Jack's son took the podium and spoke from Paul's letters. Dad's no rock star yet people revel in his presence and are more aware of their frailty. How I see it is the attempt to shape up in his presence brings little to the soul and much to eye of the beholder. Isn't this how we desire for all to see us, without flaws or faults. It brings little peace and holding onto great despair. I want sometimes to loving embrace my fellow man and shout, stop it stop it. You poor prideful thing. Let it go. Let God. Jack's son quoted my own heartfelt sentiments, yet many are afraid to trust the very word of God. Fearful their creator will someway let them stray, let them down, reveal their faults without justice and without it being all for the glory of God. Psalms 94 14,16,21-22 He will not abandon his special possession....Who will protect me from the wicked. They gang up against the righteous...but the Lord is my fortress; My God is is the mighty rock. Psalm 95 Come let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Man distinctively listens to the god they have created called themselves. We are consumed with self help literature and fixing others from man's perspective, yet is there not a calling of encouraging our hurting Christian sisters and brothers with a biblical life. Is the very word of God an offering or given little effort in the application and refuge in the daily walk with Christ for us to offer. There is a silence with the Creator, a deeper prayer that does not ask for anything except simply refuge. He commands this of us and our heart's remain disobedient. There is much healing and repair of Our Lord to perform for the heart to be crumbled and a new creation to be made that can be focused on the cross.
Is God waiting on us to do his work in their lives? He patiently waits, according to scripture, because of His great love for us. We remain an unfocused world to recap on Paul's letter. We deny the very pains of our heart, family, friends, our town, city, state, nation. We are forcing our focus to be anything in the world of today. We need to ponder the most poignant question as Paul encourages and glorifies the focus ..... Is it focused on the cross?
I am blessed for understanding and receiving God's great peace and the everlasting Mercy of my Heavenly Father for coming to the cross and laying it down.
Join me.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Small Group April 19th Communication Marriage
The RUN Down........It was an "engaging" session 2. Making your relationship a priority. This is from Homebuilders Couple Series Improving Communication in Your Marriage By Dr. Gary & Barbara Rosberg, from FamilyLife.
Prior to the session, the focus is to participate in a Homebuilders project with your mate. This was casually referred to as the date. There was time late one night to engage this project. We knew given the totality of our marriage, taking time to understanding barriers to communication was what Christ was longing for in us.
With each attempt to discuss one's feelings there is always the true barrier of all man's practical and genuine need to be accepted. If by years of decay and self induced endulgement one decides to listen does it finally come from the good-will heart. Can we remove the stones of the gritted sand onto the oysters home that has embedded itself to consume the very heart that has done all it can to devour it. Are we actually capable of overcoming barrier not just identifying them. Oh yes I understand them, I have lived with them for years, screaming my way through them to get anyone to hear me. All the while feeling lost and lonely after the battle. I can only speak on behalf of my own barriers and wait patiently on the non treading waters of the soul I desperately long to connect to prior to the years passing by and departing this world without the friend. Screaming has stopped and I have found refuge in the arms of the Saviour. He and I are in bow of the ship...together. He waits with me while the Father does the work, hearing my prayers.
We have all but loss the truest form of communication, love. Hope lives. It is only found now in the midst and few have been relentless in the search not settling for any thing less. If they did this world would consume them and all would be loss and the Glory of God would be also.
Prior to the session, the focus is to participate in a Homebuilders project with your mate. This was casually referred to as the date. There was time late one night to engage this project. We knew given the totality of our marriage, taking time to understanding barriers to communication was what Christ was longing for in us.
With each attempt to discuss one's feelings there is always the true barrier of all man's practical and genuine need to be accepted. If by years of decay and self induced endulgement one decides to listen does it finally come from the good-will heart. Can we remove the stones of the gritted sand onto the oysters home that has embedded itself to consume the very heart that has done all it can to devour it. Are we actually capable of overcoming barrier not just identifying them. Oh yes I understand them, I have lived with them for years, screaming my way through them to get anyone to hear me. All the while feeling lost and lonely after the battle. I can only speak on behalf of my own barriers and wait patiently on the non treading waters of the soul I desperately long to connect to prior to the years passing by and departing this world without the friend. Screaming has stopped and I have found refuge in the arms of the Saviour. He and I are in bow of the ship...together. He waits with me while the Father does the work, hearing my prayers.
We have all but loss the truest form of communication, love. Hope lives. It is only found now in the midst and few have been relentless in the search not settling for any thing less. If they did this world would consume them and all would be loss and the Glory of God would be also.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
He Speak to Me.... Bible Study
Week 2 A Single Minded Worship... I have come to a place of desiring more understanding than knowledge. I feel this has risen out of my devotion to recover from painful years, which finally was greater than my fear leading me into the arms of Jesus, for salvation. For this world truly had nothing for me. It had all consumed me and left me empty. I was caught up in the race of acceptance and the daily struggle was unbearable. My salvation and spiritual growth is reaching for greater understanding of God's great mercy and grace. I am humbled by salvation's great cost and long for my heart to be obedient to my heavenly Father
I must consider myself set aside to give God glory. There is a preparation of stillness, repentance of the grateful and thankful heart, and an undistracted mind. The word of God prepares me for places to be still. Green pastures. It teaches me how to be still. Be still and know that I am God. Release my worry, anxieties and fears. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. The cross is my place to lay down my acts and thoughts that are against my fellow man and myself. Let us not forget ourselves. In the end, we are there with Him. Alone. Have we, have I layed it all down and raised it all up for His glory.
I must consider myself set aside to give God glory. There is a preparation of stillness, repentance of the grateful and thankful heart, and an undistracted mind. The word of God prepares me for places to be still. Green pastures. It teaches me how to be still. Be still and know that I am God. Release my worry, anxieties and fears. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. The cross is my place to lay down my acts and thoughts that are against my fellow man and myself. Let us not forget ourselves. In the end, we are there with Him. Alone. Have we, have I layed it all down and raised it all up for His glory.
Daily Devotion
There was suffering this morning. I was longing for departure from all that had occured. I, like Job sought a place of refuge where the endurance of life was no longer in my hands. I sat with my Bible and coffee in the yard overlooking all creation with a haze of little joy. The Bible fell from my lap and Job appeared. Persistent seeking. I read that we blossom like a flower and then wither. This was my morning prayer, for I felt like a frail dry withered flower. I knew God was my first place to calm me. I needed His embrace. His Fatherly arms to hold me close. It truly is the willing that seek him that will find comfort amongst the gray days of our lives. He will restore and replinish. He holds us accountable to come to Him during these time and not turn away to ourselves. We may turn away from each other at the time of our pain, but we must turn to God to restore us to sanity.
There was a passage that I had underlined earlier in my recovery. I had come to understand I had spent much of my life denying my pain. I did not truly tell God how I felt. I was afraid of telling Him how angry I was at all the tragedy. I knew He wouldn't listen to me. I was too far gone. This left me with an overpowering consuming world of worthlessness. I longed for a whole heart. I could grasp it. But it was not for me. I destroyed myself through destructive thoughts and behaviors for years.
Job 9:27-28 If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful, I would still dread all the pain.
I, like Job have suffered similar circumstances. The loss of children, my worldly goods, a home, my health, my spouse, and the condemnation of people. Praise only to a Merciful God, there is also another similar circumstance...I also abide in the Lord.
There was a passage that I had underlined earlier in my recovery. I had come to understand I had spent much of my life denying my pain. I did not truly tell God how I felt. I was afraid of telling Him how angry I was at all the tragedy. I knew He wouldn't listen to me. I was too far gone. This left me with an overpowering consuming world of worthlessness. I longed for a whole heart. I could grasp it. But it was not for me. I destroyed myself through destructive thoughts and behaviors for years.
Job 9:27-28 If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful, I would still dread all the pain.
I, like Job have suffered similar circumstances. The loss of children, my worldly goods, a home, my health, my spouse, and the condemnation of people. Praise only to a Merciful God, there is also another similar circumstance...I also abide in the Lord.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sunday Sermon April 13, 2007
Worship. People can display joy and rejoicing for hours over a football game, yet can not show any joy for the Creator of the Universe. Pastor Jack's sermon drew out the heart of man's greatest fear. The acceptance of man. Our society approves of excitement over a house or car or even a piece of jewelry than showing that great enthusiasm for the one and only Savior of the World. I reflect on a time when I use to put faith and worth in things of this world that in the end brought me little joy and everlasting self-worth. Overtime, items just built up and I stayed empty. My worship comes from a heart that is full of grace and mercy, thanks and love, above all worth. God is worthy of my rejoicing in His Name. I should give Him all the worship He deserve. Daily.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Daily Devotion
Be still and know that He is God. I completed my reading of The revelation. As I pondered over the coming, the battle, the rejection, the judgement I began to feel a deep sickening in the pit of my stomach. I pushed through the images of things I could not understand and saw the suffering of people. Plain and simple. The rejection of the human race with angry fist, reminds me of a time I thought of God not loving me. Me not being worthy. It comes from the message of longing for love in a loveless world and trying desperately to make sense of it all. It was only until I understood grace that I no longer sought the approval of others. I no longer "needed" their love to be complete. I was found complete with God. All others just failed me. I have learned that when you are not in agreement with God you are against Him. How can you show Love, If you don't know God's love? His love offers words of kindness not judgement, forgiveness not revenge, peace not anger, humility not pride and the list goes on and on.
I changed my thoughts by the end of the New Testament, for I need not to worry about the time or years of the events. For when I die of this earth, my soul will simply be with my Lord, my Savior. This is my Good News.
I changed my thoughts by the end of the New Testament, for I need not to worry about the time or years of the events. For when I die of this earth, my soul will simply be with my Lord, my Savior. This is my Good News.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Daily Devotion
I have begun the reading of Revelation and have asked God to open my eyes to the understanding. Today's message from Chuck Swindoll was the last of the series on Jesus Christ The Greatest Life. How fitting it was on the promises of the coming of the Lord. Chuck's message reinforced with me to continue a sensible and godly life. I love the way he expanded on two simple words that can change the whole dynamics of a person's life. That's the way Christ works. Romans 12: 2 And do not be conformed to this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind , so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect .
As I close out my 90 day reading of the New Testament it leave me hungry for more. Or shall I say thirsty, thirsty for the living water He offer us all. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God , and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink ,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water ."
As I close out my 90 day reading of the New Testament it leave me hungry for more. Or shall I say thirsty, thirsty for the living water He offer us all. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God , and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink ,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water ."
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