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Posts Tagged ‘Julie B Cosgrove’

…IN 2015?

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , on January 8, 2015| 1 Comment »

Where will you find God today… and tomorrow…and next week?

Picture1First, you have to be open to seeking His presence in your life. Matthew 6:33 states that we should seek first the kingdom of God. A friend of mine used say, “God is a gentleman. He may stand at the door and knock loudly, but He waits for us to let Him in.”

I like to view it as an old land-line phone, because that was the type I grew up with. God never hangs up- there is never a dial tone or the obnoxious, recorded female voice, “If you’d like to make your call again…” We are the ones who hang up and then pick up the receiver once more when we need it, have the time, or feel guilty because we have not done so in a while. I almost hear our Lord respond, “Hi. Welcome back. Now, as we were discussing…”

True, there have been times I have felt that holy bomp on the head. Perhaps you have as well. But for me, it’s usually in response to a prayer from which I too quickly lifted off my knees and ended without being still enough to await His response.

I don’t really “do” resolutions, but if there would be one thing I want to emphasize in my prayer life (and general attitude) this Woman Meditating
year it would be to stop and empty my thoughts enough in order to listen to God more. In fact, listening in every aspect of my life is warranted. It sees with all of our electronic devices, that is harder and harder to accomplish. It takes a conscious effort.

This year, what will you decide to do to help you find God in your everyday?

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Choose what I chose

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , on December 15, 2014| 1 Comment »

samuel davidAs I read the story of Samuel’s anointing of David, God whispered something into my soul. “I led Samuel to choose what I chose.”

In 1st Samuel 16, the prophet knows he is to anoint the king who will replace Saul. God tells him to head for Jesse’s land and that He will show him to anoint. Samuel arrives and discovers Jesse’s eldest son. Ah, ha. Surely…but God says, “No. You see the outwards appearance but I see into a person’s heart.” On down the line, Jesse eyes each of the sons only to keep hearing the same answer.

Believing God called him to anoint someone on Jesse’s land, he asks the question. Who else is around? Lo and behold, the youngest who was away tending the sheep is the one God has chosen.

Samuel could have saved a lot of time by asking God right off the bat to show him the one God wanted. But he didn’t. So he went through the process of elimination. God, in His infinite patience sat back and played along.At least Samuel kept asking in faith instead of being a bit disappointed when He said, “Nope, not that either.”

It makes me wonder how many times I hear God say no, but instead of having the tenacious faith to keep asking, I hang my head and walk away. Perhaps,like Samuel, God is eliminating the plans He knows I have so I can then, out of options, focus on His better one.

gifts-page-001It’s like going to the Christmas White Elephant party and being the last to choose a prize. Do you go for the obvious choices, already revealed, or hold out for the one left over? It may be the best of them all, and the one you hoped to get–except you just didn’t know it.

Yet, how much better is it to ask God, “Which one?” before you act at all?

The next time you hear God say “no”, will you be bold enough to ask Him to show you the “yes” ? Or, like Samuel, will you waste time pointing to what you think God wants.

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Surely…I was unaware

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2014| 4 Comments »

As part of my Advent devotionals, I read the account in Genesis of Jacob’s ladder. One verse jumped out at me:

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”  (28:16)

How often are we not aware that God is in this place – be it church, the shopping mall, our work place, our homes or standing in a long, long line when we are rushed for time? We get so caught up in the pressing issues of now, we fail to see the eternal.  Yet Our Lord Is always present.  We just need the faith-eyes to find Him.

580569_667084729976622_1695637681_n. It may not be this obvious – as some of these photos floating around Facebook indicate.

god in the clouds

But HE is present in our lives —

through us, near us, in us.

It reminds me of a hymn we used to sing often in another church I attended- Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place by Lanny Wolfe …http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/Hymns/Presence-of-the-lord.html

270 blog entries ago I started to point out where I found God in my life. I hope it has encouraged you to seek Him in yours.

This holiday season is in full gear with shopping, parties and cooking. It can become stressful.Trite as it may sound, I pray that each day you find the “reason for the season.”  But even more, I pray you will point others to that as well through your attitudes, words and smiles. May others think after their encounter with you, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was unaware…until now.”

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Sin Aroma

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , on November 18, 2014| 1 Comment »

While lecturing and book signing in San Antonio, I spent the night with my sister. When I blurry-eyed stepped into her shower, this is what greeted me.

IMAG0128

 

SIN AROMA. I had to laugh. It was 6:30 in the morning and I’d already found God today. San Antonio is a bilingual city, so labels are in English and Spanish. “Sin Aroma” means “unscented”, But it got me to thinking. What is the aroma of sin? Isn’t it often undetectable?  Unlike natural gas, which is also undetectable, nothing is added to temptations to let us know danger lurks. No nasty, scrunch up your nose odor to warn us to back away.

The father of lies’s temptations are often what we think we want, need or even believe is God’s will for us. So we dash ahead without taking it to God in prayer first for verification and blessing.

James wrote in his letter, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to death.” (1:15)

Then fact that sin can wash over our body and we still “feel clean” is evidence that we live in a fallen world. But when we become the Body of Christ and He lives in us, sin’s enticement is more detectable. The more we allow ourselves to be washed in His Blood, the more protected we will become.  As believers, we all need a “body wash” (jabon corporal) at least once a week (worshiping corporately) to slough off the sins that have begun to stick to us like sweat.  As individuals, just as we cleanse our skin each day, let us also remember to wash our souls.

Now everyone sing…”What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus…”

 

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Why New?

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on October 16, 2014| 2 Comments »

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In looking over the Psalm assigned to be read for this Sunday, the first verse caught my attention:

             O Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.  (96:1)

 

Why should we sing unto the Lord a NEW song?   I doubt if it means to sing Contemporary (CCM) over the old familiar hymns.  Actually, neither existed when David penned this verse thousands of years ago,  He wrote many of the psalms, and they were all “new” at one time.

Perhaps it is because the birds rise and sing with the sun. Maybe David took that as a hint that we should arise and praise God as well.

Another nugget of Scripture popped into my head-

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.    Lamentations 3:22-24

Okay, Biblical scholars, I realize Lamentations was written centuries after David’s Psalms, but that to me is one of the proofs that the Bible is alive and God-breathed, as it states in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. So follow me here…

If God’s mercies are NEW every morning, and if we do as is suggested — not to let the sun set on our anger but rather pray it out before retiring so we can sleep  in peace — then we can sing a new song every morning. Each day can be a fresh start. No need to carry over yesterday’s angst, regrets and sins.

I am going to personally renew the commitment to end each day wiping the slate clean with my Lord,  just before my eyes close, by asking Him to give me a new morning when my eyes pop open again.

And I know He will. Because, great is His faithfulness.

Lord, may I be as faithful to You.

 

 

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Snagged

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2014| 1 Comment »

IMAG0105Ever get a scraggly place on your fingernail. It’s not a break, or even a  chip. Just an almost microscopic rugged spot enough to catch materials, like clothes, hosiery, etc.  And yes, it seems to catch on everything!! A slight aggravation  seems to grow. You rub it against a rough surface, but that doesn’t do it. You need a file, the correct tool.  And, until you can get to that nail file or emery board that rugged place bothers you.

(Guys, tell me you have this problem at times, too. Surely it is not just a girl thing. If not, bear with me. There is a point to this – no pun intended..)

But, once you get the file, it takes work to right the situation. You have to buff it away, feel the place, nope- not smooth enough yet. Buff…feel, nope…file a bit  more.  The thing is, the more you file, the more evident it becomes that the nail is damaged and needs to be re-shaped. At last your nail is smooth, well -shaped and presentable again.

Are you beginning to see the God-connection?

Sin can snag us. Until we bring it to God, it will nag at us, and as we go through the day, or week, or months, it keeps catching on our thoughts and actions. We know it’s there, even if no one else does.

So, we finally carve out time to fall to our knees and give it to our Lord. He scrapes it away, and at first, it makes the sin seem more obvious, so much larger. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that sin can be buffed away and we fully restored. Now we can grow again–in the correct direction.

But we know in this fallen world, we will  brush against the harshness of sin again. We women usually carry an emery board in our purses  so we are prepared when an unexpected snag occurs. May we all carry the Holy Spirit that close, and stop to correct the situation the first chance we get. It will make the day go, well, a lot smoother.

 

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Rocky Growth

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Nature, tagged , , , , , on October 3, 2014| 3 Comments »

IMAG0092As I walked along a shaded breezeway, I noticed a small plant peeking out of the concrete. Evidently the wind blew a tiny seed into the crack and perhaps, after a few rainstorms, enough water was captured to entice it to sprout.  Now it is growing. Will it last? Grow little plant – thrive.

It made me think of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Jesus says some seeds are sown in rocky soil, but since they have no roots,  they die off quickly. He explains to his disciples that these are the people who have an emotional conversion, but they are never grounded in the Truth or the Word. They lack commitment and trust. But, is that always so?

Roots can take hold, even in the most unlikely places.

When it comes to spreading the love of Christ, we are all to join in the seeding process. Some are to clear the rocks away, others to till the soil, some to sow the seeds. Others are called  to nurture the newly sprouting seedlings, Still others are to keep watering it so it will grow.  But we must remember that God’s Holy Spirit does the growing.. God knows what lies beneath the surface and the potential that seed has. He know what each needs to thrive.

I am not sure if this small plant has deep roots or not. I don’t know what soil lies under that concrete walkway and brick wall. But My Father in Heaven knows.

I cannot see into the future to witness which lives my writings and lectures will have touched, and what the outcome will be for each. However, I know I am called to sow the Truth of Christ anyway and let God take care of the rest — be it through fifty more people or just one.

The next time you feel as if your efforts to bring someone closer to Christ seem unproductive, think on this tiny plant.  You may think their lives are rocky right now, but there just may be nice soil  that was once deposited underneath. Or, there may be undercurrents feeding into the rock you cannot see. Miracles happen every day.

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Old book- old friend

Posted in Biblical, Books, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

There is was – the key in my mail slot. I had a package waiting in one of the six large lockers. It took every effort not to whoop with joy in the middle of the maIMAG0085il station at my apartments.

Recently I discovered the favorite author of my childhood, who passed from this life over 20 years ago, had written two more books while I was busy raising a family, working, and living my life. So, I ordered them from a used thrifty book store, excited, yet a little saddened,  that they had been reduced to $3.99, the price of a modern eBook novel. To me, her writing was much more valuable than that.

When I opened the package, there was no smell of fresh ink. The cover was dog-eared and a bit tattered on the edges from sliding in and out of bookshelves. The binding had been cracked numerous times, and a slight yellowing border of age eked around the pages..

None of that mattered, because the words were there. The personality of her writing, the way she described scenes, her unique dialog techniques had not faded with time. As my eyes scanned the pages, memorizes swirled between the words. It was as if I’d begun a conversation with an old friend I had not seen in decades. I cuddled down into the story.

Do I react the same with with God’s living Word? They say a person who has a tattered Bible does not have a tattered life.  And while my favorite Bible is getting on in years, I have more and more relied on my phone app instead. Not tot say I don’t enjoy having easy access to the Bible in my purse, but I have begun to miss my old friend with the dogeared pages, highlighted verses, and scribbles in the margins. So, I went to the shelf and cracked open the binding. As I cocked my head to read, a warmth cascaded over my shoulders into my heart. Prayers answered, revelations revealed, sorrows comforted. My life reflected there. My faith restored.

A plaque in my room reads – The Bible is the only book whose author is present each time it is read.

My favorite author left this earth two decades ago. She will never write again, But my Lord, who left earth two millennia ago, is still present in my everyday world, and writes on my heart.  I see evidence of Him each day in creation, in words of a song, a smile of a friend, even on Facebook.  Yet nothing beats cuddling into His Word. His Word still breathes life into me.

It took an old paperback in my mail locker to remind me of that fact.

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Are You Like Cookie?

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As I watch this little penguin on this video, I ask myself – am I like that?

When I hear my Savior calling do I seek Him earnestly, despite scary obstacles in the way, such as walls and vacuum cleaners are to this little guy? Notice the penguin can only see part of the trainer – the hand first.,out stretched. That is enough for it to recognize it’s protector, and care giver. Then it dashes to it to receive love and attention in a display of pure joy.

Lord, teach me to be more like this precious little penguin.

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ARGGHHH!!

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , on September 5, 2014| 2 Comments »

MP900444553[1]I felt it coming on. I tried to ignore it, but it kept building. Small things, like my purse dumping all over the floorboard when I turned the corner. Dropping  a sack of groceries–not the ones with the eggs, thank the Lord. Catching the pocket of my skirt on the doorknob when my arms were full. . The shower curtain collapsing in the middle of my shower. Stubbing my toe as my sandal slipped.

Each time my blood pressure inched up another point or so. Every incident piled onto the other like a tower of cards wobbling in the blast of an oscillating fan.

WHAT WAS GOING ON????

Perhaps it is because I have been instrumental in planning three large events and five talks coming up in the eleven weeks after coming off the roller coaster of launching a novel and jumping from book signing to book signing.  Then it is Toastmasters contest season and I am chief judging five of them. Plus, I am helping two people edit their books and reviewing three more. When I told a writer friend of all I had planned  over the next two months she wrote back that she became tired just reading about it.

Then,,,My computer erased my work in a brown out and the auto back up (scheduled for every 5 minutes) decided not to kick in as it should. ARGHHH!!!!

I finally sat with my head on my desk, tears swimming, and prayed. I prayed for Satan to quit messing with me. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to bolster me and and calm me. I prayed to the Lord to bring me His peace. I prayed for all these end-of-rope frustrations to stop. “What are you trying to tell me, Lord?”

Then, like a whisper in the ear, but from the inside out, came a voice. “I will see you through it and protect you from attacks, my child. But next time, pray to me before you take all this on.”

OH! Okay. Sure. My cheeks warmed and my heart sunk.

How often do we overload ourselves, and then ask for strength to endure it? How many times do we rush ahead and then reach back for Jesus’ hand and try to pull Him along with us? What makes us think we can keep running on empty and not refill through quiet God-time?

When frustrations build, stop, breathe and pray. Above all else, pray. Abba Father may be allowing these things because He is trying to call you to His side so you’ll give Him your undivided attention.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.Mark 4:39

If He can calm a storm over a lake, will He not find a way to calm us? Lord, may I be as obedient as the waves in the Gospels.

 

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