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Dusting

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on November 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

My niece often exclaims , “My Aunt Julie’s house is always clean.”  Well, it looks that way, but…

Living alone (whereas she has three kids,a husband, a dog and two guinea pigs) I guess it is easier for me to keep things picked up and presentable–you know, just in case the Queen of England drops by for tea.

Seriously, I have always liked things in order and everything in it’s place– in my home and my life. But life on earth is not orderly. It gets messy sometimes and things accumulate in the corners where we often do not look, just as dust settles in the nooks and crannies of our house.  I decided that the one Saturday in a month I was not IMAG0357dashing to a conference or to do a workshop, I’d dust. Yuk. That cloth  on the wand found all sorts of fuzz and dirt.  Achoo.

Our lives can get that way, can’t they? Dirt, no matter how clean we try to lead our lives, can stick. This place called earth is a dirty place and we live in it. After all, Scripture says we are dust and to dust we will return.  But there are times it seems dust returns to us, and stays!

Every once in a while we need to stop and take time out to give our spirits a thorough cleaning. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to be the cloth wand to help us reach into the tiny crevices of our souls will little lies, negative thoughts, jealousies and grumblings have hidden.  It is called confession- the spiritual duster.

Have you dusted around in your soul lately? To the world you and I may look like the perfect, all in order, clean Christian. But deep down, if we stop and take a look, we know there are little specks of dirt cluttering our place that Jesus says He has come to dwell. He is standing at the door and knocking. Better get busy!

 

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Rejoice in the Rest

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , , , on October 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

November 1st we celebrate all the saints, the faithful believers,  who have come before us. On November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, or All Souls’ Day is celebrated. Like other originally religious feasts, it has also taken on secular, macabre meanings.  It has become Halloween, Part Two in some cultures.

For the Christian, All Souls’ Day is all about remembering our loved ones who have passed before us and entered the eternal realm–we pray that is Heaven. If they confessed Jesus as Lord, then it is a day of celebration and rejoicing because they have crossed over into a life without pain, suffering, disease and death. They are in paradise forever.

We, who are not yet there, can rejoice in the rest – the rest of our lives knowing we, too, will one day be in Heaven with them and our Lord. We can also rejoice in the eternal rest our loved ones now bask in, and be thankful their earthly battle, no mater how brief or long, is over.

Not sure where they are now? I asked God that about a relative who I wasn’t sure ever crossed the threshold into accepting Jesus as her Savior before she took her final ???????????????????????????????????????gasp of breath on earth. As if He sat next to me, I heard the Lord whisper, “She saw my light, believed, and fell into my arms.”   In that immeasurable minute between temporal and eternity, I truly know our Lord, who Scriptures states does not want one soul to be lost, will try one last time to convince His creation that he or she is His child. Yes, some will deny Him even then. But seeds of faith, planted decades ago, can suddenly become beanstalks in the rays of His glory.

O ETERNAL Lord God, who holdest all souls in life; Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to thy whole Church in paradise and on earth, thy light and thy peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served thee here and are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into thine unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   BCP 1928

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Irritating

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 11, 2015| 2 Comments »

What irritates you?

IMAG0312I have always had s sensitivity to certain metals. Only surgical steel can go into my pierced ears. But one pair I bought, which I later discovered was not surgical steel, are my favorite. Yet, if I wear them for more than a few hours, the “holes” become angry and infected. I have tried coating the wires with clear nail polish, dousing the posts in antibiotic salves, soaking them in rubbing alcohol…but the plain fact is my ears do not tolerate whatever alloy is in that metal. The result will be the same each and every time. So I stare at them and ponder, “Is it worth it?”

Sad to say, sometimes I suck in my defiant breath and shove them into my earlobes anyway. Then, I complain about the consequences for the next few days.

Sound familiar? No, I am not talking about earrings anymore. I am referring to those little “sins” we try to get by with. Those whispered temptations. The “no one will know if you do” nudges.

These irritate our souls just as the alloy embedded in the posts aggravates my sensitive ears. You might say these indiscretions rub us the wrong way – and that is what God intends. As Christians, sin is supposed to be an irritant to us.

Yet, how often to we pretend we are not sensitive to it because we want to have it, we give in and do it, or we sneak around and try it. We can coat the sin with anything we like, but the truth of the matter is it will still infect us. And only Our Lord can heal us.

Better to chuck it in the trash and walk away.

Easier said than done. I still have the earrings in my jewelry box.

 

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Even crooked and bent

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences on August 31, 2015| 5 Comments »

A wonderful lady has recently begun to worship at my church.  You can see the Holy Spirit in her face. She always smiles, is eager to greet people, and is pleasant and insightful in conversations.

Yesterday, I sat a few rows behind her. During a praise song, she lifted her hand high. I noticed how crippled, crooked and misshapen with the arthritis her arthritic handsfingers were. And yet, she raised her hand high, unabashed, in worship to her Lord and Savior.  The image pierced my heart.

We are all arthritic to some degree, are we not? It may not be in our bones, but in our spirits. Life has made us misshapen. We may feel we are no longer in God’s image. We are bent, out of whack and feel deformed by the pressure of our experiences and attitudes. At times, we might want to hide from the world rather than reveal our true selves. We may long to be made right again, and feel bitterness because it isn’t happening.

May we all take a lesson from this worshiping woman.  She is not angry over her affliction and crying out, “Why me, Lord?” Her attitude isn’t one of shame and frustration.  She takes what she has, what she is, and what she has become, and offers it up anyway– all the while praising her Lord.

And I believe God smiles. I know He doesn’t only see twisted, swollen-jointed fingers. God peers down upon His child who  basks in His love and is grateful He came into her life. While one transformation has happened to her hands, a better one has occurred, and continues to manifest inside her. Her pathways are being made straight even if time and age has bent her hands.

Being honored to witness this  beautiful event has transformed me, and I dare say straightened me out a bit, as well.

Lord, let me lift myself to you as I am, with all my faults, my failures, my doubts, my fears. You accept me as I am, but graciously mold me to become what Your will desires. I cannot change many of the outside things in my life, but I can be transformed inside by Your merciful grace  For that, I can lift my hands and praise You Jesus my Savoir. Thank you for showing me a truth about You through this lovely lady You brought into my midst. To Your Honor and Glory, Amen.

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In a Name…Amen

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on August 10, 2015| 2 Comments »

I love word games, you probably realized that by now. While playing Scrabble, I noticed I had several choices when it came to playing my tiles M-E-N-A

Two jumped out at me – NAME and AMEN. Why? Because one puts the “N” at the beginning while the other word has it at the end.

God showed me a lesson.  It is up to us how we choose to arrange the letters. It all depends on where we place our values.

name-clipart-name-sign-md       If we put ourselves first, our name is important.

Shove our needs to the back behind those of others and God’s will for our lives and we have the word Amen.Amen

What is your “N”? Is it notoriety, making a name for yourself, or do you think of yourself as nothing?  Perhaps the “n” is a negative attitude, or the feeling you will never amount to anything.  Maybe it is neverneverland– a pipe dream. It could even be being noble. nice, or natural.  Whatever it is, the emphasis is still on you, not God.

Think what would happen if you flipped that “N” and thought less about it and more about your blessings, your purpose, and your Savior?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. MaAtthew 6:33

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Through Missionary Eyes

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on July 16, 2015| 2 Comments »

download (1)This week, hundred of missionaries and faith leaders from all over the world descended on Fort Worth, TX to pray over each other, learn from each other, and support each other. I have met amazing men who minister to persecuted Christians in a predominately Muslim environment – unfortunately, I can’t say who they are over cyber space  or show their pictures because they and their families live under the threat of execution.

I can tell you what I gleaned from their talks:

1. People are being converted to Christianity at alarming rates – the persecutions have drawn others to the faith. God does bring good out of evil. (Romans 12:21 –Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. )  Rejoice in this.

2. The best thing we can do is PRAY – pray for holy leaders to spring forth to guide the newly converted. Jesus is coming to thousands in  dreams, but they don’t understand who the “man in glowing white” is. (Romans 10:20 –And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

3. Befriend Muslims here in our countries because they are curious about our faiths and freedoms, but fear us because of the prejudice we have due to the terrorist sects. They are humans looking for peace and salvation and because secularism is foreign to their mindset, are easier to convert. Many do not realize Jesus is proclaimed as the Son of God in the Koran because they have never been allowed to study it!  (Colossians 1:25  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—)

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I found God moving in places in the world where hatred, persecution and strife are part of a daily existence. But out of that cesspool springs of hope are gurgling up, and the stream of Living Water cannot be dammed.  Their testimonies brought tears to my eyes and a new fervor in my heart.

Please join me in doing these three simple things.

 

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The Finish Line

Posted in Christian on June 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

A blogger, Steve from England, found God in a racing game…even though legally blind, read below what he was made to see.

Steve's avatariChristian

As a blind gamer, i was excited to be recommended(by my brother) a brand new racing game called “Project Cars” for the PS4. I’m able to attempt to play a few racing games, If they include Grand Prix tracks, i can often remember each corner from my sighted gaming days, playing F1 97 etc. 

When i sat down to play for 15 minutes last night, i was surprised to be taught a lesson on being over zealous, while lacking wisdom! 🙂

A close up photo of the amazing Ford Capri Touring Car

⇧ Screenshot of my 1980 Capri (Group 5 – Team Zakspeed) ⇧ 

I chose the rather extreme Capri to drive and chose a familiar track. After leaving the pits i span off on nearly every corner as my tyres were cold and not up to race temperatures. An influx of thoughts filled my mind,….

Over Zealous…

It reminded me of when i first became a Christian and first had…

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Carried

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , on May 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

…. I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4b

shepherd- dayspring really wooly

courtesy of Day Spring Really Wooly collection http://dayspring.com/

A young woman in our congregation hobbled to receive communion with a scraped knee and Velcro laced cast-boot. When I asked her how she was doing and if she needed assistance, she said this recent injury reminded her of a time as a little girl when she broke her leg and was in a cast for weeks on end. Her father carried her to the altar during church to receive a blessing of healing.

“I pictured later that’s what our Heavenly Father does when we are broken. He lovingly carries us to His altar to receive healing in our soul. As I hobbled through the day now, that image sticks in my mind and I am comforted.”

She found God in her injury.

http://ecards.dayspring.com/ecards/subcat.asp?CategoryID=6&SubCategoryID=47&CardID=401952&Widescreen=False&CurPage=1There are times we need to be carried. Perhaps we’ve hit abump in the road of life and taken a tumble. Our soul has been scraped. We ache and throb, and when we try to get up, we wobble unsteadily. We need the Good Shepherd’s staff to lean on for a while.

ID-100108485Other times, we just need Daddy to cuddle us. Like a toddler we stretch out our arms and whimper, “Up,please.”  We need His warm strength, or maybe just to see the world from a new perspective–on His shoulders.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

In their classic song Flood, Jars of Clay sing for God to lift them up because they are weak, to lift them up so high they cannot fall. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, be it from a friend, a parent, or your Heavenly Father. Sometimes, you just need to be uplifted so you can carry on, or be carried so you can be lifted up in spirit.

Jesus carried his cross so He could now carry us…

  • to be with Him,
  • to rest for a while,
  • to renew our strength,
  • to be comforted.

Lord, lift me up…

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WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO…

Posted in Christian on May 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This fellow blogger found Gods message in a field of flowers too soon gone…worth the read.

dianegates's avatarMOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES

“…we ought to do now!” An old saying I grew up with and was never more clearly illustrated to me than this week.

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If you’ve visited my Face Book page you saw and hopefully enjoyed the beautiful yellow flowers and farmland pastures I posted last week. I had returned from Longview, Texas, with a tight schedule and enjoyed the yellow-petal-path along I20 from Longview, through Tyler, until I reached the Edom/Van exit. Then this field called me—Stop. Take my picture.

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The voice in my head argued—Those flowers will be here next week. You can photograph them then. You don’t have time today. And they proceeded to march soldier cadence through my mind—all the commitments, chores, and chaos waiting for me at home.

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But thank goodness, I turned the chatter volume down and granted myself the privilege of pausing, turning off the freeway, and spending thirty or so minutes…

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This Li’l Light of Mine

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , , on May 12, 2015| 1 Comment »

Years ago I bought an LED nightlight that automatically shines when it is dark and dims when it is not needed. I keep it plugged in all the time, and to be honest, most times I don’t even think about it. It’s on when I need it, and more dimmed when I don’t.

AH- good theme for a devo! The Light of Christ is constant. No one can dim it. And, as long as we stay “plugged into” Him, His light will continually shine through us.

I decided to take a picture of it with my cell phone so I could show it to you. Funny thing happened.

Even though to my naked IMAG0228eye it gleamed, the little nightlight wasn’t bright enough to satisfy my sophisticated app’s sensor. My camera app on my phone detected a flash was needed. Each time I took a picture, the camera would instantly flash, which meant the “light” in this nightlight didn’t show up. It’s little glow was minuscule in comparison to the blast of light the camera emitted.

Frustrated, I took photo after photo, and then sent all to the delete box. I was at the point of giving up when the celestial 2 X 4 whacked me on the head – oh, so this is the theme for the devo!

I took one more picture. Here it is. You can barely tell the nightlight is shining. But if you look more closely, you can detect how it reflects around the edges of the back splash and the counter.

There are times when I feel as if I am barely glowing. Do you ever feel that way? Christ’s perfect brilliance so outshines the glow in my human heart. I know He is the Light and I am to reflect Him in all I do and say…but.  Well, I’m human. Sometimes, I don’t feel I measure up.

Even so, His light never leaves me. My human tendency towards sin may appear to dim in comparison, but it is always there–glowing around the edges, softly reflecting on the surfaces of my life. His Spirit shines without ceasing because I claim Him as Lord and Savior.

When His light momentarily blasts through me, I am okay with dimming into the background. As long as others see the illumination He emits into me and turn to Him as a result, I’m happy to be a small reflection of His mighty love and power.

May I stay always stay plugged into His source of strength and energy and keep glowing –just like that little light of mine–in case another needs it to direct them to my Savior. But may I never wish to “outshine” my Lord, or take credit for His merciful Light blasting into my life as an example to others.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

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