or the limits of our situation, he sees us in our wholeness, he sees us in the here and now on the battlefield... and yet victorious in our eternal circumstance, all in a single moment or glance. The world looks at us in the physical, but God sees us as physical and spiritual in One... and that is the image of true greatness ♥

Religiously Correct

2011-03-15T10:16:00.001-07:00

hmmm, been thinking lately about how much God gets blamed for things so opposite to who he is or what his heart truly is... usually by the religious crowd.. and the next thought in my head coined a phrase that may or may not be original, tho it matters little... but what of the Religiously Correct?... those who mistake and teach their own convictions rather than the true Word and heart of God...

Daddy's Hand

2011-03-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

~ I love my Sunday School class... I love the ppl and the teacher and the lesson and the presence of God that rested on every person there today... thank you Father for loving us like you do, for allowing us such a fellowship. Thank you Jesus for making a way for us to enter into the presence of God, and for inviting us to follow you. Thank you Holy Spirit for walking along side of us and leading us in the way of God.

~ Love and Prayers to you for a blessed week full of God's presence and the leading of His Spirit in every area of your life. Jesus loves you, truly, and God is with you, never forget that.

~ Hell was never intended for mankind... it was created for Satan and his angels, those who joined in his rebellion, when mankind sinned, hell began to enlarge itself for those God intended to be with him in heaven... free will... it's a killer...

~ "“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt 25

"Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it." Isaiah 5

~ God never intended for mankind to go to hell, it was a place for Satan and his rebellion.. but because of free will, mankind chose to join himself to that rebellion and sent himself there. God sent Christ and did all that he could possibly do to keep ppl from having to go there. He is a loving Father who sacrificed all, even the life of his own son to make a way of escape for each of us and all of us ♥

~ I love going thru the time line of God's plan of Salvation.. it truly exposes the lie of Satan and how he blames God for all the evil and suffering in the world.. surely it hurts the heart of God to have sacrificed so much to bring an end to suffering and death, only to be blamed by those he loves so completely.. he was and is betrayed so terribly, and yet his love for us is unchanging.. I love my God, he is Good ♥

~ About 3 to 4 weeks ago a high school teen asked me about hell and suffering and salvation. Since then it has been conversation after encounter after teaching and the topic just keeps coming up. I find that interesting and exciting and truly something God seems to be addressing lately.

~ I have posted this before but Quenton mentioned some things God has been speaking about the urgency of prayer in this hour of the church and it brought it back to mind. It consists of three prophecies given at the the 1906 Asuza Street Revival concerning the last days. So prevalent today and a sobering reminder to check ourselves as we use care concerning what we put our yes and amen to.

~ ‎"In the last days just before the return of Christ...

1. There will be an over emphasis on power rather than righteousness.
2. There will be an over emphasis on praise to a God they no longer pray to.
3. There will be an emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit rather than the Lordship of Christ."

~ The focus must remain: the Lordship of Christ, prayer, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness knowing that God will fill us... that is the practical side, the doing, the constant wrestling with ourselves to keep all things in line and aligned with the perfect plan and will of God.

~ self examination first, not condemning others so that we can hide behind the smoke screen of their sin. Pray like never before, I believe it is a command like never before and the true church will make it a priority.

~ Don't let this 2012 hype put your focus on: Having spiritual power and being able to manipulate ppl, elaborate praise that becomes an entertaining emotional show feeding the flesh as we lie to ourselves that our motives are pure, labeling ppl according to their gifts and exalting such gifts so that it becomes idolatry... This is harsh, but the focus must remain the things mentioned in the post below...

~ spiritual power and authority are important as is undignified praise from the deepest places of your soul, and spiritual gifts are the equipping of the saints for the edification and building up of the ppl of Christ. However...

The focus must remain: the Lordship of Christ, prayer, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness knowing that God will fill us... that is the practical side, the doing, the constant wrestling with ourselves to keep all things in line and aligned with the perfect plan and will of God.

~ If we step off the path in the slightest fraction of a mis-step... it will lead us and others into the ditch, and to all manner of evil.

~ A wise person would do well to not believe everything they hear no matter who they hear it from... except when the speaker is God himself thru his Word. Ponder all things, good bad gossip prophecy whatever... use that back burner until God confirms Truth as only he can ♥

~Was gonna weed out our VCR tapes that we never watch any more.. but my college age children have informed me that such a thing is punishable by death and eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell... O_O
scary... needless to say, we are keeping them.

~ Who would have thought that little FOX and HOUND and IRON GIANT were so essential to the balance of the universe... alto, it is pretty stinking cute that they love them so ♥

~ I have had the privilege to watch a couple teens fall in love, get married, and bring a precious little boy into the world, all in God's timing. The videos and updates, without fail, have been pictures of God's love as Abba Father. This couple has even chosen to have their children call them Abba and Ima (msp'd?) for Daddy and Momma. Recently they posted a video of their little guy standing for the first time, his attempts at it, and a moment in the floor with his Abba as they played the guitar together. So very precious and it brought to mind our heavenly Father once again, and his great love for us...

...what a precious daddy. So many men would freak out if their little one touched their guitar or their drum or their whatever, but this young Father sits there and encouraged his son, sharing his heartbeat with him, such videos of the two of them are glimpses of God's love for us.

Every time this little one bobbles and almost falls, Abba's hand is there to catch him. Every time he makes an attempt to stand or stands, Abba is there to rejoice with so much love and pride. Our heavenly Father nurtures us in our walk is such a similar way. I love this recent video, truly truly blessed me ♥

SET APART, not out of reach..

2011-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

~ ‎1 Peter 3:15
In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

~ So often in the Christian church we separate ourselves from the world so far that we are unable to reach the lost... praise to a God who covers our arrogance and mis-steps with his grace... he finds the voices that will be his hands and feet, undaunted to plunge headfirst into the darkness of this world... and he gives free will to the self-righteous to build their fortress of mud in the ditch.

~ wow, so excited about the passion of you college ppl... the response to Deep End is crazy, seeking God for an authentic Revival of a Spirit Led generation rooted and solidly grounded in the whole Word of God... you are the leaders that will usher in that great end time revival spoken of in Scripture. Each generation has a purpose and a calling... and yours is quite incredible. God has made you able to preform it.

~ My generation failed and succeeded in our calling, and yet the will and plan of God was fulfilled by his grace and power. This generation, with the failures and successes of every generation before them, as well as that of their own, will also perform the will and plan of God that he has called them to as his church. He has promised to complete the Good Work that he has begun in you. You will succeed.

~ The enemy has fought your generation and tried to silence you.. because he fears you... and he fears you because he sees the anointing of God on you... Jesus Christ has marked you with his name and his blood and given you authority over all the works of the enemy in his name. The last days are upon us and a great falling away is at hand as discouragement causes the hearts of men to grow cold... and yet...

~ A Great End Time Revival is upon us... and God has anointed your generation to lead the Church into it... talk about being chosen... I cannot wait for God to reveal what that is going to look like... we are about to witness what the entire church age has labored so intensely to usher in and sought to see. Your existence is no small thing, you are key to the entire plan of God. Be faithful and full of courage ♥

~ I have no idea what that is going to look like.. don't lose site of what God is doing.. don't let the enemy take you off on a tangent.. continue with all that Christ told us to be busy with, occupy until he comes, raise your family, work your job well, mow the grass, wash the dishes.. but be watching for a move of God, prepare, study to be approved, let God equip you. Serve and live life and love, up to the very end.

~ There is a stirring in the heavens. Everyone is feeling it, everyone is seeing it manifest in the world around us thru natural disaster and bad economies. And it will only increase just as Scripture says. But our response is one of hope and faith in Jesus Christ who will keep us thru the storms of life. A sword may pierce our hearts, but we will LIVE and be healed and witness the joy and goodness of God.

~ There is a definite end to evil, but God is giving every soul a chance to choose life before that end comes. The door of grace is closing... man has joined in rebellion against God.. to remove all that harms in his holy realm, to wipe away every tear, evil must be removed. All who refuse to let go of that evil, to turn from that rebellion will be separated from this realm, the presence of God, peace and love.

~ What more can God do?... he prepared hell to seal away evil to stop it from harming ppl. God is everywhere, it's who he is, it's our inheritance to have dominion in the earth in his name, his kingdom. He created hell for Satan and all who rebel against him, man was never meant to be there. Christ did all to keep us from that place, to make a way of escape, because of his great love for us.

~ We rebelled and the penalty for rebellion against God is death, period. None of us could die to pay that price cuz we are are guilty of rebellion. We condemn ourselves to hell when we reject the only thing that can release us from that guilt. It would take a man who was without sin, who was innocent, to die. That would make mankind one up, and that was the only way to pay the penalty and set us free.

~ God was the only one who could become a man, but it would require a great sacrifice, it would require taking all the sin of the world upon himself and dying a sinners death... how unjust must that have felt to suffer and die for someone elses sin and guilt, and yet God became man and died such a death so that we would have that one up marker and could get that extra life, that eternal LIFE.

Those called Christian... Repent!

2011-03-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

It is not the Bible that contains error, it is not influenced and colored by the opinions of men, it is not a book of myths based on customs and cultures rather than the Truth of God... so tired of churches, pastors, Christians, making such claims in one breath and in the next puking out a disclaimer that they are not saying that the whole Bible isn't true.

That's exactly what such claims are saying.
Please receive this in love, sincerely, sincerest love <3

Scripture is not in error... the teachers and governments of the church are in error. It is not the word of God that doesn't make sense or that has failed in any way.. it is the arrogance of leaders and Christians that has failed. You will never convince me that God left us with an unreliable source for centuries now, that the KJV Bible fails to share the heart and commands of God. Men have abused it and drifted from the heart of it and taught their opinions and preferences as tho they are the Word and Truths of God. And judgement is coming to all who have done such, if they do not examine their heart and correct the error of their ways.

Repent.

The word of the Lord is coming to you, and it will divide the goats and the sheep from among the teachers and pastors that call themselves Christian. Judgement and cleansing is coming to the church first... before the end, to prepare for the coming of the Lord, that great revival and falling away, the preparation of the Bride.

Repent.

There is little time left. There is no command but that one that remains to the believer who has failed to put Christ first, who has taught their own gospel rather than the Good News of Jesus Christ. Judgement is at the door.

Repent.

--------------

all this 2012 hype is a counterfeit to something that is truly a move of God.. we would all do well to ponder things in our heart as we measure all to the word of God and with prayer. Believers need to be meeting together as the Church, seeking to come into agreement with the Spirit of God and with each other like never before, pray for a bond of peace despite our many differences and failures.

Something must die in it...

2011-03-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

~ Judgmental snobs... aka Chrisitians... True friends... aka Christians... it's split about 50/50... we all spend time in both camps at some point.. it's a matter of where we choose to set down roots.

~ This August I will be 25 years old in the Lord... in sheep years.. and I have walked thru so much commotion in the Church good and bad, met so many interesting ppl, good and bad, but one thing has remained unchanged... the love of Christ, his face simply becomes more and more clear, what he is and what he's not with every face that claims to reflect him. 25 years of Scripture, God speaking, learning his voice.

~ I look in the mirror and see how much unlike him I am at times, and then I look and see a glimpse of his smile in my eyes... He doesn't change... but thank God I do... I'm full of meanness to the bone in ways.. but I'm not as mean as I used to be.. my ugliness is still as filthy rags in his presence, but he has cleaned the dirt off my face and given me clean clothes to wear. He's working on me daily and I love him ♥

~ Time usually tells because at some point, some time, we are gonna have to make a decision... so time is more a bystander than a determining factor ^_^

~ It's funny how we look back over our lives and so much of what we thought we did right we didn't... but then so much that we thought we really bumbled, actually shines thru as beautiful and good. When it all comes down to it, we wouldn't actually change a thing cuz we would have still been the same person and done it all the same way. Time Machines are over rated.

~ It's so true, the voices in your life without fail affect your perception of yourself.. but at some point you're gonna hear the whisper of God above the roar of those negative voices and your vision will clear. God sees you as what he intended you to be, that's what he whispers to you, that's who you are, you just gotta get still in your heart while the world rages around you so you can hear him speaking ♥

~ Often times it is those closest to you who don't know you at all...

~ What is life... disappointment, in it's purest form..
What is LIFE... promises kept, beyond anything you imagined or expected.

but you can't have one without the other.
So live... knowing that it is the way to LIVE.

~ Some ppl never know tragedy... and will never master patience or compassion... others can merely witness tragedy and they empathize so deeply that it's as tho they walked it themselves... the soil of a person's heart determines so much.. the good soil often requires a breaking, something dying in it to fertilize it, exposure to the harshness of the elements.. and then God brings the increase, the fruit ♥

~ ‎"Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

MEANNESS?... (continued)

2011-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

~ ‎8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15)

~ there is value in that coin, each one was worth a days wages... the culture of that day often involved women sewing such coins on their head pieces or along the edge of a garment... much like the coins sewn onto clothes still in the middle east regions. Her owning this coin was not considered arrogance, she wasn't rebuked for valuing it and keeping it... it was a positive example to express the same joy felt by God over regaining what he values... souls ♥

~ the point is that a wrong attitude is so often seen in us as Christians and we don't even realize it... we sacrifice and strip ourselves of things that tempt us as individuals.. and then when someone rejoices in something we have given up or that we feel is lacking in our own life... we judge them, or say something unkind or rude as tho we are holy and right and Godly. When we are often lashing out at the blessing and goodness of God in a person's life, because we are the Pharisee that has fallen short. You and I sin in such matters all too often.

~ don't get me wrong... sometimes ppl need to be corrected when they are walking in arrogance and hurting ppl... but more often than we are willing to admit, it is our own failure and insecurity that causes our offense... more so than anything wrong they have done. That is the splinter and the beam, the camel and the gnat...

~ if someone is committing adultery, or a pastor is abusing his authority, or someone is molesting a child.. there is a definite and harsh reaction that needs to be performed, still in love, but still severity. But to say someone is wearing too much jewelry just cuz you get too arrogant over the little bit you wear, or to say that a shirt is too sexy on her cuz she is pretty but the same shirt is okay for someone else that you think is less attractive... hmmm... sometimes we lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves and our motives are not what we tell ourselves. Truth in all things, before God (meaning in his presence), before others and before ourselves. It is a difficult line to walk at times.

... or is it just plain MEANNESS

2011-03-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

~ who is RON cuz everyone seems to want MO' of him... *grin*

~ name calling is an interesting thing... everyone does it, whether dum dum or moron or jerk or other choice words... how does that differ from calling someone a snake or a viper... not really an issue, just something that popped into my head this morning... we seem to judge so much so harshly as Christians... and yet we fail to keep a clean house on other issues. Checking myself more than anyone else...

~ bought the most beautiful yellow rose yesterday at Kroger... it was in a bucket of sale flowers... I'm gonna have to post a picture of it I think...

~ a whole $1.50... guys have no reason to not bring us flowers for no reason from time to time... and we have no reason to neglect the little things that bless them as well. I say couples should take this Spring to do all that FIREPROOF stuff for each other.. it's in the air, spiritual air and seasonal, haha. Bethel Community Church is even sharing a timely series titled STAYING IN LOVE, how perfect is that ♥

~ Dad's should even bring them to their daughters from time to time, or brothers to sisters, to grandmothers, aunts, women love flowers, there's just no way to explain it... and when it's done for no reason it just make it crazy special... on holidays is always nice, but it kinda has a little obligation attached at those times. Spontaneous is so great..

~ http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/181793_156513361073205_100001436269515_350977_6753449_s.jpg

~ we, Christians, would do well to examine ourselves when we are critical of others... is our motivation jealousy, fear, insecurity from measuring our challenges with someone elses successes, or is it just plain meanness.. idk.. but Christians are the worst about it. Maybe someone isn't arrogant or letting success go to their head... maybe it's just offense we chose to pick up on our part.. our sin rather than theirs.

~ so often the first reaction among Christians when someone shares good news in their life is to complain about the lack of it in our own life... or to immediately judge that person as being arrogant and in sin... you know it's true, we all do it, even if we never show it on the outside... the enemy uses even the good that happens in the lives of ppl we love to jab at our own insecurities and tempt us to sin...

~ are we wise to the enemy's devises or not... is Scripture true to course or not... do we not see that such an attitude of competition and jealousy is throwing open the doors of sin in our own heart and the destruction of relationships with the tiniest of wedges... division.. is starts as splinters but when we give the enemy the slightest opening, he is quick (tho subtle) to shove a beam, a wall, betwn us...

~ the woman in Scripture lost her coin, a measure of wealth, something precious that was worn to adorn her headdress.. how easy it would have been for her friends to judge her that she was too arrogant about outward beauty.. and when she found it they could have easily took offense at her joy and spouted off something mean or sarcastic as they compared themselves to her good fortune.. instead they rejoiced.

~ what if we also rejoiced at the good fortune of our friends no matter how the enemy uses it to jab at our own insecurities... what if when we feel offense rising in our heart toward what we have judged as sin in someone else.. we took a breath, laid our heart open before God and asked him to examine our motive, to open our eyes to any way that we are deceiving ourselves.. to create a clean heart in us.

~ yes, there are times when someone's sin and arrogance is hurting ppl and they need to be held accountable.. but there are times when we miss it and we label ppl what they are not.. sometimes their heart and motive is clean in their rejoicing and excitement over things that God has called them to but not us... sometimes what is sin for me is not sin for them. Areas of weakness differ for each person.

~ bottom line, we as Christians seem to judge so quickly, to pick up offense at the drop of a hat.. when our first reaction should be to resist temptation and ask God to search our own heart.. to love first, and then seek to bring discipline or correction as God leads us... knowing that to discipline someone else will always require the same measure of suffering from you as the one you are called to minister to...

~ if you are offended at someone's sin... and feel a need to frown at them or rebuke them... consider how discipline feels... and if you aren't feeling the sting of it as you inflict it on another.. you're not doing it in love..

Then We Fail to Live Either

2011-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

~ ‎"16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4)"

~ ‎"No resurrection life without crucifixion life.." (David Fischer)

~ The joy of that resurrected life is being with Christ face to face for eternity, the heartbeat and passion of believers... but unless we truly count the cost of that crucified life and have that Gethsemane moment making up our mind to commit fully to God's will rather than our own we will fail to live either... That crucified life is so key in this hour of the church, specifically 2011 ♥

~ ‎"Church people do not need a better life they need a crucified life." (David Fischer)

~ You know there is so much in that crucified life when we look at it in practical terms, this present physical day to day grind of life... I mean, like washing the feet of Judas... Christ knew his character, that he would be the one the enemy reached thru to crucify him, and yet Jesus washed his feet with the same love as he did with Peter in hopes that Judas would reconsider... but Judas remained set on the choice he had made, and so Christ was very frank in calling out his sin, that he would be a betrayer... how do we balance that? What does that kind of love coupled with discipline look like in our lives? This is something I have been turning over in my own heart.

~ I think we have gone to both extremes in the issues of forgiveness and mercy... often lacking much, and yet often making it something that God never intended (serving a person's sin rather than opening the door for Godly conviction)... the damage to the Church as a whole has been devastating as we as One ppl have so often stepped slightly off the path. I feel like God is about to bring it all back in alignment... he is about to show up and unleash a deeper understanding of love, forgiveness and mercy... but it is not what we have known. It will be coupled with a discipline and a crucified life and a made up mind that we have not understood. Something huge is coming, a manifestation like never before. I truly believe it.

~ When we begin to glimpse it, I think it will bring us to our knees, and the wrestling of our own will coming into alignment with the will of the Father will cause us to sweat blood just as Christ did in Gethsemane... the question is.. will we continue to choose to follow Christ's example in that moment of great challenge, in that moment of dying, of losing all that we were taught by life in general to hold dear, if it costs us a marriage, a job, a comfortable and secure life... all those things are good, but if they are in the way of our choice to put Christ first, if they are stripped from us for whatever reason... will we still choose to obey God, to endure the ugly side of life to go where he says to go, to do what he says to do, to let certain dreams die if he deems it necessary, trusting that he will resurrect them in his timing. Do we have the faith of Abraham, of Heb 11...

~ The temptation is not sin... the wrestling within against our human nature and our fears and doubts is not sin... Christ knows that challenge, he was tempted in every way as we are... and yet, he chose what is right and good and empowered us to follow his example and do the same. To not believe that... that is sin.

~ Fight.

~ That's where so many ppl miss it... this walk is messy and violent and exhausting... Christ came to bring a sword, to teach and equip and call us to battle... if you're not in the fight then you're not on the path. Check your feet, and ask God to light up the path... only then will you see Truth... only when you embrace the WHOLE word of God, the entire Bible, will the path be lit so that you can see clearly...

~ ... only then will you be saved.

~ Change... are you willing?... to slide up or down on that appearance scale, knowing that God judges the heart and not how holy we appear. A little dirtier on the outside, a little cleaner on the inside, a breaking of molds and boxes and mindsets... that's the warfare at hand...

~ Change... are you willing?

~ do you have any idea how much I love you?
yes you ♥

~ are you reading my many worded barrage of random thoughts?... then yes that you is you ^_^

Cry Out If You're Hungry...

2011-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

No matter what trouble you face, no matter what you've done, how horrible you feel about yourself, your life, your past or your future... God will never give up on you! That's love. Cry out to him and he will be there to answer, guaranteed... this life isn't hell, it's your second chance. There is a hell coming in the next life, where God will not hear our prayers... but today is the day of salvation.. Psalm 107 ♥

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the LORD,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

oh yeah... it was that Jesus guy

2011-02-19T08:32:00.001-08:00

~ God has a way of providing for our needs and the needs of our families, the big and the small. And not just needs but often things that are the overflow of blessing. It is perhaps the most apparent when we give from our abundance and from our bare minimums, sacrificing things that cost us our comfort and ease in some way. Give and it will be given to you... who was it who said that? ♥

~ oh yeah... it was that Jesus guy...

~ ‎"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6...

~ wow... consider this...

...But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? (Luke 6)

Why would he finish all that up with such a comment about the blind?...

Perhaps because all the things he listed above are things that we see other ppl failing at, and the ppl that we notice it the most from are those ppl in our lives that we respect and follow and trust to be Godly. Perhaps it goes back to what he said about doing what the teachers of the law share that God has said in the Scriptures but not doing what they do.

Ppl, you and me, all of us, have a tendency to get stuck in the eye for an eye mode... often times without even realizing it. It is proven that the most general reaction to being treated wrongfully is to become like that person who treated you badly. But Christ says "let me show you a better way."

He warns that to stay in that mindset will lead you to destruction to falling to failure, just like it did those ppl who you respected and trusted. Basically he is saying break the cycle... and the only way to do that is to treat them differently than they treated you. If they hated you, love them. If they did something bad to you, do something good to them. Keeping in mind that goodness isn't always puppies and sunshine, sometimes that good is simply being honest with someone, gently and with love, but willing to bear the pain with them that often accompanies truth and correction and discipline.

So, yeah, this is alot to read, don't feel like you have to, but if you did, very cool. It was just something that God brought to my mind this morning during my devotions. Love love love to you ♥

---------

Just had the greatest thought come to mind about this... because ppl tend to become like those that they follow and respect and trust... when you break the cycle and go in the WAY that Christ has made... you change the course of others, because they are looking to that good thing they see in your and following your lead... you see clearly by the Grace of God and so those that follow you desire to see clearly as well. Rather than destruction and the ditch... they remain on the narrow path, gaining a clearer and clearer picture of who Christ is as they grow in relationship with him and with his ppl.

Think of a maze... when you suddenly realize that it is about to end badly, you back up and retrace your pencil mark to get back on track. Even if you were among the blind leading the blind... when your eyes are opened, Christ has made a way to back track, correct your misstep and get you back on the right path.

Yes, it can be embarrassing, yes, a course change can bunch everyone and everything up and appear somewhat chaotic... but that's just how change looks... better to deal with the temporary mess knowing that order is just a few steps up the path, than to remain in that place where there is no hope of victory or success or salvation.

No Love is No Holiness

2011-02-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

~ Controversy follows me... lots of reasons... partly cuz I don't might stirring it up if necessary... unfortunately so does gossip... I encounter ppl every day who share all about my life, and yet who have never discussed any of it with me... funny how easily ppl collect gossip from sources they trust and label it as truth... even pastors, young and old, about me, about you... it is Satan's #1 tool... sadness...

~ Sad truths are a part of life... they are a reality but not the focus... that's the key to surviving them, to not being crushed in spirit by them... leave them to those who choose to garden them... and go with God, moving on in the flow of Good News, leaving the dead to bury their dead.

~ Spring is coming in so many ways... there is new life springing up on the horizon and God is calling his ppl to nurture the tender plants... things growing in our own hearts and in the hearts of others, as well as in the heart of the Church as a whole... the heat of summer is coming, that's a reality, prepare now as Spring approaches, have a plan, find your zeal, make up your mind... stay focused.

~ dance in the vineyards, celebrate the new birth and the joy of the end of a very long winter... but don't be lulled by the moment... new challenges await and there is much work to be done, wolves still devour, lions still prowl, the innocent are snatched away when we are distracted in moments of joy and in moments of sadness... be consistent, your weapon in one hand, a garden tool in the other.

~ Life is for living... and abundantly... there is no condemnation in that when we put God first in every area of it... sex and church and working on the car and missions and cutting your hair, choosing an outfit you like, eating a candy bar, working a food drive, changing a diaper... Life is for living... and abundantly. There is so much less condemnation than we pour out on ourselves and others... stop judging...

~ Challenge, correct, rebuke, preach, teach, discipline... but if you're not gonna do it in love, if you're not gonna invest in that person by sacrificing something that hurts your own pride and abundance... let your words be few and your actions be less... otherwise you will move in the flesh deceived that you are moving in the Spirit. God gets blamed for so much that we call holiness... no love is no holiness...

~ Be holy... God said that... so do it.. but not without love and all the trappings that go along with it... kindness, gentleness, patience, longsuffering (your discomfort), discipline that makes you have to cringe and weep and grieve at having to do it, that thing that hurts you more than it hurts them. If you are being so holy that you hurt someone else more than you are hurting yourself... it might not be so holy.

~ Is someones failure a cover for your own sin.. is someone lacking love as they challenge you to be holy?.. is that gray cloud something you can conveniently hide your own sin behind?... ouch, do you see me stomping my own toes, funny to picture, lol... someone may sin against us in such matters, but we better check ourselves to see if the good from their sin is God opening our eyes to our own.

~ It's time to get honest with God and with ourselves... it's getting down to the wire, and it just doesn't matter how someone else failed us... we gotta get our focus back on how God has never failed us... and never will. That's not just for each of us as individuals, that's for the Church as a whole. The storm's over, it's clean up time, cuz a battle is heating up and their is some training we need to master ♥

~ No matter what it looks like on the outside... we're gonna win this thing, if we do it with God, with each other, as One. Sounds easy, but it's gonna require some things from you and from me, personal and demanding things. Some we are excited about and some we're gonna hate to have to do... are we gonna obey, are we gonna give God ALL the glory, are we gonna be faithful in the little things and the big?

~ There's a challenge thrown up... it's always been there from the beginning... war is always about a challenge... what do you mean "war?"... did you think this was Paradise? ... it's not.

~ Paradise is the prize, the aftermath, the reward... it's for another time, not now, not this life, not this lifetime, not for you or for me or the Church or even our kids... Paradise is the Promise, it's eternal life with Christ after all remnants of sin and of the curse are removed. Today is a day of War, like it or not.

~ Our weapons are spiritual as Ephesians explains... but the manifestation of using those weapons is physical. There is a reality to every piece of the armor of God that can be seen and felt and touched and demonstrated. God made us flesh and he made us spirit... we are to move and live and have our being in both. We cannot forget that we were made to live in a physical world, now and in eternity.

~ Learning the balance of it all, how to actually walk it out, to live abundantly in a war zone, and yet to love and forgive and conspire to demonstrate kindness in all things... it is quite a task in our own strength, but God will lead us thru it. We are often too hard on ourselves and on others. We fail one another cuz it's a learning process by imperfect ppl, you and me. It's hard to be Godly when ur hurting.

~ And then we stress over it all because of the pain and injustice we see and experience all around us... we try, we feel so small, we give up, we are tempted to doubt God and ppl and everything we believe in ourselves... but there is a sure way to keep moving forward, to not be overwhelmed by it all tho there will always be pressure and concern to some degree.. let God be our strength. Find a way.

~ Hear him.. hear Christ.. he forgives you and yet holds you accountable, always with love, always with kindness, always with discipline seasoned with grace.. If we want others to hear us, those we love, those we are burdened for, or strangers God leads us to.. we must be like him, forgiving them yet holding them accountable, always with love, always with kindness, always with discipline seasoned with grace.

~ The good thing about having your heart shattered, about losing what's most precious to you, about realizing that no one is truly honest or good... is that when you scrape yourself up off the ground and God begins to help you find all the tiny slivers of your heart that you thought were lost... the scars kinda make you numb to the things of this world and the cares of this life. You are stronger in Christ ♥

~ Let the tears fall, they are the releasing of stress and pain. Then let God make you laugh again, it will help you to heal... He turns what the enemy meant for evil into a preparation, it is a passing thru the fire. It was never God's plan for the impurities of sin to be in our hearts and in our face, but he has made a way to burn them up (and yet save our soul). He desires to make us shine w/o losing who we are.

~ Be healed, in the name of Jesus ♥

Krogering and such...

2011-02-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

~ Really really finding walmart a disappointment in so many ways over the past couple of years... slowly moving my shopping to other places... so if you see me in there be sure to take my picture cuz it will definitely be a rare thing ^_^

~ Kroger meat and veggies are honestly much better than Walmart... not sure why, but they have so much more flavor. Every time I cooked steaks or roast for my family, they always noticed how good it was when it was from Kroger... before they even knew it was from Kroger. I don't remember a time when they commented that it was as good when it was from Walmart. Something is different. I think it is just more fresh or not as engineered or something.

~ Doing my grocery shopping at Kroger now... and they are about to put in a coffee/sushi/cafe bar or something, which will be primo and delicimo, in other words mahhhhh-vehhh-lous! I like very much not walking a mile when I remember that I forgot to get ziplocs, or actually finding the items I need cuz they aren't consumed with making more money on something I don't need...

~ However, there is an art to Krogering... the more loyal the customer, the more opportunities to save money. Plus cards save you on their newly installed gas pumps, the more groceries you buy, the more money you save at the pump... just having a card saves you as well. It has made a noticeable difference in my gas bill.

~ Having a plus card also gets you access to coupons on the Kroger.com website, as well as alerts to special sales and weekly bargains. You punch in your card number online, check the boxes of the paperless coupons you want, and it registers them onto your card for when you go shopping. Very very convenient, and excellent values.

~ K, so no, I'm not getting paid for this info, lol, just passing along insights to other moms and families looking to save a little money and relieve a little stress with their grocery shopping... Other savings, all paper clipped coupons less than 50 cents are doubled, every day... yes, every day.

~ Other thing is that every time I run in to grab milk or bread or something quick... their computers kick out a coupon for something that I usually buy often with my Plus card. I have four $1.00 off coupons sitting on my desk right now from that, not to mention the ones I've attached to my card online, and plan to clip from the paper or gather from advertising/product packages...

~ I used to use coupons all the time, back when Kroger had their double coupon Thursday deals.. then got hooked on Walmart.. now switching back cuz the deals are even better than before. It's pretty easy to get in the habit of collecting coupons, you just toss them in a pile when you run across them, and then you sort it all out when you make your shopping list or head to the grocery.

~ The challenge is tossing out coupons for things you would like, but wouldn't normally buy if you didn't have a coupon for it... so it's also an exercise in self discipline as is usually the case when conscious about being a good steward =)

~ Also, I have a thing for small town groceries... I like shopping in places where I know the staff and get to chat a bit. I know alot of the ppl that work at Kroger, some from churches, some just from shopping their regularly... super nice ppl, makes the chore of grocery shopping more like a visit with friends some days. I used to shop at Martins Grocery (local, family owned) for that reason, hated that they closed down.

~ The cool thing is that some of the ppl that used to work at Martins now work at Kroger and at Lowes... I shop at both pretty regular, so I still get to see them from time to time ^_^

~ If you shop Kroger without a plus card and coupons... it's gonna cost you more than Walmart... but getting a plus card is free... just go to customer service and sign up... that's the trick to saving at Kroger, and the savings really make a difference. But even if it cost me a little more, I would pay it just cuz it makes something I have to do weekly in my life a much more pleasant experience. Walmart stresses me.

~ Apologies to any Walmart fans or workers out there... just sharing a little of what works for me in my life. It wouldn't be a mega store if there weren't ppl out there who are very satisfied with it, so no offence intended. I just personally love Kroger at this point of my life... unless they become a mega store down the road and lose site of quality customer relations. For now, they are doing it right in my book ♥

.........

~ Determined to slow down the next couple of days... trying to get some energy back but so much keeps stealing away what little bit I can muster... just need some down time to clean house a little and sort some clutter that's built up. A little retreat time, to just be home with the boring things in life... I love those things, truly ♥

~ Life is seldom what you hoped for... but it's hope that makes us able to pick ourselves up and get on with it... having faith that God is a man and a God that keeps his word, and that he will work it all out for our good, giving us our heart's desire... or changing our heart so that we are thrilled with the good things he leads us to that are so far beyond the smallness of what we thought was desirable ♥

~ Believe it or not, my coffee cup speaks... it's whispering in it's emptiness at the moment... "neeeeeed morrrrre coffffffeeeeee..."
Kinda spooky but there's something strangely appealing about it....

Someone Paid, Someone Always Pays

2011-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

~ You just gotta choose to love and to forgive... doesn't mean the pain and the sacrifice and the scars ever go away... but what is love, how deep does it really go, how real is it, what value, how precious, if it doesn't cost you something, if it doesn't mark you in some way, even if it's with a limp or without a hand, or an eye or pieces of your heart?... love is a choice, no one said it was without a cost ♥

~ Receiving love is free... giving it costs you everything.

~ Kinda makes you think twice about taking love for granted... when you consider the cost someone paid, someone that truly loves you with all their perfection and imperfection...

~ Why is it that free stuff gives the impression that no one paid a price for it?... Does it make it of any less value? Why does it take absence to make a heart grow fonder? Why does the true value only grab our attention when it is lost or stolen from us? Perhaps that's why giving love scars us so deeply, so that we will think twice when someone gives it to us so freely. Love always costs someone.

~ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

(Luke 7)

~ When we are forgiven of much, we realize the weight lifted off of us, but that weight goes somewhere, it doesn't just disappear, it falls on the shoulders and the heart of the person who loved us that much...

~Why bother to love when it costs us so much?... because some ppl understand the cost of love, and receiving true and honest love moves them to give it to others, in greater measure, despite what it costs them. Paying it forward in the truest sense of the phrase.

~ You can't demand payback in any form... if you do, then it wasn't really love... but you can watch the fruit of it. If you love someone and their heart is good soil, the seed you sowed will return exactly what you planted... love, real love. Maybe that was the fruit in the garden to begin with... maybe it was never about an apple or a pomegranate...

~ On the other side of it... you can't demand forgiveness... what you receive when you do won't be genuine love... love must be a gift, a willing sacrifice, otherwise you forced the person to give it, you tainted the gift, you cause what was love to rot ...

~ Love is simple whether you give it or receive it... but it will always cost someone something, and that cost will be proportional to the measure of love exchanged... "You get what you pay for" ... you gotta die, you gotta freely love, with no guarantee of payback, with no expectation other than the fact that God is a rewarder of those who seek him, to be like him, to love as he loves...

~ You can't demand forgiveness... but you can hope for it.

~ When you demand it, and then you get it, it's not a gift, you simply got what you felt was rightfully yours.. but when you hope for it, and someone offers it to you, there is a flood of appreciation that soaks to the core of your being. It is different to Hope for it.. never knowing if you will receive it, wanting to be free of that burden and debt, it creates a contrite heart, a humility, and teaches us compassion.

~ Forget imperfections and failures.. and consider who loves you.. have you truly measured and weighed what their love for you has cost them.. I guarantee it's more than you realize. I pray that today, God would give you a revelation of the value of that love you have not FULLY appreciated, that parent, that child, spouse, sibling, friend, family, neighbor, coworker.. I pray it moves you to love more.

~ Knowing we are loved... makes us more able to accept discipline...

Either Way She was an Angel

2011-02-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Had a random memory this morning: I was 14, just out of a 9 hr back surgery and reacting badly to some bad blood I had received (hep C tainted actually). They limited my pain meds to observe me, can't describe how difficult the night was and I cried uncontrollably thru it. Until in the morning hours I heard a soft and kind voice from the chair beside my bed.

It was a little lady with gray hair and a pink and white vest. She put a cool rag on my head and something about her presence was so calming. She gave me some tylenol and a drink of water and sat with me until I finally fell asleep. I woke in the morning and asked about her, but no one had seen her. The best answer I got was that sometimes volunteers come and sit with patients, and maybe she was a volunteer or something. I don't know if she was real or if God sent her as a miracle for me, but either way she was an angel.

So many times in my life when family couldn't be there for me, or I was new in some place (which was often), God would send someone, my path would cross with someone that became his hands and feet and voice of encouragement and kindness. Whatever task he leads you to in life, you may never see the person again, but every act of kindness makes an impression. You may never hear of or glimpse the impact that your life has on others, but I am here to say that any act of kindness, especially in the name of Christ, is huge.

Nothing was helping me to get thru that night... but God moved upon the heart of this woman, this stranger, and she was Jesus to me in a moment of unbearable difficulty. God makes the tuff things in life bearable, and he uses ppl to do it. Thank you for hearing him, for obeying him, for being him to those who are hurting and in need ♥

The Best Liars

2011-02-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

~ Ppl say alot of things... but God says wait just a little longer... sounds easy, but he knows it's not.. that's why he remains by my side whispering his promises to me, telling me to love ppl that only get to see the superficial but think they see the whole of things, helping me to be strong and full of courage because we both know how weak and afraid I am... such is my life, but God calls it good, and so it is ♥

~ So I asked God a while back to send the snow in all it's glory... and so he sent it on my birthday (about 4-5 inches in my yard)... I don't know why he loves me like that... ♥

~ wow, what a reminder to check ourselves, we were called to care for the earth, to dominate and serve our Father by managing it... but Satan has a way of twisting things ever so slightly to taint our perspective with sin... I am reminded that a little yeast affects the entire loaf of bread. We are to own it as heirs serving our Dad, but we are not to own it as tho we are God. There's a fine line between the two.

~ ‎"Satan said: "God knows that in the day you eat from it . . . you will be like God." He was trying to convince Adam and Eve to take ownership of their surroundings, but as we see, whenever men fail to rule underneath God, abuse and lawlessness will result. The definition of sin is lawlessness in all respects of life (1 John 3:4)." (Dr. Tony Evans)

~ That subtle misstep (which is the Serpents specialty) changes the heart of a person from one of community and order and Godly authority... to one of selfish ambition and greed and robbing those around them as well as God. Not just in matters of finance but in reputation and power and affections and every area of arrogance and pride... Satan knows it doesn't make us more like God, it makes us more like him.

~ Satan is a liar, the father of lies, and he is good at it... the best liars are the ones that use Truth and then ever so slightly they color outside the lines with it. That is the subtlety of the serpent mentioned in Genesis when Eve was tempted. Of course he's not gonna say "Here, buy into this lie, so you can become my follower instead of God's." He knows we all want to be with God rather than follow him to hell.

~ Self Control... that is the key to our faithfulness in these last days when God says that deception will run rampant, deceiving even the elect. The Spirit of God is always whispering truth to our conscience, but our desires and carnal nature scream over his voice demanding that we just do it, be selfish. Controlling ourselves so that we hear the voice of God and obey despite our wants. That is the key...

~ When we say no to what we think will satisfy our passions and desires... God promises to show us a better way. When we stop envying those in the world, when we stop looking with regret at things that are outside of the boundaries God has set, when we stop worrying that the clock of youth and life is running out, when we stop whining over what John is doing like Peter did, when we love and trust God...

~ ‎... we will begin to glimpse that better way. It is a process much like the evolution of Peter casting his net with reluctance over the side of his boat.... to his death on a cross and his insistence of being crucified upside down because he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Our walk won't look the same as one another's, the boundaries are sure but tweaked for each of us. It's personal.

~ Stop comparing yourselves with one another. We complain about cookie-cutter religion, and then we complain that someone looks a little different from us. If we are all following Christ, if we are all marching our little animal cracker selves along with the circus train toward that City... it doesn't matter if some walk or some run or some crawl or some fly. We are getting there together... love one another.

~ There is abuse and lawlessness on so many levels these days because we are all trying to own life for selfish gain whether we realize it or not, whether we admit it or not, whether other ppl see it or not... to restore order and peace as we remain in the chaos of this world, these last days, we must own life for love... owning all things spiritual and carnal for the love of God and the love of ppl. It's ours, Own it.

~ Owning it isn't about Paradise... obeying the commission... that's what we are to own. Loving God and loving ppl. It's not about the apple, it's about our lust for it more than our love for God. It's choosing to say no to that mouth watering desire that torments our gut, and choosing to align ourselves with that soft-spoken prompting to go another way, to trust a path we cannot clearly see, to trust God.

~ God created the apple and called it good... it was Eve's heart that was corrupted. God created sex and called it good, it was the heart of ppl that corrupted it into adultery and lust. God created worhip/music, it was the heart of mankind that corrupted it and centered it around idols. God creates many a good thing... Satan points the way to corruption... and we buy into the corrupted version, into death.

~ so yeah... back to superficial things...

~ My cup says COFFEE BREAK... think I'll take that literally and get a refill ^_^

~ but it also says PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL.... I'd like to take that literally, lol.

Love and Prayers for an Incredible Day

2011-02-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

~ The roar of life's noise is deafening at times... but the quietness of God remains louder still as I feel the warmth of His smile in my soul...

~ Watched the HURT LOCKER... and it hurt, but oh my goodness... what a look into the courage and heroism of our soldiers... left me speechless, truly awed that men and women would serve to protect my family and friends when they don't even know me. If you know a soldier, hug them, shake their hand, buy them lunch, just let them know in some way that they are treasured and deeply appreciated ♥

~ God never left you.. when you thought you were alone... when the world got so cold and empty around you.. when life made you numb and icy... He was near to you, guarding you, warming your fingers and your toes and keeping you from harm... He never left you tho you lost site of him... but look up today, do you see him? You know you do, cuz he never left you, and he is with you now ♥

~ Walked out of Waffle House today and saw the sweetest German Shepherd in the back of someone's truck... HUGE dog, soooo pretty, got to pet him and he was like a puppy ^_^

~ Came home and got attacked by kisses from Goku, sissie's huskey dog... he just loves ppl so much.. unless ur a stranger wandering around in the dark in our yard.. he's a little protective =)

~ Then... walked around to the front yard to go back in the house and the neighbors intimidating boxer dog runs up to me so I started talking to him and reached out to pet him... a little scary cuz he has a reputation, lol... but he just rolled over like a little pup for me to scratch his chin and belly. Dogs are truly a good friend, God was so kind to create them for us to enjoy ♥

~ "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes" (Deuteronomy 8:10-11)

~ Love and prayers to you for an incredible day, that God would reveal himself to you in ways you never imagined, that he would open doors for you to be Jesus in someone's life today, that you would feel his presence with you no matter what challenge you might be facing or what blessing has warmed your heart. The Lord has prepared good things for you today. Enjoy ♥

The Rhythm of Our Feet

2011-01-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

~ Change is in the air.. praying for God to keep everyone in his perfect will... ^_^

~ The most difficult part of a race is near the finish line... praying for patience to not get ahead of God.. just wanting relief after a long violent journey tends to make us lose focus and wisdom. May God's presence rush in in those moments and keep us on course, may he keep the rhythm of our feet beating against the path in time with the heart beat of his Holy Spirit ♥

~ ‎"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. "(Ecc 7:2)... In today's Christian circles it is often thought morbid and negative to think such a thing.. ppl are too caught up in dwelling only on the positive, frowning on anything that's not puppies and sunshine.

~ There is good to be found no matter the situation or the stress of life in our face... God has promised... if we will keep walking thru that difficulty, God will lead us to find the joy and the blessing buried up in the yuck. He has placed certain treasures so strategically in our lives. When the darkness is so thick causing you to stumble along the path, know that something of great value is near.

~ Everything on the surface, in my mind, in my body, in my hands hears my voice crying out that I can't do it... but there is a voice in my heart, in the center of my being, in the core of who I am in Christ that echoes what he whispers to me in that moment... oh yes I can ♥

~ I love God... I just love Him... even in the blackest stinkiest yuck... I love you Lord ^_^

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

2011-01-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

~ Sometimes it's the right thing to untangle the mess no matter the difficulty and seemingly impossible odds... but sometimes you just need to erase the board.

~ Sometimes it's a matter of quitting like a coward... and sometimes it's simply having the wisdom to recognize that the answer is UNDEFINED.

~ Last week was a wretched week of bad news... this week has started off as one of incredible news... God brings the sunshine even when it's misty and gloomy outside.. he knows how much we can bear as well as what we need to confront in life... and yet, he is a God of grace and knows that perfect moment to send refreshing and relief and encouragement... savoring the moment ♥

~ Dear Men... as a mom, daughter, sister, wife, friend.. I ask you today to pray over the women in your life like never before. Just find a moment today and stop them in their tracks or call/txt them, and pray for whatever God puts in your heart to encourage them, build them up, give them strength... your mom, your sister, your wife, your friend... the prayer of a man carries a unique authority ♥

~ What's challenging you today?... what's in your face or nagging at your thoughts telling you that you lose, you fail, you don't stand a chance?... what's speaking those lies to you and convincing you of things that God has not ordained?... It is a lie. God says you win. Look for the victory, claim it, fight for it, praise God for it. God says that whatever the situation, HE WILL BRING GOOD from it FOR YOU ♥

~ someone once said, "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose..." the question is... do you believe it? ... no... I mean... DO YOU BELIEVE IT?...

Patriotism in America

2011-01-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

From several discussions concerning patriotism and the youth of America... This particular post was after someone expressed that they didn't feel there was a lack of patriotism among young ppl...

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There are some youth who express great pride in America, but the majority, have invested little to consider how much they love their nation. While there is a large block that have much anger and bitterness toward the US.

I posted this vid on my FB as well and met with a firestorm of college age students who are very put out by our nation, good youth, friends and friends of friends, atheists and Christian alike who will openly tell you in no uncertain terms that they lack patriotism and why. Here was a post that led to a block of intense discussion with some of the youth in my circles. Perhaps you are just in different circles than I am...

D: "I lack patriotism to my country because I see no true leaders in power anymore. Not because I don't appreciate the sacrifices made or the freedoms we have, on the contrary, I find those in charge clearly abuse those freedoms and stomp on those freedoms daily, and all I look forward to is the day when God tells them, "Look how many you've led astray" THen, my patriotism will return.

"I also grow weary of the phrase "Youth in America have no respect or patriotism in our country" This is mostly because the elder generations have decided to place upon our shoulders a massive debt which they will never have to deal with, awful foreign relations which may cause our deaths and certainly won't impact their lives. I do not think they realize that not only are they in power, but they are role models and teachers as well, and you can only lie so many times without someone calling your bluff.

"Another thing placed on our shoulders is an incredible environmental burden. I almost laugh maniacally when a congressman says "In 50 years or longer, our enviroment is in jeopardy" and they have this look of almost relief that they will be dead by the time that happens so they will not have to deal with it.

"And they say In God We Trust? God must be livid. They murder, bribe, denounce God, lie, steal, launder and did I mention LIE to the very people they say they work for. And God is on their side?God Is not a God of hate but of love but even he can get angry, and on that day I pray you have learned a lesson, but you probably haven't. I SAY ENOUGH!!!! GOD IS NOT SOMEONE YOU THROW ABOUT! GOD IS NOT A GOD OF LIES HE IS A GOD OF JUSTICE AND TRUTH!!!! BE PREPARED AMERICAN LEADERSHIP!!!!! YOU CAN ONLY SUPRESS TRUTH FOR SO LONG UNTIL SOMEONE STANDS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! You call yourselves Christians? You make me sick.

"Next time you wanna call yourself a Christian, read the bible first. See what it has to say about liars and thieves and orphan killers and war mongers. Yeah Im talking to you United States"

This is from a good friend that I admire greatly, a college kid with good character and a huge heart after God... and it is the sentiments of MOST of the youth that I have talked to, young adults who grew up in church and are now atheists or still trying to connect in main line denominations that have no clue how to relate to their frustration at the church and their nation and their elders. There is a huge disconnect... that is my experience in relationship with the youth of today, who I love dearly, and talk to regularly...

This led to an excellent discussion but most of which was from youth that shared the same feelings as D... actually not one who spoke up expressed much else. But they are so open to discussion... the sadness is that so many of us fail to take the time to reason together. It's just easier to keep your opinions to yourself or to ignore the opinions that differ from your own. I responded with the comment below, but the dialog continued and most everyone walked away pretty much on peaceful terms and understanding one another a little better... tho we agreed on little more than when we started. At least we all have more to think about and consider now.

Selah: "I agree with most of what you've said, and I know you to be a person of character, my generation inherited much of the same **** from the generations before. So I say call m on it... not just with words, make a difference in your circle of influence to move ppl in a positive direction... but without a free nation, where citizens, including youth have a voice and use it... chaos ensues as does slavery. You can't quit just cuz your team is losing, you gotta counter, fight back, build something better piece by piece until your homeland begins to change.

Even tho we are in the end times, God says to occupy until he comes. We can't give up, we can't become stagnant, young and old must keep trying to make a difference, even in the issue of politics. If enuff ppl speak up and use their voice and their influence, change will come. The problem is that too many identify the problems and then give up. America is failing in so many ways, but there is still hope. Change won't come if you don't nurture that hope and do what you can to bring positive change. Ball is in your court, even tho you're way behind (not you per se, but the team as a whole, you were handed a bad hand). But the games not over and I believe in you and other youth that have demonstrated Godly character. It's still a team effort, but your generation is gonna be in charge soon... you gotta prepare for that, and part of that preparation is having to take a hard long look at the ugly stuff you have inherited and try to clean up what you can.

Then hand it off to the generation after you, and hope that they don't give up just because it's such a freaking stinking mess. There is good in the fabric of America, like the church, it just needs a generation to step up and lead with practical efforts. I'm not worried, I know the youth of this nation will step up to the plate. I just pray they are training themselves to hear from God when they need to know where to step next. You are strong, opinionated, and a follower of Christ, that's the good soil that brings good fruit ♥"

Further into the conversation...

Selah: "I respect and admire ppl who listen and hear the many perspectives on any issue, and who choose to get involved based on their passion to make our nation and the world a better place. There are atheists as well as Christians that are Americans, but our nation was founded by Christian leaders... who wanted to protect the rights of all ppl concerning their religion or lack of it. The foundations were modeled after Christian principles and teachings of justice and community and the good of all ppls. That respect has been lost to a great degree in some circles but not all.

My confidence is in ppl that I see reflecting Godly character because I believe in Christ as God. My comments to D.. were from one believer to another concerning matters or politics. But I think Americans from all walks of life have a responsibility to respect and better the nation they are guarded by and enjoying the freedoms of. Granted it took generations of **** being handed down and added to... but in every generation, there was a remnant that stood against what they were capable of changing. And the rush to destruction was slowed and challenged.

We all have a responsibility to the things we pledge allegiance to and that we feed off of... the order that we prioritize each of those allegiances varies with where our passions lie, often concerning our moral values. Everyone has a system of right and wrong that they live by, even the atheist. But somewhere in the mix, it is important to stop looking for someone to blame, to identify the root of the problems, to work together to find do-able solutions, and to be involved as you suggested.

The rank state much of the world and our nation is in didn't happen over night or in even a couple generations... it was a long slow slide into the abyss. It's gonna take leaders, young and old, that are willing to hammer away at it with persistence and patience and zeal, so that they can pass the hammer to the next person in line. We can all only do the best we can do.. but the key is to actually do it."

Several of the youth involved in the conversation, atheists included, shared the same zeal that ppl should get involved in the issues in some way, any way that they are able to be a positive voice. I came away with a great respect for these young adults... they are thinking things thru, wanting to bring it to the table, wanting to understand and to make a difference... their frustrations are real and legitimate... the answers to it all are complicated and far from easy... and will require working together across the board as citizens of one nation, America.

Give Me Liberty...

2011-01-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

~ Guns stop Gun Violence... that's all I have to say about that.

~ Since when is defending yourself or your family a sin. I'd like to know how much crime was deterred because their was a gun in the possession of someone willing to defend the safety of the ppl they love. Criminals only fear police because they know they carry a gun. Training is required to get a gun carry permit. For that matter, alcohol abuse kills more ppl than gun abuse... it leads to car accidents or stupidity with weapons or violence in general. Outlaw alcohol abuse and you'll save more lives.

~ You didn't really think that was all I had to say about that did you?

~ Imagine someone terrorizing a crowd of ppl or a family or classroom of ppl... shooting them one by one, one after another... everyone helpless and waiting their turn to die... POW, one shot, one gun in the hands of one person would end that and save the life of your kid that that murderer was fixing to pop next. Communism can't protect it's ppl, that's been proven. Our founding fathers knew govt couldn't protect it's ppl, that's why they put fundamental rights in the hands of the ppl themselves. That's what made our nation great, made us succeed, gave our citizens more zeal to fight for freedom and community and family. We have the right to protect our loved ones and what we have labored for.

~ A few more thoughts based on a question on someone else's page... "Should Gabrielle have been armed?' My off the cuff response, sorry but I have a habit of thinking out loud. Please don't take this as intense as it seems, you don't have to agree with me. The topic just came up this morning and so I commented =)

hmmm... Gabrielle was an angel, a messenger angel. Michael was a warrior angel, he was armed and fought the Prince of Persia with whatever weapons angels use... so I would think he was armed well enuff to stop his enemy. No one asked my opinion, but if my husband helplessly holds the hat of a man that is raping me and my daughter or torturing my son... I think God will hold him accountable for that. If a gun causes that criminal to reconsider violence against my family, I will use the weapons at my disposal... if I'm gonna own a gun, I'm gonna be ready to use it. Always coupled with prayer. I'm sure soldiers pray that they won't have to kill anyone each day in battle, and yet, it is their duty and a sinless act if they are forced to do that to protect their family, community and those they have committed to protect. Are police officers in sin? Is it impossible to be a Christian if you are a police officer? Some ppl are Gabrielle's and could never pull the trigger (and should never carry a gun by their own choice)... others are Micheal's (and should have that right).

~ in response to my comments.. Richard, "I'm just glad I don't live in your neighborhood."

my thoughts:

If you did and someone lined your family up on the sidewalk putting a bullet in their head one by one... if there was no one to protect you or stop him... I would, whatever it takes. Praying all the while for an alternative and that no one had to die... I would rather know that such a man was dead and that your family was alive, rather than grieve over you and your children knowing I could have done something. Not meaning to sound as offensive as such conversations sound.. but I fully open my heart to God and that is the peace that rules my conscience before him ♥

~ Consider prohibition... it only increased violence to outlaw alcohol. If you outlaw guns, criminals are not gonna turn them in.. violence against good ppl and the helpless would only increase. Quoting stats proves nothing to me... history proves itself.

~ Patricia, "I recently went to a gun show and I was alarmed by the number of people there and the types of weapons. I was just looking for a hunting rifle. Guns are for the uncivilized and for those who really have no faith in God and believe they can solve their problems and our social ills with semiautomatics. Peace out!"

~ Police officers several years back were being murdered in the inner city at alarming rates. They just couldn't match the fire power of gangs and criminals. They have since stepped up their weapons to meet fire with fire and the fatalities dropped among officers and crime in those areas decreased. Violence is horrid, so is war, we should seek peace and Godly avenues in every area of our lives, sometimes we are called to lay down our lives in a violent episode, much like our soldiers and negotiators on the force, it's a risk. There are those called to be martyrs and leave powerful testimonies in obedience to God. The peace was kept in the cold war, because we had equal weaponry leveled at each other. In a sin-driven world, sometimes community and nations must live that way to remain at peace. It's a complicated issue, each must work out his own salvation and peace with God as they seek him to guide us thru all difficulties encountered in life. I really pray none of this has brought offense... it is good when ppl can discuss such things and reason together in love.

~ I just can't embrace the thought that guns are for the uncivilized... especially when I consider the guns used to defeat Hitler's forces and to free thousands of men women and children from his death camps... not can I consider law enforcement uncivilized when they take down a shooter randomly targeting ppl or students... and I just don't see it as sin if someone strips my child and violates them and attempts to do the same to me causing me to put a bullet in his head. I think many times it's easier to say what we would or wouldn't do, but we don't truly know.. If it came down to it... you might pull the trigger before me, and I might find myself more hesitant than I think. I just believe in protecting the innocent, and if someone is bent on taking a life.. they risk their own. Just like if I am willing to take a life to keep the ones I love safe.. I must be willing to lose my life in the same altercation. It is a risk, it is a sacrifice, it is what keeps my conscience at peace with God and my family and community. I have been powerless and victimized, I have lost loved ones and had loved ones at risk, I have been protected by guns and had them rob me of family and friends... ppl make decisions, not metal and gunpowder... Becky got it right in much fewer words than me in her opening status, lol ^_^

~ Becky, " To everyone who is calling for stricter gun laws in light of the tragedy in Tucson, may I offer this little tidbit: If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat. Remember: Hold the person accountable for their actions, not the means they chose to utilize!!!..."

~ Patricia, "@Amanda, if it makes it easier for you to sleep at night then by all means justify it any way you like."

~ It's not a matter of justification.. it's a matter of not allowing my right to protect my family and community to be stolen. There is a justice and attempt to justify in that I suppose. But I will stand on the side of justice and think thru why I feel the way I feel about it. There are details to every plan. God says not to build a house unless you think it thru and consider the cost. You are free to justify your stand against guns... I respect that. I just don't agree. But I still love you and I am sorry if my passion on the issue comes across as sarcasm or arrogance or pig-headedness. Such things are seldom as pleasant sounding as puppies and sunshine and all that is positive in the world. If only the war was over and we were all in paradise... that day is coming, but it's just not now. I love the pacifists... they bring balance... but peacemakers are not always soft-spoken and non-violent.

~ This conversation is not a matter of who is right or proving a point... don't miss the heart of it. It is for ppl to think thru their stand no matter what they choose to support. Ppl need to truly THINK about what they choose to believe, really think it thru, hear both sides, and weigh it before God (before God meaning ask him about it, in front of him, in his presence)... there will inevitably come a day when you or someone you love will have to act on the choices of what you have believed. Let your YAY be YAY, and your NAY be NAY.

~ Richard commented, "Strange logic. In your logic, the tools don't matter, only the people using them. See, I use tools everyday. Take away my tools, I can't work, i.e. achieve a result. Take away ALL guns, then the shooting/killing cannot be achieved."

~ How many teens die of suicide every year? How many use guns? How many don't have access to guns and find another means? Removing guns doesn't fix the problem. Where there's a will there's a way. If you need to move a pile of dirt and you don't have a truck... you're gonna find a way to move it. Lack of tools won't always stop the job from being accomplished... and lack of weapons seldom deters violence. But the presence of police officers with guns does... and a store owner with a gun behind the counter does. Such things prove themselves every day. What works to fix the problem is the answer? What works to stop the most deaths? It would seem to me matching fire with fire so no one shoots... and in the matter of teens it is assuring them that God loves them and so does someone else and LIFE IS PRECIOUS, including theirs.

~ Don't shoot that gun... don't even get it out... unless you have thought it through and you plan to use it if necessary... and you are ready to be the one to die if necessary so that someone else may live.

~ Jim, "@Richard, Just like the government has taken away all the drugs, child pornography, and human trafficking without leaving a trace of them in America?"

~ ~ Violence is never the first choice... nor is it the last... but it should be on the table because sometimes it is a necessary choice.

Free Society

2011-01-17T08:28:00.001-08:00

~ "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ "If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ‎"Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? "
Martin Luther King, Jr.

............

Tomorrow I hope to post some excerpts from a conversation about gun control. I feel that the issues at hand concerning gun control and gun laws is vastly different than the social issues of MLK's era. Not all issues within a society are to be handled with a blanket reaction. The current crisis is very different from the issue of race. All men are created equal and race should never be a factor concerning their role in society or their pursuit of happiness. We are one as human beings.

The Right to bear arms is based upon power and protecting free society as a whole. History proves that arming it's citizens is the only sure way of protecting freedom. Currently around the world genocide occurs where there is not equal force leveled against those who would murder entire ppls and societies. Troops sent in with arms, ready to use the, but not always having to, are a form of peacekeepers. There is so much to be said on the issue. The peaceful protest of MLK was effetive and necessary in that given situation. I do not see a lack of faith or a less Christian attitude being rooted in whether someone is willing to use arms to protect the innocent. I think if a man or woman refuses to protect a child being raped and murdered, whatever it takes, will face the judgement of God... much like a person driving past a wreck is held accountable for not rescuing the occupants. What is required of the person is vastly different, but the bottom line is to save an innocent life... whether from a burning car, or from a terrorist about to put a bullet in that student's head.

~ The difference between social change and defending the existence of society? Social change affects the quality of life.. defense affects life and death. Non-violent protest was the right avenue for the social injustice of MLK's day... it was a stand against the fabric of society...

Laying down our defenses as citizens guarding a free socitey is the end of that society and the rule of communism/terrorism.

Words Spoken Into a Life

2011-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Someone recently asked me, "I enjoy reading your comments. I would like to hear your thoughts on the power words spoken in faith have on our lives and the lives of those around us."

My Thoughts on the matter:

I believe strongly in the power of words spoken, but as with most things I think it can be misunderstood and taken too far at times. I kinda see it more as relating to PUNCTUATION. Sentences spoken by ppl are ruled by grammar rules when you put them down on paper and truly examine what is being said or implied. The things we say could be viewed along similar lines.

I think when someone makes a DECLARATION there is a power that goes forth, good or evil, that affects their life and the lives that touch theirs... not all in the same way, but there is an impact of some kind. For some it is a positive thing, for others a negative thing... and it's not as blanket of a statement as would seem.

Other things are spoken over or into a situation or person's life that are more along the lines of a question mark or an incomplete sentence or an incorrect sentence or whatever... Such things would seem to put things out into the universe but with less force or power, more like setting them on a grocery shelf and ppl decide to pick them up and ponder them and perhaps fit them into the fabric of their life.. or just ignore and disregard them. Declarations are harder to ignore, they require ppl to make a choice to embrace them or reject them, to react to the effects of them one way or another, whether they realize it or not.

It is kinda rooted in a person's belief about being created in the image of God... he spoke all things into existence... we are given that same creative power, a less intense power, but with the authority of Christ if we are walking in relationship with him as child, ambassador, and friend. God is the ultimate head and decides all things after weighing all things in the big and the small. Our words can fall to the ground no matter what we say if he ordains it.

Often times when I was praying for someone or prophesying or interpreting dreams, I would pray that God would let my words fall to the ground and not be picked by anyone in any way if they were not his words and in his perfect will. Speaking into someones' life or over them is a creative process... it is the opening of doors or the placing of spiritual things in their lives for them to do battle with.

But I think God guards our words based on our maturity level. When a child is sharing something they learned in school, parents and ppl pay attention and hear them and are often fascinated or responding in agreement... but sometimes that child begins to get a little off the mark and we gently ask questions or encourage more research so that they examine what they have believed a little closer. So that they study and learn and grow until their maturity is at a place where they can speak with truth about the subject. I think God walks with us in our immaturity and guards our words, blocks them, picks the up, corrects them, whatever it takes to perform his perfect will in our lives and the lives of others. I think that there are times that we are allowed to feel the ill effects of the things we speak, so that our eyes are opened to the power they contain... so that we will use more care in the future... but I think the effect is softened so that we can bear it and all are able to heal and be made stronger by our error (immaturity).

I am speaking off the cuff about all of this, thinking out loud. I may reconsider it all, and likely did a rough job of sharing much of it, but I don't have time to truly labor over it and God says to be ready to give account. In my walk, this is my account of the subject... but I am not beyond hearing the wisdom of others and gaining a greater understanding on the matter. So please weigh anything I have said before God and ask him for his thoughts and perfect will on the matter as well. Thanks for asking tho ^_^

Mattie and Jenna... o m goodness

2011-01-12T12:59:00.001-08:00

~ Every time you put your foot down and make up your mind to believe God, he guides you to put it down right on the enemy's head. Crush doubt, Crush fear, Crush temptation, Crush the life out of anything and everything that opposes the will of God in your life, every thing that is trying to hinder and rob you of all that God has planned to bless you and prosper you. Slow and Steady wins the race. Keep Running it! ♥

~ Neat and tidy is seldom the way of the Christian... even tho our posting voices are for some reason heard as soft and sweet... SIMPLE but loud and messy and sheer insanity at times is more the way, the narrow way... my posting voice is gonna be pretty much that from time to time... that's reality to me, that's my experience in this world, in this walk, in this war. I'm just not a pretty Christian, bummer... *grin*

~ I love God.. no.. I mean I am absolutely crazy in love with his holiness and righteousness and mercy.. pure in beauty.. wise in all things.. gentle and strong, big and small, regal and so very humble, simplicity and yet constantly and creatively deeper than we are able to comprehend.. that is my God. Choose what you will. I.. in all of my filthy rags... choose Jesus... cuz he lets me. And I love him ♥

~ Two two year old girls at the dentist office... introduced themselves by giggling at each other and then imitating each others moves as they tilted their heads, wiggled their hands, squatted down like ducks, and stared into each others faces, giggling the entire time with wide eyes... not a word except one "Thank You" and one very muffled "You're Welcome" thru her pacie. ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!!

Oh and they had the most perfect names to match... Mattie and Jenna, I only know that cuz their moms (strangers to each other as well) had to call them out a couple of times for having a little too much fun. Kids are so precious ♥

PC: last word on the matter, well... maybe.

2011-01-10T08:10:00.001-08:00

~ It would seem error to say that the phrase "Go to church" is error... Viola says, "You cannot got to something you are." Perhaps not... or perhaps so... perhaps the usage of this word is not so much focused on the building as Viola would press us to consider. Perhaps it is more in reference to Church as the CHURCH, the group of believers, the assembling of those believers. Perhaps the use of the word church is more about "I am going to the place where believers have agreed to assemble themselves in obedience to Hebrews 10... as customary among believers or supporters of any common ppls."

"I am part of the Church so I am going to gather with the other parts of the Church, so we can be One and whole and fit as God has ordained us to be."

"I am going to walk, to eat, to shovel, to the House where the Court meets, to the Court House, to Court... I am going to join with the rest of the church, as the church, where the church has agreed to meet, I am going to meet with the believers who are the church, I am going to the meeting of the church, I am going to the Church meeting place, to the Church House, to the House Church, Home Church... hmmm... interesting... I am going to Church."

Language, semanitics, usage, origins in customs, in law, in culture, human nature, the functioning of society and civilization, like walking and eating and pooping and cleaning up a mess.... some things are just the natural course of life, the process of getting from one place to another of doing something, anything...

"I am going to Church." It just doesn't seem to matter when the phrase was first used, or that it has evolved to mean several things, the heart of the word and it's usage is that you are going to gather with other believers at an agreed upon place. It's just mountains and molehills it seems to me.

~ Even the issue of the clergy, a "special priestly caste" is presented as a non-Christian practice, originating in something other than the early church. But what of order is my question? Any and every gathering of large groups of ppl, past or present, on a regular basis, requires a plan.. just as God says that you don't build a house without a plan, a blueprint. What if the pulpit was opened up to whoever wanted to step up and speak... what confusion would enter? Even the early church gave precedent to the disciples as the speakers at their assemblies and meetings.

I ABSOLUTELY PASSIONATELY AGREE that for one or even a mere handful of men to be a ruling class over a body of believers is dangerous and lacks wisdom and is not a Scriptural model... I have seen such thngs become a puppet in the enemy's hands, dancing wolves putting on a great show as they hide behind the most sheepish masks devouring souls and whole families. Bleh!

But there is a system of leadership that the early church stressed. Roles to be performed, accountability to all, a system and network of how the body is fit together and should function. All should be prepared to teach whenever a door is opened, all can pray and operate in healing and in any of the gifts of the Spirit and should. But Sunday/Wednesday services are not the only times of Church. 24/7 is church time. Sunday/Wednesday there is a business side to church that is a framework that is to be submitted to God and the ppl of God as the Living Church, Body of Christ.

It's just common sense , reality,functioning, the process of living, wisdom... to have a group of believers commited to maintain order in the presentation of the Gospel and Scriptures during specified meetings of the entire assembly, congregation, body of believers. Bible Study, every where, any time, all week long, day and night is full of opportunity for all to teach and operate in sharing the Gospel.

Again, I completely agree that the role of pastor often becomes worshipped and the man becomes idolized, and the circle of leadership is viewed as above the seemingly lesser believers... that is sin, that is error, that is an open door to Pagan idolatry... but that is a whole other thing. Common in this day and time, epidemic actually, but not the fruit of such a system of order as church buildings and clergy... it is the sin of many who have been entrusted with the role of leadership, it is the sin of a congregation that has adopted the politically correct view of peace at all cost. That to raise your voice, or speak an opposing view, or to question an idolized leader or leadership is blasphemous and the mark of a trouble maker who should be silenced and blackballed and stripped of all dignity and respect.

The heart of Viola's concern seems legitimate to me... but the focus seems slightly tainted and off the mark. It's not about blaming the church and church practices... rather, much of the error he points out -- legitimate error -- has it's roots in the hearts of corrupt, selfish, falsely humble men and women who have abused their position and authority, whether intentional or not... across the board, across denominations, across positions and cultures and ethnicity, in the institutional church, the house church, the traditional church and the cutting edge trendy church.

I find myself loving the concern of the author, finding much of his offense and disgust with the church as valid... but the arguments he presents and the root causes just seem disconnected to me. I could easily be wrong and off the mark. I may be seeing my small corner of the room and misinterpreting the theme park as a whole... I am not saying I have all the answers, I'm just thinking out loud about my life and what I see around me and what I hear others explaining... and I am trying to make sense of it all. I am asking God to show us the path thru the tangled web woven around us. There is a path, a plan, a preparation, and a way prepared by God. The church is moving forward, whether in a building or on the street or in a house or in a cardboard box... or all of the above and more... but it is definitely moving forward, despite the past and what lies ahead.

Our feet are here.Planted like Oak trees along a river bank... and yet...
carrying a message declared and guarded by the God of heaven... beautiful...
uncertain, guided, misplaced at times, nudged back in line by a shepherds crook...

we stand and yet we move, there is little sense in any of this, but
there is the Word of God that he has placed in our hands today, and
there is the Spirit of God that corrects any typos and flaw of translation.
Trust and Obey, it just keeps coming back to that, rather than getting discouraged by mountains and tripped up by molehills.

There is so much that makes it complicated, cuz it all moves thru us, thru ppl...
but Christ will show us the way, and it is simple and not too heavy, challenging, requiring courage and tenacity... but very doable, light, and ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

~ This book is kinda following this line of thought and method of argument. I will read/skim the rest of it on my own, but prolly won't comment thru much more of it unless it begins to veer in new directions. I feel like to go thru every chapter and point would make me feel like I was picking it apart and that's not what I want to do. Bottom line, I understand the authors concern and disgust with much in the operation of the church these days... but I think it is more a blatant sin thing and failure of many leaderships as well as congregations to examine themselves and clean up the mess we have all contributed. It's just too easy to point to systems and us and them and cast blame... seeking God for the remedy would seem to take precedent, not to say that discipline isn't a necessary and long-neglected thing concerning the matter.

God will set all things in order. True to form he asks us to, brings it to our attention, leads and guides toward it, but there is a door of grace that closes in all things and then the judgement. If we don't clean up our mess so that we can be about the Father's business, he will step in and do it. Daddy is patient and loving at all times, but when he has to step in and discipline, it is sure and just and smarts considerably. The Church is alive and well, being cleansed of all spot and wrinkle in fascinating and thorough ways... the wedding day is close.

LEMONS and the SUPERFICIAL

2011-01-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

~ Btw, if you haven't seen the Christmas thru Facebook Vid that's going around, watch it right now (well on commercial break at least). Super short but one of those epic things that seldom comes along. I refused to watch it cuz ppl said it would make me cry. Just seemed like some little whatever going around... but it is truly INCREDIBLE. There is just no describing it, something you just have to see.

Actually titled A SOCIAL NETWORK CHRISTMAS...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sghwe4TYY18

~ If you're not willing to fight for it... you don't deserve it.

~ you can't just lay down and die... or stomp off in a tyrade... grow up, man up... be a bitch about it!.. or at least a bulldog...

~ I said... be a bitch about it... or at least a bulldog...

~ Hey... God heard you when you asked him... he sent the answer before you even asked... what you're going thru is no small thing to him.. he has a plan, he has a way, he has a victory planned specifically for you... and you're not gonna believe what it is, never imagined what it's gonna look like, no way you could've known... but God knows and will perform it in miraculous ways. Be at peace ♥

~ PEACE BE STILL... did you hear that... that was him speaking to your storm... it's not hopeless when God is in the mix... give him control and the winds and waves will obey him... they have no say in the matter ^_^

~ My dad was a military man. He raised me to cook a meat and three veggies at dinner time... and he drank his coffee soooo strong. That, I just couldn't do. Without fail he would complain about my weak coffee every time he came over to visit. I miss him ♥

~ Social Network... Social Network?... perhaps SUPERFICIAL NETWORK would be a more fitting name. It's the place where you mention face to face encounters like coffee, but it's the actual face to face that brings depth to a relationship...

~ Man does not live by the superficial alone... but ringing the doorbell or buzzing the buzzer often opens the door for that deeper face to face ^_^

~ Superficial, the surface stuff, it's not even the red tape, it's the first layer or two of the onion... it's the deeper stuff that gets to the heart of a relationship, the stuff that makes you cry... tears of pain, burning, stinging, blurring, no matter how hard you try to see and understand... but also tears of joy, full of flavor, turning sweet when passed thru the heat and the flame.

~ Was thinking about life and lemons and lemonade... and it came to mind how ironic it is that lemon juice is one of the key ingredients of many tenderizing marinades... how true to life that is... without the lemons, the meal/meat is actually tougher to swallow. It's the lemon... that sour "life's blood" that pours over all of us at times, that transforms our hearts to be tender and sensitive and full of compassion.

2011-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

Let me add after chatting with a friend...

"He (Viola) doesn't outright call the church Pagan, but he maps some things to imply that by following most church tradition we are following/serving Paganism. And the maps he draws I find questionable... I just don't feel that meeting in a church building is a Pagan practice that should be abandoned. I think it should be combined with home group meetings thru the week. The early church and muslim Christians and Chinese Christians met/meet in homes at times of persecution, but are already seeking bigger places to meet as they move to more populated areas. I see a common meeting place (church building) as emerging more from civilization and community and practicality rather than a Paganistic ritual. It's kinda like saying that apples and oranges grow on the same farm, so apples must have come from oranges. I just can't make the connection he is implying make sense in my mind. idk. But I'm still turning it all over and trying to understand =)

Further Thoughts...

2011-01-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

I get the frustration of how rigid doctrines can be. I struggle with the traditions of men at times as well concerning church. It is pretty much impossible for one person to have a voice that is heard in the institutional church. But there is good and bad in that. On one hand it guards the church from being blown around by any wind of doctrine that comes along. However, on the other hand, it kinda sets things in stone once it is adopted as doctrine. That creates a huge dilemma because often times doctrines are fashioned to cope with the culture of the day or the current trend that has emerged that is causing chaos or confusion concerning worship or ministry.

There is an equal concern in the home church setting, home church as I understand it, that parallels the "less dogmatic" churches that rose up under Wimber and Maranatha and others. Such churches for the most part have evolved into institutional churches, but the freedoms and ease of adjusting doctrines and rules was the appeal in the beginning. The problem manifested quickly as it does with such movements because there was no solid frame or structure to maintain order. Civilization and Community on every level requires a framework of rules to maintain order. Even the church in Scripture had such a set up, tho many would like to deny that. Simply consider the rules set in place as discussed in Act 15 from yesterday. Such order is not a failure to be led by the Spirit of God. On the contrary, God is very much a God of order, and he has rules. So does the church, govts, community, society... and scripture tells us to obey those rules as long as they don't violate the rules set in place by God.

Often times it seems that it is human nature to stretch things in an attempt to persuade others of what is in our heart. It is done in all sincerity and with the good of all in mind, and often without intention. Often times it is in desperation at wanting so badly for the other person to glimpse what we are seeing or feeling. Really reminds me of the word picture trend that rose several years back. To one person it seems like a pebble but to the other it is a huge stone. The person that sees the hugeness of it, tries to convey to the other person that merely sees a pebble. The one begins to describe the stone, but to the other it seems like exaggeration and intentional manipulation, when it is actually heartfelt desperation motivated by love. We would do well to remember that before labeling a person's actions as malicious.

Altho, some ppl's actions and intent are malicious.
It's a careful needle to thread.

Let me say, that one denomination, the one I attend at the moment but am not a member of, that has been quite impressive in such matters is the Nazarene Denomination. I have mentioned before about the issue of alcohol, but I think they have the only honest doctrine concerning the matter that I have ever heard. They do not teach that alcohol is a sin, rather they teach that it contributes to many social ills. Therefore they ask you to abstain from it in order to become a member (that's why I am not a member, I do not feel convicted at this point to abstain). I was in the AG denomination which I loved, but part of the reason I left was because I just couldn't make the connection betwn alcohol being a sinful act worthy of hell. Tho I abstained for 11 years during my membership there. I just found it difficult to teach a doctrine I just didn't believe, similarly I attended movies which membership also categorized as sin. Something I feel relates to a cultural doctrine.

Anyway, the Naz denomination is actually in talks concerning the issue of alcohol because there are missionaries in the field with concerns about the cultural practices among the ppl they are trying to reach. The doctrine to abstain is still in place, but at least they are talking about it and weighing what Scripture and the Spirit of God maintains about it. They also had doctrines forbidding dance and movies and such... but the denomination has adjusted those doctrines after much prayer and deliberation similar to that found in Acts 15 once again. I so admire that. It would seem the model of an effective leadership.

I have also been in those trendy churches where doctrines and rules are made on the fly according to whatever a certain leader or leadership decides at that moment. I have seen the winds blow and ppl follow doctrines that caused much blood and death to the ppl of God, destroying families, lives, testimony, hope, and congregations. It is not a safe thing, not a wise thing, to allow a person, or a handful of ppl, such power as to rewrite the rules on a whim... such a set up removes all safe guards for when ppl step off into selfish ambition or deception or ignorance.

Change in the institutional church is frustrating, pain-staking, much like a conversation of Ents as in LOTR... it takes so very long, and the more words you use the more impressive some think it is.. but little gets done that is productive and necessary. And when the stakes are life and death, when the hour is one of violence and war, some change needs to be swift and immediate. Only when the Ents saw their brothers slaughtered in battle did they realize that truth... the institutional church has not opened their eyes yet to the epidemic and horrors that are plaguing so many congregations today. Change must come to this process to safe guard some things but to speed along others. In Scripture God is usually the one that has to break in and re-align his ppl, usually raising up a voice or movement that forces change to maintain the Standard that God has ordained rather than what men have made it into.

In truth the church needs to maintain an order some where between the two, flexible but not chasing the winds of the doctrines of men. Not every wind is the leading of the Spirit of God. We must know what we are following, whether God or counterfeit, there is a whole realm filled with spiritual beings. Foolishness for the Christian is Christ and him crucified... Foolishness as human beings is being duped by something that has lied to us or misled us.

So often we throw around the right words while sin and confusion eats at the core. In the end times deception manifests thru the words of ppl, frogs out of the mouth of the enemy is the symbolism in Scripture of that. We need to study and show ourselves approved as never before. Ppl are gonna come professing Christ, but serving evil. The Bible has warned us. Not that that is what this book is doing, but if we can't recognize unintentional error among our own ppl... how will we recognize it from our enemy who has plotted at great lengths to deceive us and lead us astray.. a wolf in sheeps clothing first convinces us that he is a sheep before he detroys and devours.

Selah

PC: Chap 2

2011-01-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

Oh my, let the shark jumping begin... *eesh*

So halfway into Chapter 2, I am tempted to begin skimming chapters and may. I just don't make a connection betwn meeting in a temple and a Pagan tradition. You see, some things are not rooted as a spiritual act... some things are merely common sense and community and civilization.

The early church was under intense persecution and establishing a building to meet in regularly was a risky thing. Consider the Christians in muslim nations and the constant burning down and bombing of their meeting places, whether homes or storefronts. Consider the underground church in China and it's constant persecution, which has birthed House Churches out of necessity. But their heart is to get into the cities and have regular places to meet. If and when the persecution ends, a house of worship will likely emerge in each of those areas. Not because of Pagan influence, but because a specific meeting place allows for more thorough ministry. It can house the entire congregation, rather than fragmented groups depending on spokes people to fill them in on what each and every other household was seeing and doing and experiencing. Fewer letters are needed and more relationships are built with direct conversation and worshipping in the immediate presence of other believers.

Granted classes and Bible Study and fellowship groups are still a necessity to develop more intimate relationships. But the place of meeting where the entire congregation can gather together is still necessary. Few homes could host such large numbers, even Peter's home took a pretty good thrashing when Jesus spoke there. And many ppl couldn't even get in the door to actually hear the message for themselves. Granted Peter prolly got a new roof out of the deal, his neighbors prolly helped with that. But the lack of such neighborly involvement goes back to social and cultural issues. You can meet in house churches or in Sunday school or in Bible STudy or in small groups... and the busy-ness of society and the cares of this life will still limit the involvement in one anothers lives.

It is not the Temple or the Church that is the hindrance of such things... it is the culture and callousness in ppls hearts as they rush thru this busy life trying to hold things together: running kids to karate, to music lessons, checking on an aging parent, picking up detergent from the Dollar Store so they can go home and get a couple loads of laundry done, running to pick up meds, to get the car fixed, to take the dog to the vet, to help with the food drive, to answer email from work and family and friends and neighbors in need.... where are the lines of sin? What do we cut out, how do we find more time to raise the neighbors barn? Life gets in the way and each of us has to do the best we can to make room for ppl and ministry. Much of the claims so far that I have read in this book, seem to stretch things pretty far while over looking the simplicity that some things are simply life.

I just don't think meeting in ppl's homes rather than a church building is gonna change the pressures and rhythm of daily living. Not that I have this figured out, but I'm trying to understand... but an 8am to 5pm job takes alot out of a person and a family and a business owner. Throw in some toddlers or some teens or some aging parents and things quickly get complicated and never let up. Having church when and where you can is THE BOMB! I love it. But the convenience of a building on Sundays and someone's home thru the week is a beautiful combination that can be adjusted in a myriad of ways to work together for the most effective ministry.

It kinda goes back to the author's own argument about wearing the church clothes and dressing to the nines in Chapter one. Dressing up was a pagan issue according to Viola, and in truth, does cause unnecessary tension at times. Here is a similar issue with the Home Church thought, except that the place of meeting has become the dogmatic doctrine. Necessity and simplicity and common sense press toward having a building available for all believers to come together in fellowship and ministry at times... just as dressing neat and casual for church is out of the same necessity and simplicity.

I just don't see that Paganism has anything to do with it.

Such things would seem to be a return to exactly what the book is speaking against. The creation of traditions and forms of godliness that put weights on ppl that cause unnecessary stress and take away from effectively reaching OUR culture... it puts the church in a box concerning their worship of God (as a BODY of believers) and limits their ability to disciple and to fellowship in practical ways.

A second issue is the matter of Cathedrals and the ornate decor of many churches back in the day. It was a time when kings and royalty and courts were not so foreign a concept as they are today. The make up of any important building was ornately and lavishly decorated. That aspect of the culture of the time influenced the decor, but not the function and heart of the church. Sin was the issue of the heart, the inward struggle, then and now.

Today, churches usually take on a design that caters to the electronic, HD culture that our generation is familiar with. Again the design of the church isn't the issue, the heart of the congregation and individuals is where sin resides. Our churches today reflect influence and practicality as we function in the society God placed us in, just as it did back in the day, just as language has changed, even the English language has evolved thru time. It's not always in negative ways, it is often in positive ways and necessary ways.

It just seems like mountains out of molehills. If your church, the circle of believers you are in close fellowship with, wants or needs to meet in a small venue, or in someones home for every gathering, then be blessed. But to make it out that ppl who meet in buildings have been duped by traditions of Paganism seems a far stretch to me.

Like I said, I dont' have this church thing figured out, my walk as a Christian is messy in many ways, but if I can't gain understanding to the point that there is a clear line from what God has said or demonstrated to the issue at hand... I'm gonna hold it at arms length until God says to embrace it or toss it. I'm just not convinced by any of the arguments presented in this book so far. I think the authors heart is clearly zealous to follow hard after God... it just seems that in his attempt to rally the troops, he has drifted a little from center.

But I have a number of chapters to go, so who knows what thoughts will run thru my mind tomorrow concerning it all.

Whew... so yah, it's getting a little high in here, and forward progress is starting to take a little more determination, kinda feeling a little chore-like at this point. But still enjoyable. And so I press onward ^_^

After thoughts...

2011-01-05T05:02:00.001-08:00

Someone asked...

"when you say the book begins to veer ,are you saying something bad? cant discern what you mean"

My thoughts...

Yeah, Viola is trying to make the point that most traditions of the Christian Church came out of Roman Paganism and not Judaism. I feel like Christ emphasizes that he came to do a New thing. I think Judaism and Paganism influenced the church, but I don't think the church is Pagan just as I don't think it is to follow Judaism. The Jews were required to change more so than the Pagans. Culture influenced the early church, but it doesn't negate the traditions we follow today. However, culture changes so drastically, therefore traditions need to adjust without violating the heart of the Gospel. Viola seems to really want to blast the church and label its traditions as evil. I just disagree with that approach of reform. Men are evil, sin is rampant. I see that as the bulk of the problems in the church, not so much the tradition. Churches with good leadership thrive under the same traditions, churches with leadership that has drifted into sin and a congregation that is too lazy/busy with life to hold them accountable devastate lives and families. I don't think tradition is the cause of that, but I do think that churches need to be unafraid to change the ritual as the Spirit of God moves in radical directions.

But he has still not gotten into specifics yet. Perhaps as he clarifies things and gives more direct examples of what he is saying, it will shift my perspective. But as of the first portion of the book, I am left with some uncertainty. I look forward to reading more. It has not become a chore to press thru. I actually admire and enjoy the authors heart and zeal at this point, just not sure I agree with the basis of his argument so far.

PC: Chap 1 end

2011-01-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1 left me a little blank in the end.. hmmm, my impression is that the author is trying to convince me that Judaism was dying out and the paganism of the Roman Empire was dominating... that the Christian Church adopted that Paganism and the church today is rooted in it.

Gobble-dee-gook...

I don't think I've ever used that word, not even sure how to spell it or if I am using it rightly. But I just don't follow such a train of thought. My understanding of the Gospel and the Church is that it was neither Judaism nor Paganism, but somewhere in between, inclusive of all cultures and yet unique and different from all. The Jews were having to change by leaps and bounds as they became followers of Christ, as did the Gentiles.

Ahhh, so the disconnect begins for me concerning this book. This is gonna be an interesting ride.

It would seem that we are sposed to think that Christianity is based on Judaism, that we should model the Christian Church after it and that we believe we have... but that is not my perspective, thought or belief. I don't believe Christians are to follow Judaism at all... nor are we to follow Paganism... I believe we are influenced by both, that church history was influenced by both culturally, but that we are to follow Christ... the One who came to bring us a New Testament, a New Covenant.

Consider Acts 15
I know it is a long passage, but it truly conveys several concepts that are essential to the discussion at hand.

1And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

2When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Here again, the pressure to adopt aspects of Judaism as tho salvation depends upon them. Similarly today we often face the same teachings and pressures concerning aspects of Judaism that are not the basis of Christianity.

3And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

4And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

Here is proof that the aspects of Judaism were not part of Christianity, the Gentiles were believing in Christ and receiving the Spirit of God as evidence. The conversions were so valid and powerful that even the testimony of it to other Jews was accepted and celebrated.

5But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

6And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

7And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

9And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

According to Peter it is tempting God to assume that ppl are not Christians if they do not follow the rituals and practices of Judaism. Basically, they must be followers and believers of Christ and nothing more. Salvation is not affected by the culture they originated from, or the manner in which they celebrate and attempt to obey the teachings of Christ. The Spirit of God was leading them, and raising up leaders like Peter and others below, to give clear direction in what is forbidden, but very careful not to tie heavy burdens around their necks.

10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

12Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

13And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

14Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

15And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

16After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

17That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

18Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

This is so reminiscent of the Pharisee court that rejected Christ. But here we see a completely different reaction. The Apostles refused to lay the law upon the backs of the Gentiles, because neither Jew nor Gentile was under the law anymore. Judaism was dying out. Paganism was not the religion of the day. It was one of the cultures that the Spirit of God was bringing ppl out of. Some of it would remain on them as cultural, but all that was unclean was plucked out and rejected. So yes there was a progression, a change, the passing of Judaism simultaneous with the emerging Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of Pagan (Roman influenced) and other cultures. Think of it like race. You don't lose your ethnicity as a Christian, but you stop thugging against rival gangs, you stop having sex selfishly and give that area of your life over to God, you allow him to cleanse your marriage bed and every area of your life. The change is huge and the fruit is incredible, but you don't lose who you are, your personality, your identity, you are still you, you are just changed, transformed into someone, something new, clean with a fresh start, free of sin and guilt and judgement.

19Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

20But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

21For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

They stressed that the basic teachings of Holiness that God gave to Moses are being taught to them to obey. That there are four areas that they need guidelines to keep them from evil and to help them clean up... the four rules stated for the Gentile Church in vs 20, were mainly to undo the worship of demons that was ingrained into their culture. But it was also to keep them healthy physically. These four laws were to help them, to protect them physically and spiritually as followers of Christ, without binding them up with a bunch of laws that God had fulfilled and no longer required since Christ had come.

22Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

23And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

24Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

Viola claims there was no hierarchy, and yet there was to a point, the apostles were above the elders and then emissaries were below them, pastors and teachers that remained in the cities, and then the laity. All witnessed and served their neighbors and one another. But a hierarchy of authority existed nonetheless.

25It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

28For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

29That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

30So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

31Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

32And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.

33And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.

34Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.

The fact that Silas remained with the Gentiles is key in this last portion of this passage. Viola makes the distinction that they did not split into denominations, and yet we see a split of some kind here. Granted a peaceful split and approved by the elders but one that involved a strong disagreement that caused two groups to go separate ways and to partner with different ppl.

35Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

36And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the LORD, and see how they do.

37And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

38But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

39And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

40And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

41And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Paul had issues with John Mark, to such a degree that he had words with Barnabas about taking him to minister with them. The elders had to become involved and decided to allow a split. Barnabas took John Mark with him, and Paul took Silas with him. Both groups were at peace with the decision, both groups went separate ways to accomplish different things as they served the same God and taught the same Gospel and advanced the same kingdom. Silas had remained among the Gentiles in verse 34. He and Paul were like-minded, both called to minister primarily to the Gentiles, that was their heart. Paul specifically chose him to partner with for that reason obviously.

That split reminds me of the peaceful split within the Methodist denomination, resulting in the launch of the Nazarene denomination. A group of Methodists became greatly burdened for the extreme cases, the destitute, and so they separated in a peaceful separation so that each could do ministry according to their heartbeat, their calling, what they were equipped and skilled with God-given talent to accomplish. Not all splits are rooted in division and conflict, there is a measure of conflict usually, but the heart of the matter is one that involves joining like-minded ppl to reach a specific group for Christ.

The Gospel and Commission are the purest simplicity, but we are complicated creatures. Christ is Simplicity, as we follow him, we find simple ways to peace with God and Man, despite our complexity and shortcomings.

It is early in this book, and yet, I sense that it is beginning to veer from my understanding of the Gospel and the Church. I know I don't have all the answers, nor is my perspective without flaw, therefore I am looking to Christ to change me and to bring me into agreement with the Spirit of God. I can only believe what my heart and spirit are convinced of. At the moment, I am not convinced of all that Viola is presenting in this book, not that his heart means to deceive... judgement is for God to determine, I am merely to do my best to hear the voice of Christ and to follow in all Truth as I understand it. That is what Viola is doing I believe. Some things our hearts agree on, but some things may cause us to part ways.

And so ends Chapter One.

Pagan Christianity: Chap 1b

2011-01-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

K, so I am really beginning to love this book... not very far into the first chapter tho, so we shall see.

Here are a couple quotes that stood out to me.

page 4: "as pastors preach... (about following)... the "pure word of God," their words betray them. The truth is that precious little that is observed today in contemporary Christianity maps to anything found in the New Testament church."

The first part of this quote comes across as kinda harsh, "their words betray them." You almost feel like pastors are on trial and you can hear their accuser yelling in the courtroom, "Ah-ha!!!" Kinda wish they had toned it down a little. Many pastors preach such a thing but their heart and motive is far from malicious, I would dare to say that most have absolute sincere intentions and zealously attempt to hold true to such a claim. Altho, the bottom line and truth of the matter is that in a literal sense, many traditions are prolly not actually found in the Bible.

Taking such a thought a little further...

The word Rapture is not in the Bible either, but the word means to catch away, or a catching away... and that parallels the use of the word Rapture in translation and in teaching the concept of the Lord calling his bride to meet him in the air. You can trace (map) the concept of the Rapture to actual Scriptures about the event.

The second part of the quote from page 4 seems questionable at first read. It makes you want to present the argument that fission isn't in the Bible either, or that a financial budget isn't clearly quoted in the Bible. So of course there are things not quoted in the Bible but that are still good and Godly. It would seem that the author is saying the contrary but he is actually saying the same thing.

Here is the quote again, "The truth is that precious little that is observed today in contemporary Christianity maps to anything found in the New Testament church."

If he had said that precious little of it is found in the Bible, that would be a vastly different claim. Instead by saying that little of it MAPS to anything in the Bible, means more that there is no train of thought that can truly connect some traditions to actual Scripture. The question emerges, where do those traditions come from then, if not traced back to the Bible? But the book has not answered that question yet.

Pp 4-5, contain a quote that I absolutely love... not so much the actual quote, but more so the beauty of the author's heart to stress that division is not the goal, and extremes are actually better than resorting to such division.

"As Christians, we are taught by our leaders to believe certain ideas and to behave in certain ways. We are also encouraged to read our Bibles. But we are conditioned to read the Bible with the lens handed to us by the Christian tradition to which we belong. We are taught to obey our denomination (or movement) and never to challenge what it teaches.

"(At this moment all the rebellious hearts are applauding and are plotting to wield the above paragraphs to wreak havoc in their churches. If that is you, dear rebellious heart, you have missed our point by a considerable distance. We do not stand with you. Our advice: Either leave your church quietly, refusing to cause division, or be at peace with it. There is a vast gulf between rebellion and taking a stand for what is true.)"

Is that not beautiful...

There is nothing... NOTHING... that I disagree with in that passage... actually I find myself wanting to jump to my feet and wildly applaud with not just shouts but also with screams!!! And yet I want to fall to my knees and laugh and cry from some deep place in my soul at the mere glimpse of such Truth and Boldness and Humility. Someone needed to put that into words a long time ago... here Viola has done it so very perfectly that I can't help but feel God in it... or at the least, in the heart of the authors intent.

If you know me at all, you know that the progression thru this book coupled with my many thoughts will not be a short journey.

*smiles*

Pagan Christianity: Chap 1

2011-01-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

In the opening a story is told about a guy who ends up yelling at his wife and kids as they are preparing for Sunday morning at church. It is chaos as everyone is trying get dressed up and go put on a Christian face. They finally make it there and feel awful on the inside tho all looks perfect on the outside. Sitting in the pew the guy begins to wonder how it came to the place where ppl had to get so dressed up on Sunday Mornings. That caused him to begin to question a number of things we do as Christians. He begins to feel that such thoughts are sinful to even consider, somewhat rebellious to even question church traditions. Viola goes on to explain that the guys eyes were finally beginning to open to the error of the church. That the claim about being "biblical" is actually a fallacy because according to Viola such traditions are not found in Scripture and therefore not Bible.

A first impression might have been "oh yay, the guy is finally seeing the light."

A second impression might be to look at the root of what opened his eyes... yelling at his wife and feeling convicted about it. It almost becomes a temptation to blame the church, but is it really the churches fault? It then appears to be the man's sin and failure, but is it really his fault? Here is the real question, is it really about blame at all?

Perhaps it's about tracing things back to the root and dealing with it there. Casting blame merely leads to dealing with things on a superficial level. We must go deeper if we are to ever resolve and clean up the issues that are plaguing the Church and our personal lives as Christians.

Was it sin to question the tradition? I don't feel it was.

The real question I think is does his journey thru thought cause him to search out someone to blame for the conviction and guilt he is feeling, or is he truly searching his heart for truth. Perhaps initially the response is to look for someone to blame, but then each of us must choose the direction we allow our heart to go... do we follow whatever eases our conscience or do we follow the leading of the Spirit of Truth. That Spirit always leads us to repentance on the path to understanding and wholeness. In almost every situation we bear the weight of sin to some degree whether intentional or unintentional.

There is a sense of blaspheming God by questioning the doctrines of the church, spurred by the guilt and conviction of yelling at his wife and children and then putting on a mask that lies about who they are and what's inside their hearts at that moment. As we go back even further to the mornings arguments, we see the many distractions of the world that come into play, perhaps video games should be banned all day Sunday or at least until after Church. Perhaps they should have gotten up earlier. Perhaps gone to bed earlier. Go back even further, checking your heart for it's motives... are we looking for blame still or are we looking for the root cause. Are we wanting free of the current embarrassment or are we wanting to change something in ourselves or in our comfort zone so that we change something in our heart that will prevent us from entering into the same sin again in the future.

Perhaps the blame was his own... perhaps it was his sin and shortcoming for yelling at his wife and family. He lost his temper, he lacked control, was he to blame? No. Blame is still not what we are looking for. Was he in sin in that moment? yes. Should he apologize to God and to his family? yes. I think so.

But is that as far back as it goes?

No there is another step back. What could be done to ease the stress of that morning? Was his question at the end of this whole process worth reconsidering back here near the beginning? I think so.

When we are planning a day with family or friends of shopping or dinner or celebration or whatever, we usually dress comfortably. Clean, neat, but yet expressing our mood and personality. How did it come to the place that we are to dress to the nines for Sunday Morning? In our busy life, in our break-neck culture, in the busy toddler years and the unpredictable teen years, who can stay on a rigid schedule so that everything runs smoothly. Some do, but most remain in a constant miserable multi-tasking flurry of trying to keep it all held together... or at least convincing everyone around them that they are.

What if...

What if ppl were allowed to dress as tho they were going to spend the day with family and friends rather than royalty?... what if it eased the stress on Sunday mornings and cut the number of family fights merely in half even? Would it make us disrespectful to God, would he think we were thumbing our nose at him because of our outer appearance? Would he prefer us in hose and ties on the outside, but black and tied in knots of filth on the inside? Or would he rather see our clean and casual attire on the outside and a heart full of peace and love toward our family, a sincere greeting to others as we enter the sanctuary, a soul that is actually glad, somewhat at peace, slightly refreshed, and open to encountering His presence?

So we trace it back from the original question to the same question... where did the tradition come from, is it helpful or hindering the work of Christ in our lives and in his church? That journey must be one of seeking Truth, if it is one of blame and tearing down the ppl and things of God, it will remain a superficial fix and the cycle will continue until someone or something dies.

Motive.

Even if we ask ourselves the right questions, throw around the right phases and make some good points... if our motive is not to build up the ppl of God and to advance His Kingdom... we fail. It's a heart thing. I pray that is the focus of this book as I continue reading thru it. Either way, it has caused me to consider much. What I manage to read of it, will not go to waste. God promises that all things will work together for good to those who are in Christ Jesus. As long as that is our goal, as long as he is our focus, above ourselves, above traditions of men, above the new and trendy excitements that come along --

"...everything will be fine."
(to quote Doc from BACK FROM THE FUTURE)

It makes me smile to think how crazy it sounds, how complicated, how against the odds that it could all actually work out and will... but God promises that there is a way and a path that he has prepared that will get us where we need to be. We will not lose our individuality, that part of us is actually greatly needed and fashioned as such by God with purpose. But he will fit all those believers and acts of faith from the past so seamlessly with the same family of believers today, he will let us remain unique and yet he will knit us together as one. Our God is so great, he is able. There will be war in the camp, there will be change and breaking, but there will be a path that includes healing and strength and all that is good. Change doesn't have to be devastating... it can be painful and necessary and yet full of joy and victory. So much like childbirth.

God is Creator. Our biggest feature that resembles the image of our Father is that we are allowed to play a part in creating life, physically and spiritually. Such things involve a measure of pain, but the joy is LIFE, abundant life for ourselves and for others. We get to receive it and to give it and to share in it. No matter how cultures change, no matter how the face of the church changes, we can never lose site of the fact that we are ONE. We disagree, we hurt one another, we hash things out in the skirmishes that arise as we move the Kingdom forward, each of us doing his own thing, each of us contributing to the whole, stepping on each others toes, getting popped in the back of the head by the board on someone elses shoulders as they labor for the same King we serve.

The church is a busy place, constantly changing, organic, alive, and yet constant in who it is and who it's family is. Family is the most complicated relationship, we all know that. But it is the deepest love and most fulfilled calling hands down. You build the den, and I'll build the kitchen, you lay the wood floor and I'll paint the wall around you. Try to hammer my toes as little as possible, and I'll try to only drip a few drops of paint on your new high-dollar work boots.

*grin*

We gotta figure out how to do this. We gotta remember we're on the same team, in the same family, loving the same God and doing the best we can to accomplish the task he has given each of us to weave into the whole tapestry that He has designed and is designing.

*hearts*

^_^

2011... year of extremes

2011-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

2011... a year of extremes, a year to encourage, a time to press in, a manifestation of long awaited answers. Be strong and full of courage, it's gonna be wild ride, a fire in the bones, tides are about to change, a sorting, a sifting, a time of decisions, and a time to reject indecision. A year of violence, of taking the heavens by storm, of prayer and faith and action... of witnessing God coming down among us ♥

PAGAN CHRISTIANITY?

2011-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Some time back I was in a discussion with friends about the contemporary church and how so many ppl (myself included) just don't seem to fit anywhere. That conversation led to a friend recommending a book to me titled PAGAN CHRISTIANITY... I scanned the reviews and asked ppl about it, and came away with a sense that it was along similar lines as JESUS FOR PRESIDENT, a book that I strongly disagreed with in it's approach for reform. It seemed to plant seeds of bitterness and division in a generation, rather than reform thru passion, zeal, and violent humility... change is inevitable in the church of today, it's coming and is here, but just as in the first century, there is a way of Godly change, and a counterfeit that tries to bring confusion and deep wounding.

I bought the book, but was so dreading reading it. I decided to put it off until after the holidays. I began reading it today...

I have read the credits and the preface and the introduction and just started into the first chapter and I was so taken by surprise... the authors hearts are so very genuine and seemingly right on with so much that has been in my heart for years concerning the chaos in the church of today. If the book continues along it's current approach to reform in the church, I think it could be an incredible voice for this hour. I so pray that it does not veer from the heart the authors have presented so far. I am truly undone, almost afraid to hope, tasting something that so tastes like the goodness of the Spirit of God.

Just in two of the opening definitions (several were listed) such an all inclusive appeal to the WHOLE CHURCH is so unique and fresh and real. So often it is an attack against the traditional church... it is a sales pitch for some kind of upbeat NEW church that rips apart everything that came before, everything that the Spirit of God has worked thru to the place where our feet stand today as the CHURCH. There seems to be an air of respect and gentleness in the midst of a very clear and zealous trumpet blast that change must come.

I love these definitions in particular...

ORGANIC CHURCH does not refer to a particular model of church. (We believe that no perfect model exists). Instead we believe that the New Testament church is organic. An organic church is a living, breathing, dynamic, mutually participatory, every-member-functioning, Christ-centered, communal expression of the body of Christ. Note that our goal in this book is not to develop a full description of the organic church but only to touch on it if necessary.

INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH refers to a religious system (not a particular group of ppl). An institutional church is one that primarily operates as an organization that exists above, beyond and independent of the members who populate it. It is constructed more on programs and rituals rather than on relationships. It is led by set apart professionals ("ministers" or "clergy") who are aided by volunteers ("laity"). We also use the terms contemporary church, traditional church, present-day church and modern church to refer to the institutional church of our day.

I came out of a home-group, kinship, church setting that was a horrid mess of corruption. Statistics and Strategies were often quoted and respected more than scripture, it was an us (leaders) and them (laity) mentality... even referring to ppl as "current projects" rather than ppl needing Christ or seeking to grow in their faith. All the right phrases like "servant-leader" and "its about relationship" were thrown around as their focus, but the smell of Pharisee was all over it... and tons of ppl have left there wounded and crippled and crying out to God for help. My experience at that contemporary cutting-edge church, seems to be the similar experience by many from other churches as well. It has become an epidemic.

I truly believe that 2011 is going to be a year in which God manifests some answers in miraculous ways. I think it is going to be a year of extremes, life and death, torment and refreshing, trials and victories.

I am now looking forward to reading thru PAGAN CHRISTIANITY, and will likely read it several times if the content holds true to the introduction and preface.

New Years Eve Eve Thoughts

2010-12-30T06:32:00.001-08:00

~ "The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them." Acts 16... despite it all, they encouraged others.

~ As we journey out of the hardships and challenges of 2010, let us seek to encourage others despite it all so that the goodness of God, the many ways that he has sustained us thru it, the victories that he has brought, and the strength and joy that he has given us will be preached to a broken and hurting world. Let us take what God has taught us, let us share the testimonies that he has worked in us, so that Hope and Faith and Love will rise up in the hearts of all who hear it... that they may know the God who has come to fight for them and to deliver them from all evil ♥

"Father give us direction and focus as we prepare to enter into the coming year. Help us to commit our ways to your ways, our hearts to your heart, our joy to your joy. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and Friend. Amen"

~ HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE EVE ^_^
Lots to prepare and to meditate on, as we seek to commit 2011 to our Lord and Savior. Have a blessed and productive day, may it be filled with refreshing and wisdom and faith. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

~ it's not looking at your children and marking down a point for every good and perfect thing they do... it's SEEING them, in all their imperfections and perfections and realizing that they are beautiful, they are real and fragile and precious and powerful, made in the image of God and doing the best they can to do better each day... seeing them rise to the challenges of life as they grow in their faith ♥

That's how our heavenly Father sees us after all...

**********

thinking about the post above...

~ it's not looking at your PARENTS and marking down a point for every good and perfect thing they do... it's SEEING them, in all their imperfections and perfections and realizing that they are beautiful, they are real and fragile and precious and powerful, made in the image of God and doing the best they can to do better each day... seeing them rise to the challenges of life as they grow in their faith ♥

~ That's how our heavenly Father sees us after all...

~ Talk about role reversal ^_^

You're still on his team...

2010-12-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

Bowled beside an incredible little guy yesterday.. about four maybe, with a crewcut.. gutter ball after gutter ball but unphased. Every throw was like a new start, full of determination and hope. Now and then he would hit a couple pins and it was a glorious moment, lol.. but he talked about a strike the entire time. His zeal to still be in the game far outweighed his disappointment of falling short. Wisdom much? ♥

Shout, Friend.

2010-12-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

"You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God." Luke 1:76-78

In the Jewish wedding custom after the betrothal, engagement, the groom went home to his father's house to prepare a place for he and his bride to live after the wedding. When it was complete, he would return to the bride's home to surprise her and the wedding would be performed. The bride had to keep her things in a state of readiness, cuz no one knew when the groom would return.

When the wedding day approached, the groom would send his best friends ahead of him and they would shout, "the bride groom is coming! the bride groom is coming!" to announce his arrival and so that everyone would scramble and prepare for the wedding. That was the role of John the Baptist... even kings before arriving on the scene would have shouters go before them and announce their arrival. At the return of Christ at the Rapture, there will even be a shout announcing the bridegroom so that the bride would know to run out and meet him to be wed to him... and that it was time to consummate their vows.

After the ceremony before family and friends, the couple would seclude themselves for a week and consummate the marriage, honeymoon, have sex, unite physcally and spiritually, all those things that are intimate and that complete the unity, oneness, between them. After the shout at the rapture, the bride will rise to heaven for seven years at the marriage supper of the lamb, and then return to the earth for eternity as Christ again sets foot on the earth... but this time as ruling and reigning King, the Lion of Judah, rather than the sacrificial lamb.

John the Baptist was the friend of God, of Christ. He was sent to shout in the wilderness and announce the coming of the Saviour of the world, the bridegroom, to his bride, the church, the saints, the covenant keepers. Christ stressed that even tho his calling was so great, no one was less important than him, every person has equal value, is just as important to Christ as a friend, a very precious friend...

"24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7)

What does that say about you and me?... as his creation, as the ones offered the same role of announcing the Good News that God is with us, that he loves us, that he has come to save every person who wants to live in God's goodness and Truth and Love... that as we stand in this wilderness, this dry and dirty place, miserable and hot, void of comfort and peace, we are asked to shout about the promises that Christ has come to bring, not to talk or suggest, but to shout the Truth as living LED, flashing, loud, not-to-be-ignored billboards on the corners of every street and sideroad for all to see, to believe or reject the message. John was God's friend, entrusted with the joyous news that the Bridegroom is coming...

and so are we <3

hijacked

2010-12-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

From a hijacked thread on a friend's FB, lol. Just some thoughts I wanted to jot down somewhere for future reference and so I don't lose them.

-------------

~ John the Baptist, David, Paul, Peter... real men... you're in that category mister, flaws and all (we all got 'em), it's not about perfection, it's about faith that he forgives and helps us to change. Thanks for being that voice and challenging us to keep things real.

~ I get what ur saying and those are accurate points, but something to consider is that the greatest persecution comes form within the church... as in the Pharisees... that spirit and persecution is alive and well... but it's not so much the traditional church that is the worst about it... the trendy cutting-edge contemporary church has become the organized church, everything they rebelled against not so long ago.. things are quite a mess... the proof is in the fruit... look across the board of those put out of the synagogue (organized church) these days... most are hungry for a church home, to be plugged in, understanding that no church is perfect, but wounded and crippled by leaders all too often caught up in arrogance and Barna stats and pressing their agenda to promote something, anything new and exciting that will tickle the ears of it's listeners and impress their colleagues... what better way to feel holy and humble and excellent?... Persecution is alive and well, the proof is the fruit, a Christian nation full of hurting Christians with no where to lay their head, no church home to call their own, labeled and falsely accused, rejected and emotionally crucified. Persecution comes from inside the church, and the wolves are feasting as we speak.

~ The Pharisee spirit in the first century persecuted those that tried to bring change... the same spirit in the 21 century persecutes those that refuse to spit on Grandma's grave and chuck their foundations out the door... both are rooted in arrogance and self-centered leadership (tho there are Godly leaders, don't label all of them, just a majority)... both persecute those that disagree with their agenda, who refuse to praise and admire them... the first century murder was literal and physical, today it is by murdering their reputation, labeling them as a trouble maker, building cases against Godly ppl thru witnesses that lie like they did at the bogus trial of Christ, and exaggerations and manipulating truth into half truths. The enemies greatest weapon in the last days, that anti-Christ spirit is one of deception and lies. That is what the frogs of revelation coming out of his mouth represent. Frogs are symbolic of lies. The Bible gives several warnings of the lying spirits that would run rampant in the last days.

~ Part of the image above is the fact that Jesus taught that you can murder a person with your words, basically take the life out of them by trashing their reputation or gathering a consensus to blackball them. Similar to when he said that to fantasize about sex with someone is just as bad as doing it. (Matthew 5)... I agree with you and Gandhi about most Christians... "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." But there are exceptions that are true reflections of Christ, a handful percentage-wise, but they do exist... far from perfect but truly humble and sincere in loving God and loving Ppl as Christ does.

~ "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.(Matthew 24)"

~ ‎"The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then.. the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God." 2 Chronicles 5... God loves us, despite blunders and screw-ups, He has come and is with us, to help us to change and to be confident that our life has purpose and value, so much so that he wasn't willing to let us go to hell without a fight, a fight to the death on his part... the Savior of the World, as well as you and me... Jesus... I'm with you Dillon and so many others thru all of history who have a zeal to praise and rejoice and testify, that God is not a watch maker who created all things and then walked away to let it all run down... he is family, father, brother, friend... and Dec 25th is the day set aside to truly meditate on that Good News, to appreciate it, to acknowledge his arrival on this earth as a man and yet as God. When you win the lottery you can't keep quiet and you can't not buy your friends a round of drinks in celebration... Emmanuel, God with us, is the ultimate lottery! Some ppl don't feel like celebrating, I get that, but I do. Thanks for inviting me to celebrate it with you. Many much moosen kudos ^_^

~ One last thought, the Pharisees were adamant about verbal murder, trashing someone's reputation and banishing them from church.. and then things escalated to hunting them and their families down and murdering them or having Rome murder them on bogus charges. This is already happening again in hot spots around the world and increasing to alarming numbers as govt leaders turn a deaf ear to anything and anyone that doesn't further their agenda... much like Rome and the anti-Christ spirit that rose up at that time.

The Christian foundations in the US are breaking down, just like they did in Europe. For now in the US, it is a verbal perscution just like it started in the First Century... but as the last days run down it will escalate to a physical murder as well. Revelations and prophecies in Scripture give glimpses that before the end, a person will have to offer their life to avoid denying that Jesus Christ is God. Revelation is clearest about this when it mentions the saints (saints means covenant keepers) that are under the altar of God petitioning him for retribution, ppl who were slain for their testimony, and that others were also being slain for the same reason(Rev 6). Persecution is only gonna escalate, and I believe that it will follow the same pattern as the First Century church because Europe and the US are already starting down that road. A hatred of Christ and his ppl and the Jewish Culture is increasing just like Jesus said would happen in the last days. A final and hellish war is brewing, the Bible warns it is coming and only in our lifetime have things set themselves up for the spark to ignite it all. My generation will see the spark, but yours will see the blaze.

Dillon is part of that handful that are choosing to be revived in their faith... truly revived, with passion and zeal, despite their own flaws and failures, despite the shortcomings of those that have gone before, they are choosing to hold firmly to the success and power of God who works all things out for the ppl who choose to love him and obey him (which involves testifying of his goodness and his Word). All of us have kinda floundered in this thing called faith... but it's a time of choices like never before. We need to make up our mind if we believe that God is speaking thru the Bible and if so, we need to ask Him how to do what it says in real ways, in real life, today. Not like it's a storybook and we're learning parts in a play. It's gotta come from the heart, it's gotta make us laugh and cry and change so that we are different ppl than we used to be. I know I'm rambling, sorry. But, there's alot to think about cuz this is serious stuff. It's not just spouting opinions... it's life and death choices. The answers and understanding it all is never gonna be there, it's a matter of believing. Trusting Christ, doing the best we can and knowing that he sees our heart and intent.

If we are a bunch of limp wristed panzies now, what kind of stand are we gonna make when someone lays our head in a guiotine or puts a blade to the neck of someone we love as they saw their head off in front of us. We can't get violent and freak out and throw love and mercy and humility out the door, but we gotta decide what where we stand in our beliefs and not back down on things that Christ clearly teaches us. If we keep just drifting along and never really think thru what we beleive, really believe, we will swallow lies until we become one, Ephesians 4. Love you guys ♥

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

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Ephesians 4