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Posts Tagged ‘Julie B Cosgrove’

In Someone Else’s Wrting

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , on February 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

A friend emailed the following to me. She doesn’t know the author. Evidently it has been floating around the internet through email boxes and the name was lost along the way.   I pray whoever wrote this doesn’t mind me sharing it. I have left in the original typos.

It is still very well written. When I read it, I pumped my fist and said, “Yes”.  My cat, who happened to be snoozing  through his third nap of the day on my desk, jolted.  I petted him. “Sorry, Buster. Another person has found God today.”

Enjoy.

You Can See God

I sat at my desk staring at the letter for a long time. It was written by a friend of mine who was going through some difficult times. It listed problem after problem and seemed full of despair. It ended with these words: “I would like to have faith, but I have always had a problem in believing in what I can’t see. You can’t see God, you know!”
After awhile I still hadn’t thought of how to answer my friend’s letter and help him. Hoping a walk would help, I put a lease on one of my dogs and headed out the back door. The warm, golden sunshine of Spring warmed my face as soon as I stepped off the porch. A fresh breeze carried the scent of a thousand budding trees on it. A butterfly danced above a patch of dandelions floating from flower to flower. Robins were flying back and forth to the Maple tree in my backyard carrying fresh grass and twigs to reline their nests. Across the road my new neighbor’s children were playing in her backyard with a big ball. It was such a delight seeing her toddler chasing after it with such joy.
I felt a nuzzle against my leg and looked down to see my dog cuddling in for a hug. I smiled and scratched his head while the laughter of the children and the sound of crickets in the woods blended together to create a unique and beautiful music. I started to walk back inside and saw my own son grinning at me from the window. Most of the world could only see his mental handicaps, but when I looked at him then his eyes sparkled with a divine light. I waved to him and laughed when his older sister snuck up behind him and wrapped him in a loving hug.
When I got back inside, I knew what to write. I went to my friend’s letter and wrote of everything I had just seen, smelled, heard, and felt in those brief moments outside. Then I finished by writing this:
“I think we all can see God! We just need to know where to look!”

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In him…and all believers

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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

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In Me?

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

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?

 

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In Blogs

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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.

 

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In a Message

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , on January 28, 2013| 1 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 waterlopen_grttowards 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.

 

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What Say You?

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , on January 25, 2013| 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.

Where have you found God in your life recently?

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.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

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In a Gathering

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on January 18, 2013| Leave a 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]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.

 

 

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In Laundry Day

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on January 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

003 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.

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On my cell phone

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on January 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

dreamstimefree_16167No, 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

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In a Drop and a Verse

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on January 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Remember staring at a slide under the microscope in school?  Look what is in one drop of drinking water –

I get what is called the daily Lectionary– verses for the Psalms, Old Testament, Epistles (Apostles’ Letters like Paul, Peter and James) and four Gospels – each morning on my computer. It is designed to take you through the Bible in 3 years.

The first line of today’s Old Testament passage caught my eye –

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? Isaiah 40:12a

Mediate on that for a moment.  How much does God handle each day? Yet Scripture tells us He knows it all. He knows every hair on every head of His people, billions of them.  Tenth Avenue North is a Christian band I like and they had a song about three years ago which stated they felt like they were just one drop of rain in a tropical downpour.  One tiny drop out of all the waters God holds in the hollow of His hand.

And yet, God know not only each drop but the movements of each of those microscopic creatures. Surely He knows each thought, each breath, each move I make as well. I may be just a tiny drop in the seas that fit in the hollow of my Creator’s hand, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t notice me. Nor does it mean I will slip trough His fingers. I am tucked away inside the palm of the One who knows all that ever was, is and will be. So are you. And that is worth more than a drop in the bucket, isn’t it?

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