This was emailed to me –
it is a commercial entitled Stethoscope.
You won’t guess what they are promoting until the end – for a hint, well, see the title of this blog. Sorry if I gave it away.
Anyway . . .Just click on this link and enjoy –
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/stethoscope.html
Posted in Christian, Devotional | Tagged Christ in us, Christ with us, Julie B Cosgrove, Take Jesus into your heart, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
I have a daily Bible verse app on my Droid cell phone. Today’s is this:
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. 1John 4:12-13
No one who has ever walked the earth has ever seen God, except Jesus when he looked in the mirror. Or, did He see just the human flesh He came to dwell in — that would bleed and die on the cross — staring back at Him? Could He physically see Himself as God or just be acutely aware of that part of Himself dwelling inside the flesh and bones?
Today, we believers are His hands and feet on earth. Can anyone “see” God in us or just sense His presence when we exhibit His love? Is that why people say God is reflected through us? That is a mystery which has been debated by those far more knowledgable than I throughout the centuries.
But this I know is Truth — if you have taken Jesus into your heart, He is there, living in you as His temple. Others can sense that, even if they are not believers. God draws people to Himself through believers. And, when we are not doing what Jesus would do, and love the way Jesus would love, it can repel them.
When we act in love as Christ would, then that love is made perfect because it makes God more tangible for others. John says God has “given us of his spirit”. We don’t contain all of God’s spirit (we are too finite for that) but we have enough of it shing through us be detected by other’s soul-eyes. AND maybe, we contain enough to detect shining with our own soul-eyes when we look in the mirror. Then we can see beyond the added ten pounds we have yet to get off our hips after the holidays, or the bad hair day, or the blemish that is pushing through onto our cheek.
Where did I find God today? Was it possibly in me? Was I that loving? Did His Spirit reflect through me?
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional | Tagged God abides in us, God's love, His Spirit dwells in us, Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today | 2 Comments »
Several friends have written particularly piercing blogs this week. I want to support them. (I hope they will not mind).
GodGirlGail wrote about howling monkeys and challenged us to voice our witness further.
DiAn Gates had a guest writer, Katie, on her blog who wrote about kudos for yourself versus praising God for the talents He gives you and letting Him, as it says in the Gospel of John, become greater while you become less.
Linda wrote about how God can rebuild lives if we only turn back to Him.
Shelly wrote how God has blessed her through blogging and multiplied her witness of His Good News via the internet.
What do they all have in common? They point to God.
When we put God first, then He will bless us, use us, and rebuild us. We can see Him more clearly moving through our day, like a comforting shadow a few paces ahead.
Be blessed this weekend and uplifted by reading these excellent blogs. You just find God whispering to you today in one of them.
Posted in Christian, Devotional | Tagged blogs, God is greater, Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today, witness | Leave a Comment »
It was missionary Sunday with a twist. Our missionary came back with her fiancé, well now her husband of one week. They were married while here on furlough. He spoke to the congregation. She sat back and smiled, letting him have the limelight and giving us a chance to get to know him better. Smart lady.
He was the one with the message we needed to hear, and I believe if her homecoming had overshadowed him, we would not have been as blessed by that message. And what was it?
It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to do it, if God is calling you, it will happen. So you may as well get out of the boat and walk 
towards His voice.
You see, that is how they met. He was pushed, shoved, volun-told and finger-waggled by his pastor that he go to this missionary conference . He swallowed hard and finally agreed since the pastor was more than adamant. He had been told by a visiting preacher that he was to be a missionary ten years earlier when he was in high school. He resisted, and resisted. This time it was evident he could not resist anymore.
At that conference, his eyes locked onto hers and the rest, as they say is history. God joined not just a man and a woman, but a missionary couple who will double the efforts in Cambodia to safe house women and girls from human traffickers. God, in the perfect timing only He knows, brought it all to fruition and two people from two different countries ,but of the same denomination, are now united.
Has God been whispering in the back of your soul, but you have been ignoring it? Or maybe He has given you the desire, but is letting you know it not the right time yet. Perhaps you have some soul-stretching to do and some faith toning before you run this race that is being laid out in His plan.
The first step is to acknowledge He is calling you. Then step out of the boat and start moving toward His voice. Like Peter, fix your eyes on Him and you won’t sink. Let Him set the pace for the goal He has in mind. Easier said than done. But it is the only way to not get worn out battling the waves.
I am worn out. I am tired of no results. I am weary of brick walls that will not crumble. I’d already given God my resignation. Let someone else write for You. No one is listening to my words anyway. I am through.
This missionary’s message spoke to me.
Yesterday, He had handed me the pen again. I climbed out of the boat.
Posted in Biblical, Christian | Tagged Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today | 1 Comment »
A dear Christian friend and writer, DiAn Gates, wrote this in her blog –
Stuffed in my ears and heaped in stacks around my feet. From hands-free devices to flat screens. TVs. Phones. And books. Zillions of them. A constant barrage of words. All day, every day and into the night, words surround me. But is anyone listening? Does anyone really hear my words?(check out her blog at http://dianegates.wordpress.com/)
I often wonder if anyone is reading my words?? Do they hear the witness of my voice calling through the screen of their computer?
SO…. I want to know if you are listening (reading), so I can listen to you through reading your words. Yes, I really want to know – because what you have to share is very important.
It is in telling each other that each of us is bolstered with faithful hope. Your example may just be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
Please share your story in the comment section below or email it to me at juliebcosgrove@gmail.com and give me permission to post it next week.
May you feel Him so close to you today that it seems as if His breath is on your cheek as He draws you to Himself.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | Tagged is anyone listening, Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today | 1 Comment »
A large white block – shining in front of you. 
Just off center, a tiny dark spot.
Off to the other side, a glimpse of a glimmer.
Which one captures your focus?
My church is still in the growing stage. (But, really, shouldn’t they all be?) We rent facilities and use a power point presentation to display the words to the songs and hymns, the prayers we say out loud and the Scripture verses.
On the wall is a hole, or maybe a large black nail. Anyway, it is a black dot which is just a bit larger than the power point period or dot over and “i”. Just enough to stand out and trip you up as your eyes scan the Scripture verse or the hymn.
After a while you learn to ignore it, but each time the slide changes, there it is again, black spot against a white background.
What black dots are in your life are distracting others from the message our Lord is illuminating through you?
Or do they see the glimmer of His presence as well? The walls are painted with a sheen so, every once in a while, when the congregation looks at the verse, prayer or hymn on the wall, there is a slight reflection from the projector’s glow.
Today, will people see Him reflecting through your words and actions?
One slide our church always uses displays a graphic which is at first blank, then the face of Jesus slowly comes into focus. When it does, the black spot disappears. May it be the same in my life, O Lord.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | 1 Comment »
It’s been a while since I joined in a small group Bible study. I’d missed it horribly, but the times offered at my old church never jived with my schedule. So, it was a desire of my heart I never really prayed about even though I’d mulled it over in my head a few times.
After I joined this new church, I was surprised when one of the ladies came up and asked if I was the Julie Cosgrove who wrote Bible studies. She had seen my one on the unnamed women in the New Testament called What Can She Tell Us? and thought the church’s older women Bible study group on Thursday mornings might want to do it.
At first I was very flattered and said, “Well, sure.” Then that nudge in my soul occurred. Thursday mornings – fits my schedule. Older women – I guess I qualify. A way to meet people – okay. But going to a Bible study using my own work? Sure I’d led retreats and given workshops on it, but . . . talk about exposure. What if they didn’t like it? Who would be more embarrassed? Me or them? Would it taint my acceptance in this new worship group?
Sometimes our answers to prayers come in ways we do not expect. I reminded myself of my vow this year to be unexpectedly surprised at God’s blessings. I asked her, “Would it be awkward if I came? I would love to join a Bible study.” Her eyes lit up. “NO. Not at all. Please come!” She bought one copy to preview, flipped through it, and passed it around the small group to get a consensus. I sucked in my breath and slithered away.
The next Sunday, several of the older ladies approached me. “We love it. Exactly what we were looking to do.” The first lady who had approached me touched my arm and leaned in. “By the way, will you lead it?” I scanned their faces. The others smiled and nodded.
We met for the first time yesterday. A small gathering in a home. It felt so good to be sharing my faith with other ladies again. The Holy Spirit, like a masterful tailor, began to interweave us into a bond. I was immediately accepted into the loving friendship of these Christian women who had known each other for years. The knot in my stomach loosened – this isn’t the elementary school playground revisited, Julie. We were all one in the Spirit and one in the Lord, as the hymn says. God, in His plan, knew this was what I needed.
![bible_study[1]](https://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bible_study1.jpg)
We need to gather. Women with women. Men with men. Young parents with young parents. Teens with teens. Too many times we think it is all about God and me. But the cross is not just a vertical stick. It is also horizontal. Jesus spread His arms out on the horizontal part to the cross not only to take on our sins but to bind us in Him. If you are not currently in a small group Bible study, please find one – or start one!
We need each other’s faith to strengthen us, each other’s prayers to bolster us, and each other’s ears to hear the Spirit moving in our lives. This earthly battle is not to be fought alone.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | Tagged Bible study, gather together, Holy Spirit binds, Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
Happy dance! It’s Laundry Day.I know because I have one pair of underwear left in the top drawer of my dresser and the basket will not hold any more clothes no matter how many times I push them down and cram them together.
So, sigh, I begin to sort. I sort by color and by fabric weight- heavy cottons like sweats, jeans and towels, perm. press, lighter weight delicacies, bleachable whites, etc. Each has to be washed a special way with a certain temperature of water, agitating speed and spin. Then each has to be dried per the instructions on the label. Oh, sure you could dump them all in together but then colors may bleed and some won’t get thoroughly clean. If tossed together in the dryer, some may get too hot and others come out damp. Some may shrink and no longer fit.
Can you see the analogy yet? When it comes to my faults, sins and imperfections, I want God to zap them all at once. Let’s get this over with, I have things to do. Clean me up, dry me off and send me out. I want to be a super Christian, always walking with You and filled with Your Spirit.
But God knows that is not for the best. He sorts out the things in my life He wishes to revamp into a more excellent way. He knows how to handle each fabric of my being. He has it figured out and knows how long it will take to wash each category clean and get it ready for the task ahead. Some stains in my personality may need a very long soak and extra care. Some areas of my heart should be on the delicate cycle. Some need more vigorous agitation to break loose the grime.
Here is the light bulb moment. Cleaning is only half the job. Everything has to be dried, maybe pressed, in order to be presentable. Some clothes need to drip dry. Others can take the heat. Some need the wrinkles ironed out. Is that not true with the areas of our lives God chooses to work on? He washes away our sin, doubt, grime and negative thoughts. But that is only the beginning. Before we can wear this new aspect of our lives into the world as witness of His mercy and grace, we must go through more. We must be transformed back into the original, fresh-from-the-store state.
So our All-knowing LORD hangs our issues up to dry, or applies the swirling heat in our lives, not out of cruelty, but out of care and love. That requires time, patience and the knowledge of what each area of our lives needs.
Praise God- may every day be Laundry Day!! May I no longer cram things down, assuming I will bring them to Him later to clean and prepare. LORD, let me not wait until I have only one little thing left to cling to before I bring the situation to you. Teach me to be joyful in the knowledge that You are taking Your time and handling each load as it should be handled. Thank You that, through Your blood, You wash us white as snow and through Your Holy Spirit, you prepare us for what is next by giving us the spiritual clothes we need. Amen.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | Tagged cleanse our sins, God's timing, Julie B Cosgrove, prepare us, Where Did You Find God Today? laundry, white as snow | Leave a Comment »
No, it didn’t ring and God answer – but in a way He did.
This time of year when I begin to do my year-end tax preps, the questions begin to swirl. Did I make enough at this freelance writing/ author/motivational speaker thing? Did I spend way too much on marketing and advertising with too little results? Should I try to land a part-time job this year, even though each time I’ve tried in the past three years the doors whammed closed?
It’s not that I want fame and glory – I truly want God to have all of that. I’ll admit. It’s nice to know I can make a difference in people’s lives and that He is touching their hearts through my words. It would also be nice if more of my books sold and more people wanted me to speak to their congregations, talk with Bible study groups or lead retreats.
Hey, honest truth here – I do have bills. Millions of writers and speakers have full-time jobs, or spouses who can support them, right? Just because I am a widow and a freelance writer doesn’t mean I shouldn’t either. Why should I be living on this precipice of wondering if I have enough to pay the rent or my car loan this month? Perhaps, in 2013 my goals should be to look for a job, or a man, or both.
The answer came in one sentence on the screen of my cell phone. Illuminated on stark blue-white in black, Times Roman font was my answer: Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3
It was if a voice from Heaven corrected me. “I should be the only man you seek- the Son of Man. That is your job. Trust me with the rest.”
No matter what your 2013 plans are, seek God in them first. Commit whatever you do right here and right now to Him. Each day vow to do that, and what you do tomorrow, next week and three months from now will fit into His plan for you.
Today, I’ll choose to embrace the unknown in giddy excitement because I’ll trust the One who knows all to guide me. Lord, forgive my lack of faith and doubts. To You be the honor, the glory and the power over my life forever and ever. Amen
Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences | Tagged goals, God's plan for your life, Julie B Cosgrove, on the right path?, plans, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
THIS WAS IN MY EMAIL _ WILL YOU JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THIS SAFEHOUSE? Julie
As WAR, Int’l staff drove into work today, sat at their desks, and logged on to their computers, an email sits waiting…one of our beloved safehouses in SE Asia has emailed us requesting not only for prayer, but for an army of prayer warriors, to surround them.
At some point last week, a pimp of one of the girls broke into the safehouse and tried to steal “his” girl back. When she fought back and stayed, he retaliated and killed her brother…now the threat is more real than ever. He says if he cannot have her then he will kill everyone at the safehouse. Last night he was hiding at the safehouse again.
Police have been informed, charges have been filed, but in the world of WAR, Int’l and third world countries we know that this is not a strong enough deterrent.
Our safehouse is doing all they can to protect those within its walls. Training has begun, and the boys are learning how to look for the pimp on the campus and bring him down on his face, tie his hands behind his back, then his feet, and call the police. The threat is real, the circumstances scary. Boys are now roll playing on how to get away, be fast, be strong.
The safehouse staff fears an upcoming wedding of one of the staff members, as the pimp as declared he will kill all of the safehouse staff and guests who attend. With eyes filled with tears, the staff continues to move forward on their knees in prayer.
As a member of the WAR, Int’l family we ask you to take a moment today (it is night there), and pray for the safety, wisdom, and strength of this precious safehouse family. The leaders are on the pimps hit list, and it has been told to us he is a mafia head man. The rescued girl was a big part of his income.
God hears their cries, collects their tears, and it is our prayer He will continue to pour steel into their backbones, and bring this threat to an end in only a way God can.
Posted in Life Experiences | Tagged Human trafficking, prayer, safe house, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
