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Posts Tagged ‘Julie B Cosgrove’

Get Me Out!!!

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on August 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

My priest, Chris Culpepper, posted this on Facebook. (click on the link)

 

 

It’s been around for a few years, so maybe you have seen it before.  But, do you see the message? There are times when, out of stupidity, or naivety, or because we are lured, we get ourselves into an awful mess. Others can bring us the ladder – Christ – to lift us out so we can again follow Him. He bridges the gap between sin and salvation.

Who can you bring a ladder to today? It may be via a phone call, giving them  a sincere smile, or even praying for them from the depth of your heart when God brings their name to your mind.

 

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.   Psalm 30:1

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Mooned

Posted in Nature, tagged , , , , , on August 15, 2014| 7 Comments »

moonThis is a photograph taken by The Blind Photographer, a Christian named Steve Rebus who has an amazing blog. I hope you check out his other photos and blog entries as well.

As I gazed at the moon through “his eyes”, I discovered I want to be more like that moon.

Created by God, the moon is dead until it reflects the sun’s light. Then, it shines into the darkness and often provides direction for people on earth. As Christians, do we not strive to do likewise? With the Light of Christ bringing us to life, we can deliver hope to a hurting world enveloped in the darkness of sin and strife.

When I was little and looked up at the moon, I saw the “man in the moon” smiling back down at me. My mother used to sing us a lullaby popularized by JAMES MERRILL BRICKMAN,  –

“God bless the moon and God bless me. God bless the someone I long to see.”

As I grew into my teens, I visualized that man in the moon as my Heavenly Father looking down on me and smiling. He was who I longed to see. I’d sneak outside in the middle of  the night and talk to Him, cry to Him, and at times just gaze at Him, filled with a peace that I was not alone. It comforted me through those tumultuous years. And to be honest, every now and then full moons still have that effect on me.

The man in the moon affect is of course shadows from the craters –  bombardments of meteors which have scarred its surface. May even my scars from life’s battles reflect God’s image as well and may others be comforted when they see the Son of Man shining in me, knowing in their hearts that they are not alone.

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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HUSH IN THE STORM LAUNCHED TODAY

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , on August 6, 2014| 3 Comments »

In 2008 God gave me a dream – write a novel. I did, and self-published in 2012- Focused. But the desire to be recognized by a traditional publisher was the popcorn kernel wedged in my gum. Now, that is a reality – doubled! Both novels I had written, Hush in the Storm and Legitimate Lies are contracted with Prism Book Group.  Hush in the Storm debuts today. Legitimate Lies will debut in January, 2015. God is good.

Where did I find Him today? Right next to me, smiling as any daddy would when he sees his daughter receive a gift she’s wanted for so long. Thanks Abba.

hush in the storm promo.

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A Moving Experience

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , on July 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

ID-100131553Maybe some of you who follow me on Facebook heard of my plight…

During the recent move to a new apartment, I lost my desktop computer to damage. Not only that, but my laptop and projector I use for all my talks and workshops “walked away”.  We also were without TV for two days.

With tongue firmly planted in my cheek, I’d posted before the move that I’d be out of cyberspace for a day or so – could I handle it?

God tested me on that. Big time.

I wish I could tell you my piety kicked in and I enjoyed being still and reconnecting with my Savior. I tired, really I did. But… the hush was deafening. After a few minutes, I’d jump up to find something to “do.” In fact, in those three days, I totally exhausted myself by unpacking every box, hanging the curtains and the pictures, and rearranging the knick-knacks several times.

Finally, my sweet techie son “Humpty-Dumptied” parts from my desk top and from an old one he had, and not only got me up and running in three days but re-downloaded all my flies. He also got the TV and wireless networking up and running. I praise the Lord for my son’s God-given intelligence and patience when it come to electronics.

Two things I learned:

First – I need to turn off the electronics more often and get back to quietness and meditation (listening) with my Lord. I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but He showed me differently.

Second – Whatever in our lives we feel is damaged, burned out, or missing a vital function, God as the Master techie can piece back together and make work again–sometimes with the talents of others. We just need to stay patient and prayerful in the process.

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Look More Closely

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on July 1, 2014| 2 Comments »

printcover_hush copy (2)My publisher emailed the cover of my novel, Hush in the Storm, which launches August 6th. It looked perfect. With dancing fingers over my keyboard, I sent it out to my family and friends who have been so instrumental in helping this book become a reality.

My niece, who is artistic and always has a keen eye for detail, wrote back. “It would look better if the heroine on the cover didn’t have cacti growing from her shoulders.”

Whaatt????

I hadn’t noticed that. I concentrated on the clouds, the landscape, the girl hushing.  I emailed the comment to my publisher. Within minutes, the graphic artist corrected  it. Whew!! Thank you, Lord. I marveled at her mastery in technique and  greatly appreciated her immediate response to make things right.

Where did I see God in all this? Sometimes there are little flaws which may hinder how we are perceived. Our witness may be hindered by them. They may blare out to other people and cause them not to focus on the real message we are trying to convey.

Of course we are all works in progress and perfection will only reached  through the mercy of Christ when we escape our human nature and reach Heaven. But I also believe God brings people into our lives who have a keen eye and can point out the flaws we need to correct — the ones we don’t notice but others do, like breadstick cacti growing out of a pair of shoulders.

Because it is a Christian publisher, no feathers were ruffled. Authors, editors, proofreaders, and the graphics masters have the same goal – spread the message of redemption  and grace through wholesome, yet intriguing fiction.

But, it made me ponder. Am I as gracious when someone in the Body lovingly and  tactfully points out an area in my life that could use some more work? How quick am I to go to the Master to correct it?

 

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Hidden Dust

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on June 17, 2014| 1 Comment »

AAAchoo. Packing to move sure stirs up the dust. hidden dust

I consider myself a good housekeeper. I dust regularly. But, when I began to empty out shelves and pack away books and knickknacks, the dusty back corners loomed at me. Tiny scraps of paper, dust bunnies, cat hair.

My nose twitched. My eyes watered. As I grabbed the dusting cloth and furniture polish, I pondered. “Sniff. Now where did I pack the facial tissue?”

How could I have not seen all that dust lurking? Because the things of my life – books, heirloom figurines, family photos, mementos –  were hiding it. I regularly dusted around them, maybe even lifted them and dusted underneath. But the pesky specks settled in the far back depths, unseen until I emptied the shelf. I thought to myself. Hmm. Perhaps I should take more time on a regular basis, say every few months or so, to empty the shelves and dust more thoroughly. If I could find the time…

A faith lesson tickled my mind –

Sometimes, God moves us in order to shake up the dust a bit. He takes us from our comfort zones where life has settled around us, and in the process of rearranging and weeding out the things we have gathered to us, our patient Lord reveals the accumulation of specks we have neglected.

Perhaps a negative attitude towards someone.

Maybe a lie we regret telling.

The time we acted less that Christian,yet left unconfessed.

LIttle things we have tucked away in the back of our lives and not tended to very well. But no one sees that, do they? Over time, we may not notice it either. We have cluttered up our life-shelf with other things. The more current things get our attention. Those we confess, and clean away. Yet, these other things in our past continue to accumulate in the depths of our souls.

Today, I found a message from God in some dust bunnies at the back of my shelves: Cleaning up my act may mean rearranging things in my life so God can point out to me the areas I have neglected – the ones out of sight.

Perhaps I need to carve out more time with Him on a regular basis so He can help me reveal my past mistakes. That way, they don’t build up. Maybe, I can do that while I am dusting my shelves more thoroughly in the new place. With each swipe of the dusting cloth, my Lord will show me where I need Him to wipe away my sinsfrom the corners of my heart.

Lord, help me find the time to do both, and, no matter how arduous, rejoice in it.

Where will you find God today?

 

 

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The Little Drips

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on June 4, 2014| 2 Comments »

Recently a foul odor whisked through my living room.  In my somewhat open-concept space, the kitchen is separated from the living room by a half-wall, so I ran the disposal – nope. I emptied the trash- no, not that.  With a shrug, I sprayed some air freshener just as my Bible study group arrived. But, they began to smell it as well.  It became more predominate as the evening progressed.

What was it???

After they left, my foot hit the carpet by the couch and a felt a squish. The carpet was wet! Moving the couch, which butts up to the half-wall that separates the kitchen from the living room, revealed the source. The wall was bulging, the baseboard cracked and the carpet tinted blackish-brown where it met the wall. We had a leak!

It seems one of the apartments above us had a crack in the disposal drain pipe. Water had been dripping down the wall and pooling behind ours on the first floor. Mildew had taken over as well as tiny water bugs. YUK . IMAG0015 (1)

When they opened the wall, it all cascaded out, along with the stench.  It was pretty nasty. It took two maintenance men and a carpet/mildew specialist, all with skills I did not possess using materials and lots of tools I didn’t have, to clean it up. That took time. The wall had to dry, the carpet had to be sanitized, stretched and dried. The sheet rock replaced, and new baseboards installed. Finally, a fresh coat of paint was applied.

What struck me is that the same can be said of the little sins in our lives. Nothing big by the world standards, mind you. The white lie to a friend, using the office copier for personal use, sleeping in instead of having your prayer time, being purposely rude to someone in traffic, not quite tithing in the offering this week because that dress on sale needed to be in your closet,  losing your temper with your kids and saying something cutting about their character instead censuring their actions, never quite apologizing to a hurt friend, watching that soft porn movie or reading that steamy romance novel…

…drip, drip,drip behind the walls we build up. No one needs to know, right?

But eventually, some physical evidence will emerge. It may be restless sleep, a tendency to be grouchy, muscle tension, or a sour stomach.

It may take more than just you to solve the problem if you let it go too long. Of course, Our Lord is the master fixer – the only true One who can make our mess clean and pure again. His mercy can cut through  the walls we’ve  built to reveal the accumulative effects of our “little drips” sins. But He may bring in other people or tools to help do the clean-up work. It may be a passage in Scripture or a sermon by your pastor that whacks the first blow at the wall. Perhaps a close friend to pray over you, or a Christian counselor,  will provide the tools or the know-how to eradicate that pesky little sins that have been eating at you deep inside where you thought nobody could see.

You will probably have a part in the process as well. It will take time. It may get a bit nasty. But it will be worth it.

..because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.   Leviticus 16:30

...let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

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Daily Bread or Doughnuts

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on May 29, 2014| 1 Comment »

ID-10067177I stared at a freezer full of the same ol’ stuff I’d been eating for weeks on end. Veggie burgers, frozen vegetables, skinless chicken breasts.  I opened the fridge to the same stuff. Reduced fat this and that, no-calorie dressing, salad bags, zero-fat Greek yogurt. Sigh – Losing a pound or so a week on this healthy diet gets monotonous at times. I crave French fries, grilled cheese, a chocolate shake, Alfredo pizza, Mexican food. Lord, why does all the good stuff have to be so bad for me, so high in calories and ssoooo tasty? When I was younger I could eat it all and not gain an ounce.  I grumbled under my breath, grabbed a protein drink and some celery stalks, and slunk to the couch to read my assigned Bible passage.

Half way down the page, my mouth opened into a large “o”.

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”  (Numbers 11:4-6)

When God told them through Moses that pork and shell-fish were a no-no, did they complain as well? Possibly.

I’m no different. I can continue to pig out on fast foods and shell out my money on prepackaged meals, or choose to buy healthier, fresh food choices and exercise more. I can be thankful for what God provides from the earth for my nourishment, or crave the sugary, fatty, salty, and carb-laden man-made things that I can’t or shouldn’t have and grumble about it.

The Hebrews had herds of animals with them and money to buy grains and fruits as they wandered past other nomadic tribes in the wilderness. But did they consume them after the first were tithed to God? The BIble doesn’t say. It does say that God gave them manna –  the bread of the angels – to be their wholesome daily supplement. Each daybreak they were provided just enough for one day, except the day before the Sabbath when the Hebrews received two day’s worth of manna so they wouldn’t have to labor on their commanded day of rest.

What was God teaching the Hebrews? Two things. Rely on Him each day and He will provide what we need, but not necessarily what we want.

He wishes to teach me the same thing.  In my diet, as in every aspect of the rest of my daily life, I need to rely on Him to provide my needs.  I shouldn’t whine because I can’t eat or buy certain things. But unlike the Hebrews, I am still in Egypt.  In today’s pre-packaged, credit-happy world, it is way too easy to buy more than we make, eat three times a day what people used to consider an occassional treat, and waste more time on useless entertainment like Tv, video games and social media sites than ever before. How easily we can become enslaved!

I need my Lord, each day, to help me choose between what He wants to provide and what I want to grab or grumble about having.  Promised Land up ahead or stay in Egypt.

Maybe it would be easier if God isolated me from the world and gave me the food I should eat to lose weight each day at daybreak – just enough for that day.

Give me this day, my daily bread.. but, not the doughnut, Lord.

Nah, like the Hebrews, I’d probably grumbled about that as well after a few months.

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Soul Sniffles

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on May 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

ID-10070268It started with a tickle, like a feather under my nose. Then, the scratchiness in the back om tongue. By this morning, my head was stuffed with cotton, my throat burned, and a shallow cough had settled into my chest. Yep – I have a cold. It’s okay – it’s not contagious over cyberspace, so you don;t have to click off.

As nasty as a summer cold is, I found a God-message in it.

Do our souls react to sin the way our body reacts to germs? I think so.

At first sin is a mild irritant, but if we let it enter in, the Holy Spirit will make us uncomfortable as it tries to defeat the sin, the way our bodies’ white corpuscles attack a cold germ. It may take a lot of sneezing to get it out of our system. Not pleasant, but for the best.

Ignore the sin even more, and it can even make us sick. We begin to feel out of sorts and irritable. If we don’t confess the sin and try to live our lives with it, it digs in deeper to become a full-blown infection, just like a cold can turn into pneumonia or bronchitis.

Like taking cold and cough medicines, confession may not be pleasant. But it is necessary if we are to heal. The earlier we begin treatment, the quicker we can nip the symptoms in the bud.

There are other things you can do. Let your prayer be like a facial tissue- expel your sin and then toss it away.

Like hot tea, the vapors of mercy can soothe you. And to prevent your sin from infecting others, forgiven can be like a hand sanitizer that keeps the sin from re-entering our hearts. In fact, when we encounter a negative, grouchy or hurtful person, maybe we should grab our spiritual armor the way we dig in our purses and pockets for the hand sanitizer bottle when someone sniffles or coughs. God’s Word is the best defense to keep our souls healthy.

When you have a cold you are supposed to rest because you are weak. Are we not supposed to rest in the arms of our Lord when we feel spiritually weak?

The experts say to intake lots of water if you feel a cold coming on. Jesus said He is the Living Water. If we intake a huge dose of Him in our lives, will that help flush out our sinfulness? Oh, and you are to increase your Vitamin C. For the spiritual sniffles, is the Vitamin C otherwise known as Christ? Do we not need more of Him in us?

Hmmm. Is that why they called Jesus the Great Physician?

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Why Church?

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , , on April 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

praiseHimDo Christians need the Church more than the Church needs Christians?

Absolutely. God established Church. Judeo-Christian beliefs from Genesis to Revelation see the faithful as God’s people- corporately. Paul said in 1 Corinthians that we are a Body. A body is designed to have all of  it’s parts to function properly. Each is different, but important.. The root word is “corpus” which means Body. We are to engage in corporate worship. So why don’t more Christians do that regularly?

A freshman in college sits at the gathering spot on campus with a sign that reads, “Ask me about church.”  She hears people say it is filled with hypocrites and shallow minded-people. She hears others say they can worship Jesus on their own, thank you very much. They read the Bible, they have quiet time with God. They don’t need to go anywhere on Sundays. Others are anti-established religion because the churches have too many rules and only want your money.

She hears all sorts of reasons not to go to church. Her response is a simple shrug and a smile that twinkles in her eyes. “It makes me happy. It brings me peace. It lifts me up. It helps me understand God. I love my church. All I can say is, come see for yourself.”

“The Church is filled with hypocrites and narrow-minded people.”  True – but they are the ones who know they need help. I heard it said that the church is like a spiritual hospital. The people inside know they are sick and are seeking healing. Some heal faster than others. Some do not do what the Great Physician orders. But all are admitted. It may seems hypocritical when we don’t “walk like we talk”, but hopefully, some the medicine of the Word is seeping in and beginning to work on our hearts and attitudes. For some it is a shot directly into the veins. For others, it is more like a slow-drip IV.

Many outsiders mistakenly see conviction as a synonym for narrow- mindedness.  My church has a motto – Come as you are, but leave as God wants you to be. Christianity accepts all – but the gate to salvation is narrow. Jesus said so. He also  said He is the Way, the Truth, not “a way” and “a truth”. The truth is, people don’t want to change. That is being narrow-minded.

I can worship Jesus on my own, thank you very much. I read the Bible, I have quiet time with God. I don’t need to go anywhere on Sundays.  But church is more than paying homage to God. If it wasn’t,  we could just send a check by electronic bank transfer and stay home on Sunday morning in our PJs with our Bibles.

We need to be with fellow believers. Jesus told the disciples if they gathered in His name He’d be with them.  He sent them out two by two – together – to do His work. God knows there is strength in the gathering of His people. Worshiping as a group is the standard throughout the Bible. When did we make it a “me” thing?

Last Sunday in his sermon, my youth pastor referred to the church as Noah’s ark. We need to gather in it to be sheltered from life’s storms. Believers need to be in relationship with each other to comfort, correct, and carry each other’s burdens to the Cross. We should keep each other in check, lift each other up, and provide strength to fight the earthly battles we face in a world that doesn’t hold to the same values and beliefs we do.  No soldier goes into battle alone. Even when David defeated Goliath, I bet there were soldiers praying in the background.

Jesus told Peter that he’d build his church on him – the rock. Peter tells the newly converted, “Save yourselves from this crooked world.” (Acts 2:40.) Not alone…the very next verse says, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand.” (v.41) Added to what? The church. What did they do next? “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (v.42)  In other words, they stuck together, remembered Christ together in a shared meal per His command at the Last Supper, and worshiped together. That is church in it’s purest sense.

Satan divides, God unites. Jesus will never call you away from the fellowship with believers to spend time with Him.  If you ever feel like not going to church,  other than being very ill or injured, you can rest assured that is when you need to be there. Church keeps the Body functioning to ward off the disease of sin. There will be a message you need to hear, a prayer that will be answered, or a boost of spiritual fortitude from a hymn to help you in the upcoming week.  Or you may be who God uses to bless someone else. When you don’t go to church, you may be causing someone to stumble. You have no idea who will need your smile, your prayer, or your hug that day. But God does.

They are anti-established religion because the churches have too many rules . Hey, God has rules. They are called the Ten Commandment. One of the Commandments is to keep the Sabbath and make it holy. The rest of them deal with how we are to live and worship. The church is only following God’s commands. True, some congregations have become a bit Pharisee-like. But humans are works in progress. If the church you’ve been attending have rules which seem too strict, seek God’s counsel about that. See if they are man-made or Biblically based. Talk with your pastor. If you are still uncomfortable, don’t stop going to worship. Find another church. Just make sure the church you choose preaches the Ten Commandments of God, and of Christ Jesus – love God and love your neighbor. It should also  spur you to change, to become more Christ like. It should be accepting of those who are sinners, but encourage them not to sin in a loving, life-changing and supportive manner.

Some people grumble that all the church wants is money. Not true. Yes, it is an organization that operates solely on the financial gifts of others. However, it is God who wants your money — and  also your time, and the talents He has bestowed upon you. He asks for only 10% of each– your money, your talents to spread and support the Body, and your time in serving Him on earth.  That 10% to does more good when combined with others’ 10%. There is power in that. The church is the best vehicle for channeling your money.

Besides, tithing is solely a discipline to help you realize all belongs to God, not you. It is a minimum, but one we all should strive to meet, not because God needs it, but because we do. Once you begin to strive to tithe, you will find you have more control over how you spend and save your money, how you spend your time, and how you view your self worth.

Do Christians need the Church more than the Church needs Christians? You bet. But, so does the rest of the world. Open your hearts, open your doors – and each Sunday, walk inside to be blessed and to be a blessing.

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