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in a ceiling fan

June 28, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Today, I heard a small grind, like the way phonograph needles would sound when they reached the end of a song on an old record player.  A tree limb  rubbing on my window screen? No… too constant.  A weird brid call? No… ah, hah!  It sounds as if it’s going in a circle. Yep, the ceiling fan.

That ceiling fan in my bedroom runs 24/7/365. In winter it pumps the heated air up and around the room. In summer, it is needed to force the air conditioned coolness over me in a refreshing breeze. Ahh – afterall, it is 104 degrees F out there today in North Texas.

Most of the time, I forget it is there. It keeps churning and doing it’s thing. I take it for granted.

In my life, I often don’t hear God. Yet His Spirit which dwells inside me is proof He is always there. Scripture says He will never leave or forsake me.  Every once in a while, I hear Him grinding away at my attitude that needs adjusting, or shaping me for the next ministry He has in store for me, or molding me into the person He knows I can be.  Like the potter at the wheel, He patiently works, whether I notice or not.

Lord, forgive me for the times I take Your loving mercy and grace for granted. Renew in me an awareness of You in my life so I may praise You more often.  You are more than worthy, and I am nothing without You. Amen.

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Listen Blog Talk Radio

June 25, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

Listen Up!

http://bit.ly/12nNojC

 

blogtalkradio_logoWeds, June 26th 4pm CT   Blog Talk Radio Christian Communicators features Julie B Cosgrove on Blessings in Hardships

 

listen in, call in.

 

thanks!!

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Why Give Thanks in All Things?

June 24, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

From Helen Grace Lescheid –

 

“Why is thanksgiving so important? It acknowledges God in the situation.

When things go wrong the last thing we want to do is give thanks. But it’s the most beneficial thing we can do. Thanksgiving prepares the way for God’s salvation to come in…”

 

Read  more of what Helen has to say at http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/06/24/let-thanksgiving-be-the-habit-of-your-life/

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In a thought…or two

June 22, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

“Prayer is a conversation, not a declaration.”    –  Barbara Maybee Good News Daily

“Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the way some of you young fiends talk, anyone would suppose it was our job to teach!”         Screwtape’s first letter to Wormwood, a newbie devil, about how to handle his human.  –  C.S. Lewis

Before you get off your knees, take time to be still…and listen to His  response! Don’t hang up and stand up or you may miss an   important lesson,  a new insight, or a whisper of love.

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Happy Summer Solstice

June 21, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

dreamstimefree_257490Today is the longest day of the year. It is the official beginning of summer. (Coulda fooled me. Here in my part of Texas, it’s been in the 90sF for several weeks already. That’s summer in my book!)

On Sunday will be the super moon-  the time the full moon is the closest to the earth all year so it looks super-sized.

Many ancient pagan rituals evolve around these two events. Those cultures felt as if the gods were especially close during this time  of the year, so it was the best time to summon them. Maybe they would listen.

But Christians have the Son year round, and for eternity.  He’s the creator of the sun and the moon. Everyday is the longest day and every  night is dispelled by the brightness of His love.  We don’t have to wait for a certain time of year when He draws near.  We have God’s attention whenever we lift our prayers and hearts to Him, and even when we forget to do so.

The Lord is your keeper;???????????????????????????????????????

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.       Psalm 121:5-6

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In a Diet

June 18, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

beef-steakWell… this program I have started calls it a lifestyle change – not a diet!  The first week, we were in a toxic-cleansing “jump start” stage, so we were limited to lean red meat, grapefruit, eggs and raw veggies. The third day I felt waves of vertigo and was very sluggish. But I kept at it and increased my water intake. It got a bit easier, then a bit harder. Temptations crept into my brain – would eating just a bit of this or that really hurt? The funny thing was this: during that week, I thought I would crave chocolate or bread. What I craved was string cheese.

So why should you care? God spoke to me during that week and perhaps what He said to me will be meaningful to you. I learned that some foods are not as tough to give up as I imagined they would be. The same is true for our habits. “But, God, I can’t give up watching that TV show I love, even if it does have more and more sex and foul language. ”  “Sure I will pray every day, but I still want to hang out at the weekly beer, cigars and poker game with the guys- okay?”  “God, I know I should keep the Sabbath, but it’s summer and the lake is calling me.” You get my drift.

When we go on a lifestyle eating change (see, I didn’t say diet.) we have to relearn what to eat and what not to eat. When we go on a spiritual lifestyle change, we must do the same. Everything we do, think and say must be weighed against the Word. As we do, God will detox us from what was poisoning our souls. The Blood of the Lamb will cleanse us. It may feel strange in the beginning, but that’s okay. Keep at it. Just understand that temptations will creep in. Count on it.

Hang in there – fall to your knees and ask for strength. Drink in more and more of the Living Water to help flush out what is not spiritually healthy for you.  The weight of the world will slowly slip from your shoulders, pound by pound.

By the way- in case you do care, I’ve lost  7.8 pounds that week, which, for this metabolism-of-a-snail gal, is a miracle in itself! Lord, help me to slough off the same toxicity in my spiritual life so I may be more fit to serve You!

But he [Jesus] said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about. Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”  John 4:32-34

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IN A SONG – The Greatest Tear

June 14, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

Awesome song of God’s powerful love

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Is Being Angry Okay?

June 13, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

 

You may be familiar with the passage in Ephesians 4:26 which says to not let the sun go down on your anger. It is often given as marital advice.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????But, anger itself is not evil.  The first part of verse 26 says: Be angry, and sin not, it doesn’t say to  never be angry because that’s a sin.

So where does the sin part come into the picture? It is all in how you handle your anger.  Anger that brews or broods can become toxic.  In fact, the next verse, 27, says to give no opportunity to the devil.  When we mull over our hurt and angry feelings like a cow chews its cud, that is like sending the evil one a personal invitation to come into our hearts and minds.

Anger doesn’t have to be a destructive emotion. It should be the catalyst that drops us to our knees, not fly off the handle.  Righteous anger happens when something vehemently against the Word of God happens. When that anger rears up inside of you, it is a prompting by the Holy Spirit.  It is a call to action – to pray, to  peacefully protest, to speak truth.  It is not a call to lash out, say things you will regret later, or hold a grudge. You can find God in the middle of your anger.  In fact, you should.

So, go ahead – be angry. Righteous anger over being violated or robbed, or hearing about atrocities such as sex slavery and child trafficking should get your bile boiling.  When someone hurts our loved ones, we should get riled. But, stop it there. Give it to God and let Him channel the anger according to His will. Remember that God is the one who has the right to judge others, not us. We are to forgive so we can be forgiven.  Like separating the shaft from the wheat, we must ask God to separate our emotions from our anger.

And, if you are angry at God because you don’t understand why or how He could allow something to happen, that’s okay as well. Beat on His chest and scream like a two year old. That’s being honest and raw. God can take it. Just don’t turn away from Him. Ever. Give Him the chance to heal you, correct you or comfort you.

Be angry- that’s okay- but don’t turn it into a sin. Don’t let it separate you from the One who loves more than anything, or the ones who are trying to love you the best they can yet still manage to step on your feelings. Before the day is over, lay that anger in the hands of the One who knows the best way to handle it.

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Abiding

June 11, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

We sat around our backyard fire pit. As we watched the stars come out we talked about how to walk our faith out on a day-to-day basis. We talked about what the Bible had to say about business ethics; raising kids; dealing with church politics or prickly people. At the end of many of our discussions our friend, Jerry would say, “It really all comes down to abiding.”

What would it be like to truly abide in Christ and His Word all the time? 

Read more from Gail Rodgers at http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/06/11/fireside-wisdom/

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A Swell of Swallows

June 7, 2013 by juliebcosgrove

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Every morning when I drive to work, a flock of swallows huddles together under one of the highway overpasses. You can barely see them as they cling together for safety, companionship and warmth. But when cars whiz by, they immediately scatter willy-nilly, flying in a  chaotic waltz. They swell into swirls going a thousand different directions. Then one by one they return to the underpass. This happens over and over, every morning. Silly birds. After a while, you’d think  they’d be immune to the disruptive engine noise and vibrating whoosh of the wind as tons of metal and rubber zip by underneath them.

Are we immune to disruptions? As Christians we huddle together and cling to our traditions. But when something disruptive happens  often we let it ruffle our feathers. I have seen congregations burst into chaos when someone suggest a new way of doing things. People fly off the handle, as the saying goes. Everyone scrambles to take sides, often bumping into each other’s feelings.  But, eventually, we all remember to whom we should cling and peacefully return one by one to our knees before His throne … until the next disruption whooshes by to unnerve us.

It may be that many church goers cling to the wrong things such as traditions and customs, mistaking them for faith. “But we have always done it this way.”  “We have never allowed children at the early service.” “The minister should always preach for 20 minutes, no more.”  “The women have always held Bible study at 10 am on Thursdays. We can’t possibly move it to the evening just because some women work nowadays.”  The theology behind why we do what we do gets lost in the routine.

Perhaps, God’s spirit shakes us up a bit now and then to see how we will react. Will we cling to our faith, or scatter in a swell of chaotic fluttering like the swallows, seeking security in our steadfast routines and customs?

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