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Archive for the ‘Christian’ Category

In An Attitude

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

A dear friend of mine, Joy Brooks, writes a blog for Prayer For Freedom. This ferevent pray-er and supporter for anti-human taffficking and slavery has committed her life to this cause.  A daunting task, and when faced with such a huge calling, one prayer can seem like a drop of rain on a raging forest fire. Here is what she says –

Then one day God showed me something. I was looking through the problem of slavery with my own glasses, not with eyes that didn’t need glasses to make it completely clear. I was not able to see the power of God and how Christ can change all hearts and bring healing physically and mentally.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Everything shifted; it became easier, the burden was no longer mine. Even when I cried out and prayed for the people that were trapped in terrible forms of slavery, it would end knowing that God is so good. That is what I was missing in my heart – the understanding that even when evil happens God is always good and deserves to be praised regardless of any circumstances.

I love her attitude. It is not so much that we are called to be given the power to change things, but to usher in the Power that can.

If we truly believe that God is good and He has power over evil, then we must let prayer be the catalysts that releases the situation from our control and lays it at the foot of the cross.

There in lies the power, and the glory forever and ever, Amen.

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In a Face

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 20, 2012| 3 Comments »

courtesygirlpowerhour.com

You have seen it, too. People seem to ignore clerks. They chat on cell phones, jabber with the person they are shopping with at the time, or just respond with a grunt and a swipe of their debit card.

If you have ever been a check out clerk or a cashier, you know it is not an easy job.  I have never been one, but I empathize with them. Too often they are treated as nonentities, or they take the brunt of the negative comments and complaints. Why do they wear name badges? Because they are there to serve you and it is a common courtesy to know who is giving you assistance. Is it not an even better courtesy to acknowledge them as humans? They work hard for their living.

I was in the store and the checkout clerk looked glum. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she barely made eye contact.  She looked as if she was trying to hold it together until her break.  God pulled my heart string.  I called her by name and asked if her day was doing okay. A light flickered in her eyes and her face relaxed a bit.  She shrugged and said it had been a rough one but thanks for asking.  I smiled back and made an empathetic comment. As she checked me out, we engaged in light conversation.  I thanked her, told her that I hoped she had a better one for now on, called her once more by name and said I appreciated her help.  A smile broke through, and as I pushed by shopping cart away,  I heard her laugh and talk to the next customer.

It took no more time out of my day to be nice and engage a stressed-out clerk in conversation.  Later that day a friend called while I was in another store – yes, it as running errands time.  The conversation was important, but when I got to the check-out, another tug on my heart happened. I was  ignoring the checkout person as I had seen others do so many times and secretly chided them for doing so. I looked at the clerk and mouthed “I’m sorry” and then told my friend I would call her back in a few minutes. I gave him my full attention, called him by name and apologized for my rudeness. His eyes widened and he smiled. He told me no problem. Everyone did it and he was used to it now. Then he thanked me and helped place the bags into my cart.

I saw God today in the faces of both clerks. I also felt Him give me a stern lesson. Golden rule – do unto others. . .

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In Tiny Paws

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

© Johnlric | Dreamstime.com

© Johnlric | Dreamstime.com

You either love them, or you hate them. Squirrels. Some see them as destructive pests, but I have had an affinity for them since I was a small child. Yesterday as I sipped my coffee, there one was! It  scampered across the lawns of my apartment complex. A grin stretched up my cheeks.  My heart melted. “Ahhh. How cute. Thank you, Lord. I needed to see that today.”

I love the way they curl that bushy tail over their backs as the sun streams through it. I think it is precious when they stand erect like a soldier at attention, then in a split second they’re off, dashing across the lawn as if their feet didn’t touch the ground. I grew up with squirrels chattering and skittering through the  Texas Hill Country oaks and cypress which canopied the riverbank.  Each time the soft rustle caught my ear, or a cypress ball thunked to the ground, I’d look up to find the scampering culprit silhouetted by the sun.

My eldest cousin fed the squirrels. I’d watch as he stood on his wooden deck which stretched towards the ravine and tap a pecan three times on the rail.  Before I could count to ten, a fox squirrel would appear, his or her lean body stretching along the tree trunk with its nose twitching. Yep – pecan!  The little thing would scurry across the thin rail like an expert tightrope walker and grab the cracked nut from my cousin’s large but gentle hands.

My heart ached with desire. I wanted to feed the squirrels like that. My cousin told me it took him a long time to train the critters to trust him enough to realize he wanted to feed them, not harm them. I had most of the summer to try. Each day I’d tap the pecan, then leave it on the rail and back away.  Barely breathing, I waited in silence until I saw the squirrel. It would cautiously stretch across the tree trunk, eying me. Safe? Danger? Friend? Predator? Am I that hungry? I imagined the little wheels turning in its brain. Eventually, it would come, grab the pecan and leap back to the safety of its tree. I’d exhale and back away as its cheeks move rapidly, chewing its prize. Each day I would inch a bit closer. A few times I got too close to the rail. The squirrel would not come down. But I didn’t give up. My heart’s desire was for that squirrel to learn to trust me enough to take the pecan from my hand. With daily persistence, one day it happened.

I will never forget the flutter I felt in my chest as those tiny paws encircled my fingers and miniscule black claws brushed my knuckles as it grabbed the pecan.

The squirrel hesitated for a split second, then popped its bushy tail and leapt for the tree trunk.  It took everything in me not to squeal for joy.  I stealthily backed away in slow motion as tears of happiness trailed down my cheeks.

Is this how God finally got me to come to Him? In many ways, yes. He tapped on my heart over and over, yet I was so reluctant to respond. But His patience was eternal. His goal was sure – “Get her to trust.  I have so much to offer her.”

Dear Lord, the day I came and took what you stretched out your hands on the cross to give me , did you suck in your breath? Did you heart overflow with joy as my tiny hand first grabbed your promise and claimed it as mine?  Did tears of joy cascade down your chiseled cheeks?

Each time I see a squirrel, I remember.  Never stop tapping, Father.  Forgive me if I  hesitate, Lord. Do not give up on me, ever. Your Spirit reminds me of your goodness towards me.  I will come when you call.

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I Found God Today in WAR

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

As many of you may know, I am an advocate for WAR – Women at Risk, International. 

This is a Christian based ministry to reach women and children in 13 countries and rescue them from human slavery.  The women make jewelry, hand sewn purses and cell phone covers, baskets and other items for people like me to sell in the U.S. and Canada. The cool thing is that 90% goes back to the safe house. It takes $250 per month in sales to keep a woman and her children in a safe house.

This weekend, as I was setting up my booth at a church convention and displaying the faces of the women who had made the items, I prayed for each of them. I saw God’s joy in their faces and the belief that Christ has given them worth shining in their eyes.

Praise  be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead . . . 1 Peter 1:3

How many thousands of women and children like them still need saving?  So many are trapped in the hopelessness and fear instilled in them by their abusers. Way too many.

I told people who wandered by my booth  about these women rescued from trafficking. Many took flyers and said they’d consider making this a church youth project or women’s ministry effort. Others whipped out their credit cards and checkbooks. Their purchases that day saved two women for a month, or four for two weeks, or eight for a week. The seeds I helped to plant that day by telling the people who took the flyers about this ministry called WAR have the potential to save so many more.

In two weeks I will have a booth at a three-day Christmas bazaar. I am praying to triple if not quadruple those sales. I have decided to display these faces in my bedroom and pray for these women each night until then. I am praying for the customers God will send, and the hearts He will touch.  I am praying for those last weekend who took the flyers that they will have their own WAR parties.

This Christmas season, or any season whether a birthday or anniversary, think about purchasing a gift for a teenage girl or woman in your life – a gift that gives twice. You can buy from their store online, or host a party at  your home or church. It costs you nothing. They ship it all to you in boxes that weigh no more than 10-12 lbs and even provide a postage paid box to return the items you don’t sell along with the checks and invoices on the  items you do.

You make no money off the deal, but the rewards are tremendous.

So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. Ezekiel 34:22a

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Blowin’ In the Wind

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It has been several blustery “Fort Worth” days,  with 20-30 mph winds whistling through my windows and flapping the cat door back and forth. As I drove my son to work, I noticed the trees.

They were being ruffled gently by the wind. Each limb was blowing in a different direction , bending this way and that. The wind’s gentle force was flowing through them and how one limb bent pushed the wind to the next, and the next. Yet somehow it was all in unison in a natural dance.

It made me think of all of us as the Body of Christ.  He is the trunk, we are the branches. His Spirit moves amongst us, gently bending us to His will, yet we remain firm in Christ and are grounded in God’s Love and Truth, which are the roots of our faith. Just like the trees.

I found God today blowing in the wind through the trees.

It reminded me that I must be flexible enough to be rooted in God’s love and yet bend to His will. I must also let others bend in the direction that God wants them to go, and to be part of the dance of believers as His Spirit moves amongst us.

And the cool thing  about watching these trees was my son’s comment. “That’ll get the dead leaves to let go.” The dead leaves were being shaken off and sent swirling end on end down the street – the way our old ways should be. When the Spirit moves through us, we can more easily cast off our burdens and the things that no longer are life-giving.

Which direction will you let God bend you? Will you be flexible enough to join in the dance, or snap? Will you release what is dead in your life, the things you may have still been carrying with you?

The answer, as the Dylan folk song goes, is blowin’ in the wind.

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In a Whisper and So Many Responses

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever had a thought whisper through your mind that you know was not in your voice?  You know it is not from your own grey cells. Usually it is short, and a call to action. Go Here. Help Her. Do this. Don’t respond. Walk away.

Some call it your conscience and tell you to let it be your guide. Mine is not that wise.

I call it God. 

Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. Isaiah 28:23

Yesterday I  heard that outside but inside voice. “Query them.”

“Them” was to a missionary organization for which I have been a spokesperson for several years. They had just developed a children’s  mission-minded study and they wanted me to promote it at an upcoming church convention.  What about one for the adults?  So, for once, I obeyed that whispered inwardly command and emailed the executive director. Within an hour I received a resounding YES!!

God has granted me the task of writing a Bible study for an organization I thoroughly believe in, support and trust. Yes, it will definitely increase my exposure as a Christian writer within my denomination something I have prayed for multiple times this year. But more than that, it is a way I can give back by encouraging others to support the needy in 32 countries, including my own. I emailed friends and family (and put the joyous news of Facebook) to keep me in prayer as I undergo this endeavor. The response has been overwhelming, heart warming and humbling.

Yesterday I found God in two ways – in a whispered directive and in the responses of so many of you who are near and dear to my heart. Thank you.  

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding  fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

How will you respond when you hear that whisper in your mind?

** picture is courtesy of Steven Shorrock

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On Facebook

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , , on November 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

From a dear friend Georgette:

“Nov. 6th:  I am grateful for all the service men and women who provide the blanket of liberty under which we live, sleep and vote.  Shall we never take for granted the liberties that have been paid for with blood, sweat and tears over generations!”

From another site –

And wise Biblical  advice for all of us  –

‎”If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” James 1:26
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

The best political position is on your knees.

 

 

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In Today in 2010

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , on November 3, 2012| 4 Comments »

This is my second anniversary – of being a widow. It hit harder than I thought. I awoke with a tight tug in my chest. Oh, yeah. It’s today, isn’t it?

Today in 2010, I heard the thud of my husband’s head on the bathroom tile and rushed in to see the life in his eyes fade in a death gasp.

Today in 2010, a dear friend just happened to be on the highway as the ambulance rushed my brain-dead spouse to the ER and followed to hold my hand until my pastor and family arrived.

Today in 2010, another woman from church was being wheeled into surgery at the same hospital so the prayer warriors were already gathered there to hold my hand and lift me up.

Today in 2010, my family gathered around his bedside to say goodbye and he looked more peaceful than I had seen him in years, so it was easier than I thought it would be. I thank God I had that last image of him when he been so depressed and so torn by sin for so long.

Today in 2010,  I am told 33 people got a bit of my husband because I dedicated his body to be a donor. It took them over four hours to harvest all they needed from bone marrow to kidneys. Even a man in Pennsylvania got his right hand, and we were in Texas.

And every day since today in 2010, God has walked with me, pulled me to Him when I needed a good cry, and brought dear friends into my life who have helped me down this new path of discovering who I am now that I am no longer a wife.

I’m still a bride of Christ, and that will be my role for eternity.

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In a tradition

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , , , on November 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Today is All Soul’s Day.  The Hispanics call it Dia de la Muerta.  What is it and why is it commemorated?

William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_(1825-1905The Day of the Dead(1859)

In Western Christianity, All Souls’ Day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls’ Days during the year. The Roman Catholic celebration is associated with the doctrine that the souls of the faithful who at death have not been cleansed from the temporal punishment due to venial sins and from attachment to mortal sins cannot immediately attain the beatific vision in heaven, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the Mass. In other words, when they died, they had not yet attained full sanctification and moral perfection, a requirement for entrance into Heaven. This sanctification is carried out posthumously in Purgatory. (Wikipedia)

Whether you believe in that doctrine or not, the fact is that Jesus understood the sorrow of death. He wept over Lazarus, not because he was dead, but because of what that death did to his sisters Mary and Martha. He felt their deep sorrow and mourning.

Two years ago tomorrow my husband died in the shower. He had a lot of issues that he was afraid to give to God. But he had been baptised and sealed as Christ’s own forever. I believe that in that time between death and eternal life, he and Christ came to an understanding about all of that. How long that period is can only be known by God. But I firmly believe He loves us so much that He does not want any of us to be lost forever. He will give us every chance to fall at His feet and proclaim Him as Lord. That is why He died for our sins. As Michael Card sang,  they didn’t need to nail Christ to that cross, His love kept Him there.

If it soothes your soul to pray for the dead, I think God honors that.  Scripture says –

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Jesus intercedes for all believers in Heaven. (Romans 8:34)

One day the dead will rise first, and we will all meet Him in the clouds. (1 Thessalonians 4:16- 17)

We will be given new spiritual bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:44)

There will be no more sorrow or pain.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning
or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”   Revelation 21:4

That is worth praying for.  Maranatha.

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In A Blog Post

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on October 31, 2012| 2 Comments »

Today, GodGirlGail wrote –

“Believers often just don’t fit. More and more when I’m in public, I find myself wary of those around me. When did cursing become publicly acceptable? In restaurants, in stores, and dare I say it, in church. Yes, even there, words slip like a greased pig.”  (http://godgirlgail.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/937/)

I find Gail’s statement a whisper from God. It makes me really ponder in my heart how difficult it is to be in the world but refuse to be part of it. How much should I tolerate and think it will not affect me?

Today, millions will celebrate Halloween. Statistics show people spend more money on Halloween decorations, candy and party items than they do on Christmas.  Now, I love little Trick or Treaters all dressed up in their costumes. Princesses, supermen and cartoon characters seem so darling. Some smile, some are shy, some boldly hold out their sack. Parents wave as you dole out a few small pieces of candy. 99% say thank you.

Innocent. But what about the Dark Ages “religious” origin? Is participating by having your porch light on, or even having a church sponsored Trunk or Treat on the same day sort of like whitewashing it?  What do you think?

I admit it. I really liked the early Harry Potter movies. There was good conquering evil. There was struggle, rites of passage,the value of friendship and accepting people’s individuality.

But there was a dark side as well, and it kept growing darker.

I haven’t cared to see any of the Twilight movies – hormonal vampires are not my thing. Maybe you are saying, “Oh, no. But you should. It’s so much more than that.”

Alternative life styles and colorful language are slipping into the few TV shows I like to watch. Do I keep watching them? New “hot” shows on the top of the ratings sizzle a little too much for my taste, so I don’t tune in. A friend says perhaps I am being too conservative. Am I?

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Ephesians 5:3

 

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