Devotional stuffy

Nearer my God to thee

2012-01-28T18:08:00.001-05:00

abortion survivor speaks

2012-01-27T21:53:00.002-05:00

Surviving Adultery--how too--good advice

2012-01-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

I thought this was a very good practical article on this subject; I have copied this from here: http://www.rickthomas.net/2012/01/19/surviving-adultery/

So you can go to the link for the original aritcle!

Categorized | Article by Rick Thomas, Greenville, SC

Surviving Adultery

Posted on 19 January 2012
Tags: how to respond to adultery, surviving adultery

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There are few things that will happen to a person that is more perplexing and painful than finding out that your spouse committed adultery.

Let’s start with the bad news.

There is nothing you can do to make the pain go away.

It is frustrating.

It is surreal.

It is a helpless feeling.

It is despairing.

God said that a man and a woman should come together and form one flesh (Genesis 2:24-25). If they covenant together the way He said they should, then they are no longer two people, but one. The only thing that should separate them is death.

Death is like an amputation or the radical division of two people. It reminds me of an amputee who reaches down to scratch his leg, only to be reminded he has no leg. It is frustratingly awful.

Death is real. It says something is broken. Things will never be the same again. This is why the grief of the surviving spouse can be so great. He mourns the radical separation of their one flesh union that was caused by death.

This is also what causes the intricated complicatedness of adultery. It is not supposed to be this way. Adultery is not God’s plan as far as His moral will is concerned. One of the differences between separation by death and separation by adultery is the lack of finality regarding the adultery.

A spouse may die, but an adulterer has not died. The adulterer radically separates by joining himself or herself to another “flesh.” The pain of this reality is seemingly unbearable. The dawning experience of this new event will change your life forever.

Guard thy heart

It is imperative that the victim of adultery guards his/her heart. The mind can go places that it was not meant to go. The thoughts can run wild and even more so because there is mystery in play–your questions are many and your answers are few.

Whenever there is mystery, the heart is prone to wonder about what is not known. A person can over-speculate and lay awake at night over-thinking and over-worrying about what happened.

What did they do? Where did they go? When did it start? Where was I? Why didn’t I know? And probably the most hurtful question of all, “Did my wife enjoy having sex with him?”

A person will suffer through adultery in proportion to their temptations toward insecurity and fear. The more insecure you are, the more frantic, anxious, and inconsolable you will be. Conversely, the more stable you are with the Lord, the more trusting you will be for what God is writing into your life.

Adultery will bring you the starkest contrasts between fear and faith. It will pull your heart toward the pit of fear or you’ll lean more into God than ever before. Do not be mistaken: it will be your faith in God that will determine how you “survive adultery.”

God is in the crucible with you

The truth is that God is in your situation. He was not “out of action” or preoccupied with other things. God is never preoccupied with other things. That kind of thinking flies in the face of sound theology.

The one thing you don’t want to do is to separate from God during the one time in your life when you need Him the most. Adultery will tempt you to do that. For reasons that you will never know in this life, God has allowed you to go through adultery.

I can’t explain that to you and God will not explain it to you either. He is not obligated to explain what He allows. The real truth is that He can’t explain what He is allowing to happen in your life.

If He explained Himself, then you could possibly rest in the explanation and known outcomes of your suffering. In such cases, your faith would not be in Him, but in the explanation of things and the known outcomes and answers that He provided.

Your faith must be in Him alone. Christ called Peter off a boat, to walk on water (Matthew 14:29). Christ did not tell him how it would go or even why He was asking him to walk on water. He called him to walk by faith and later rebuked him because he did not do it well (Matthew 14:31).

Christ is calling you to walk by faith too. Yes, He’s calling you to do the impossible. The reason He is calling you to do this is because He wants to prove to you that He is the only one worthy of worship. He wants you to know Him for who He really is–the Son of God (Matthew 14:33).

Like Peter, walk toward Him rather than away from Him in your time of need. Though you did not cause this, you are in this and you must walk toward the Lord. Let Him take you by the hand. Let Him restore your soul.

How to survive

Below are a few things I have experienced or observed when helping those who are trying to survive adultery. None of these things will be complete or totally satisfying to you. I’m writing an article, not a book. However, I trust the Father will use these rambling thoughts to help you to press on in Christ.

Will you trust God? – Don’t lightly skim through what I have previously said about faith in God. I cannot overemphasize your need to trust God in this moment…and a thousand other moments that will present themselves in your future.

You may feel good today, but tomorrow you’ll be in the tank of despair again. You will need fresh faith for each day. Your heart needs to be buoyed by daily reminders of God’s active goodness and help in your life. You will not be able to predict or plan when moments of despair shall inevitably come.

You’ll ride by a restaurant where your wife met the other man and your soul will be troubled.
Someone will mention his name, though it is not him, but just that name is all you need to go down for the count.
You’ll be working on a project and it will not go well. In that moment you will be tempted to go into self-pity and then you’ll start dredging up what your wife did, heaping more sorrow, guilt, and shame on yourself.
You’ll see a happy couple at your local church, only to be reminded of what you lost.

It will be in these spontaneous, unsuspecting moments that you will be caught off guard. Suddenly, without warning, you’ll need the empowering grace of God that can reorient your mind around the hope that is found in Him alone.

My appeal to you is to renew your faith in God each day. Ask Him to help you to trust Him. Ask others to help you to trust Him.

You can’t make it end – No matter how hard you try or how hard you cry, the pain of this will not go away anytime soon. Adultery does not work that way. One of your enemies will be time and time will move slower than you ever imagined.

Do not despair in these moments. God will give you sustaining grace. If there was ever a moment when this old adage applied–time heals all wounds–this is one of those moments.

When the soul is in the depths of despair, time stands still. It is in this moment that you must believe that God is working for His glory and your benefit. Will you believe? Will you trust Him right now?

I did not ask, Will you stop hurting if you believe? I asked if you would merely believe. The pain will continue, but your believing must not stop. You do not want your believing to stop, especially at this crucial time of unmitigated pain.

Adultery does not mean a ticket to ride – Yes, there is an adultery clause (Matthew 19:3-9). That does not mean you are supposed to use it. Divorce will not necessarily change anything. Be very careful before you go there.

It’s rarely wise for a person to make a life-altering decision while in the midst of a traumatic event. Though there is a clause, that clause is a fragment that is in a book that is about reconciliation.

The Bible is a reconciliation book. That is what the Bible is about. From Genesis to Revelation, God is presenting to us a plan for redemption. I suppose He too could have taken an escape clause and started over. He did not.

He began to implement a plan of redemption. Before you play the divorce card, give it some time, and seek wise counsel. See if God has a few other things in mind. You may be surprised at what He may be thinking (Job 23:13-14).

Don’t seek comparable revenge – I’ve seen too many times where divorce is more about punishing the guilty spouse than seeking the mind of God and what He might want to do in the marriage. Sometimes you just want to hurt the other person, whether it be by sinful anger or other means.

One of those means could be to go out and have sex with someone. Why not, she did it. I’ll do it back. This kind of thinking is graceless and God-less. It completely misses a very real and practical application of the Gospel (Philippians 2:3-5).

Guard against seeking revenge, which could truncate what God desires to do in your marriage. Extend practical grace to a guilty sinner. Remember, you were one who received God’s amazing and practical grace too (Romans 5:8).

Don’t ask for details – Sometimes a spouse will begin drilling their adulterous mate, seeking details about what he/she did with the other person. While there are some things you will have to know, there are other things that you do not need to know.

If you choose self-control by not asking too many questions, it will prove beneficial. Later you will not have to forget what you did not know. If you don’t know certain facts, then you’ll never struggle trying to forget them. It may seem wise in the moment to know all the details.

That is not true. As hard as it is to believe there is coming a day when all of this will pass. You’ll be blessed to know less and you can resist by God’s grace and with the future in view.

Your marriage is not what defines you – Don’t make marriage an idol. You’ll know if you have made it an idol by the proportion of struggle you have in reorienting your mind and life back to the Lord.

If you lose your spiritual balance and cannot recover, then your marriage or loss of marriage, has more power over you than God. That is a definition of idolatry. Though adultery may feel like the end of the world, it is not the end.

Find a community of faith - Adultery is a call to action from the community of faith. You are not meant to go through this alone. That is not God’s way. The things I am calling you to do cannot be accomplished by going out and shaking yourself or by chest-bumping like football players in order to Go-Fight-Win.

You will fail. Nobody gets up from adultery and walks a straight line by themselves. It’s not humanly possible. You need friends. You need help. You need God. The temptations are too many and the pain is too deep.

Don’t miss what God is doing – In 1988 I experienced the immeasurable pain of adultery. My soul was stretched in places that I never thought possible. What I have written here are some of the things I learned during that dark season of my life. I understood David when he asked:

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. – Psalm 42:5-6 (ESV)

To be “cast down” is to be turned upside down, possibly in a slight hole. Cast is the term a shepherd uses who finds a sheep in an upside down condition. Because of the sheep’s high center of gravity, he cannot turn himself back over. Think of a turtle on its back and you’ll get the idea.

I found myself cast down and I could not get back to my feet. But God was there. He was working. He brought me through the long nightmare of my soul. I did not come through perfectly. I stumbled all over the place as my Father persevered for me.

Under no circumstances do I ever want to go back to that place again.
Under no circumstances would I trade what the Father taught me during those dark days.

If you have read, watched, or listened to any of my materials and benefited from them, I will tell you that it was because those resources were born out of the crucible of suffering. My Father gave me a snippet of what He called His Son to.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:21 (ESV)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (ESV)

I realize this article will not be enough for you if you have experienced adultery. It can’t. I have written over 1000 articles on my Membership Site about adultery, anger, forgiveness, divorce, reconciliation, sovereignty of God, suffering, revenge, and many other topics. If you think they will serve you, then please subscribe.

You can also purchase my small booklet called Help! My Marriage Has Grown Cold or Suffering: how to steward God’s most feared blessing. Or if you would like to meet for counseling, that can be arranged here.

Whichever path you take, make sure you choose a path that has a God-centered community who can practically speak into your life. My prayer is that you will be amazed as you continue to press into God and watch Him turn your ashes to beauty.

I don't know why , but there is a big space here until you reach the comment section and my next post---so just go on down!

I am going to link this to Spiritual Sundays--see the side bar for the link.

Prayer for husband

2012-01-16T13:10:00.001-05:00

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

“She does him good . . .” (Proverbs 31:12a)

Bless your husband by praying for him! The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This includes wives’ responsibility and privilege to pray for their husbands. Earnest prayer for your husband is good for him, for you and the spiritual health of your home (Proverbs 31:11-12).

Satan desires to destroy your husband, especially his character and his leadership in your relationship. Trust God through prayer as you daily surrender your husband and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care.

Day 1 Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

Day 2 Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

Day 3 Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

Day 4 Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage. (Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:19)

Day 5 Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church. (Prov. 20:6; Gen. 2:24)

Day 6 Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

Day 7 Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you. (Prov. 6:23-24, 26; Rom. 13:14)

Day 8 Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:58)

Day 9 Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family. (Prov. 23:4-5; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:5)

Day 10 Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

Day 11 Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord. Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Prov. 15:33; Eph. 6:6)

Day 12 Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love. (Prov. 5:15, 18; 1 Cor. 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:10)

Day 13 Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly. (Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-4)

Day 14 Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of love. Pray that he will not use filthy language. (Prov. 18:21; Eph. 4:29)

Day 15 Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin. (Prov. 13:20; Prov. 27:17)

Day 16 Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as he yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

Day 17 Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength. (Eph. 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 10:11)

Day 18 Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5; Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)

Day 19 Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger, but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses. (Rom. 14:19; Ps. 34:14)

Day 20 Pray that your husband will yield his mind and thoughts to the Lord. Pray that he will not entertain immoral or impure thoughts, and that he will resist the temptation to indulge in pornography. (Prov. 27:12; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Day 21 Pray that your husband will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in his greatest times of stress, find joy and peace in his relationship with God. Pray that he will submit his schedule to the Lord. (Neh. 8:10; Prov. 17:22; Ps. 16:11)

Day 22 Pray that your husband will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others. Pray that he will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

Day 23 Pray that your husband will be a good father—disciplining his children wisely and loving them unconditionally. If he is not a father, pray that he will find a young man to mentor in the things of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:1-2)

Day 24 Pray that your husband will have a balanced life—that he will balance work and play. Pray that he will fear God, but also gain favor with people he knows at work and church. (Luke 2:52; Prov. 13:15)

Day 25 Pray that your husband will be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will stand for the truth. Pray that he will protect you and your family from Satan’s attacks. (Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:13; Ps. 27:14)

Day 26 Pray that your husband will discover and live his God-given purpose. Pray that he will offer all his dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for eternity. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

Day 27 Pray that your husband will understand the importance of taking care of his body—the temple of the Holy Spirit—for the glory of God. Pray that he will practice self-control by making wise food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

Day 28 Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

Day 29 Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)

Day 30 Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

Day 31 Pray that your husband will recognize the lies of the Enemy in his life. Pray that his attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as he brings his thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)

Article from Revive Our Hearts

The first job every morning

2012-01-14T18:48:00.002-05:00

Good quote by CS Lewis

The First Job Each Morning

The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.

We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system: because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through. He never talked vague, idealistic gas. When He said, 'Be perfect', he meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder- in fact, it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

linking to spiritual Sundays:

Prayer for the Day by St. Therese

2012-01-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You, always follow Your plans, and perfectly accomplish Your holy will. Grant that in all things, great and small, today and all the days of life, I may do whatever You may require of me. Help me to respond to the slightest prompting of Your grace, so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument. May Your will be done in time and eternity, by me, in me, and through me. Amen

Prayer for God's will in my day

2011-12-28T12:52:00.001-05:00

From Kempis's Imitation of Christ "My Son, speak thou thus in every matter, 'Lord, if it please Thee, let this come to pass. Lord, if this shall be for Thine honour, let it be done in Thy Name. Lord, if thou see it good for me, and approve it as useful, then grant me to use it for Thy honour. But if thou knowest that it shall be hurtful unto me, and not profitable for the health of my soul, take the desire away from me! For not every desire is from the Holy Ghost, although it appear to a man right and good. It is difficult to judge with certainty whether a good or an evil spirit move thee to desire this or that, or whether thou art moved by thine own spirit. ........Therefore, whatsoever seemeth to thee desirable, thou must always desire and seek after it with the fear of God and humility of heart, and most of all, must altogether resign thyself, and commit all unto Me and say, "Lord, thou knowest what is best; let this or that be, according as Thou wilt. Give what Thou wilt, so much as Thou wilt, when Thou wilt. Do with me as Thou knowest best , and as best shall please Thee, and as shall be most to Thine honour. Place me where Thou wilt, and freely work Thy will with me in all Things. I am in Thine hand, and turn me in my course. Behold, I am Thy servant, ready for all things; for I desire to live not to myself but to Thee...."

St. Augustine--on praying without ceasing

2011-12-16T09:02:00.001-05:00

From a discourse on the Psalms by Saint Augustine, bishop
(In ps. 37, 13-14: CCL 38 391-392)

The desire of your heart constitutes your prayer

In the anguish of my heart I groaned aloud. There is a hidden anguish which is inaudible to men. Yet when a man’s heart is so taken up with some particular concern that the hurt inside finds vocal expression, one looks for the reason. And one will say to oneself: perhaps this is what causes his anguish, or perhaps such and such had happened to him. But who can be certain of the cause except God, who hears and sees his anguish? Therefore the psalmist says: In the anguish of my heart I groaned aloud. For if men hear at all, they usually hear only bodily groaning and know nothing of the anguish of the heart from which it issues.

Who then knows the cause of man’s groaning? All my desire is before you. No, it is not open before other men, for they cannot understand the heart; but before you is all my desire. If your desire lies open to him who is your Father and who sees in secret, he will answer you.

For the desire of your heart is itself your prayer. And if the desire is constant, so is your prayer. The Apostle Paul had a purpose in saying: Pray without ceasing. Are we then ceaselessly to bend our knees, to lie prostrate, or to lift up our hands? Is this what is meant in saying: Pray without ceasing? Even if we admit that we pray in this fashion, I do not believe that we can do so all the time.

Yet there is another, interior kind of prayer without ceasing, namely, the desire of the heart. Whatever else you may be doing, if you but fix your desire on God’s Sabbath rest, your prayer will be ceaseless. Therefore, if you wish to pray without ceasing, do not cease to desire.

The constancy of your desire will itself be the ceaseless voice of your prayer. And that voice of your prayer will be silent only when your love ceases. For who are silent? Those of whom it is said: Because evil has abounded, the love of many will grow cold.

The chilling of love means that the heart is silent; while burning love is the outcry of the heart. If your love is without ceasing, you are crying out always; if you always cry out, you are always desiring; and if you desire, you are calling to mind your eternal rest in the Lord.

And all my desire is before you. What if the desire of our heart is before him, but not our groaning? But how is that possible, since the groaning is the voice of our desire? And therefore it is said: My groaning is not concealed from you. It may be concealed from men, but it is not concealed from you. Sometimes God’s servant seems to be saying in his humility: My anguish is not concealed from you. At other times he seems to be laughing. Does that mean that the desire of his heart has died within him? If the desire is there, then the groaning is there as well. Even if men fail to hear it, it never ceases to sound in the hearing of God.

Today is Gaudete Sunday!

2011-12-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

Gaudete! / Rejoice!
Gaudete! Christus est natus / Rejoice! Christ is born
Ex Maria virgine / Of the Virgin Mary
Gaudete! / Rejoice!
[Christus est natus] / [Christ is born] ..........[x3]

Tempus adest gratiae, / The time of grace has come
Hoc quod optabamus; / That we have desired;
Carmina laetitiae / Let us devoutly return
Devote reddamus. / Joyful verses.

Gaudete! .......... [x2]

Ergo nostra contio, / Therefore let our song
Psallat iam in lustro /; Now be sung in brightness
Benedicat Domino: / Let it give praise to the Lord:
Salus Regi nostro. / Greeting to our King.

Gaudete! .......... [x2]

Tempus adest gratiae, / The time of grace has come
Hoc quod optabamus; / That we have desired;
Carmina laetitiae / Let us devoutly return
Devote reddamus. / Joyful verses.

Gaudete! .......... [x2]

Libera Offcial website: http://www.libera.org.uk/
Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aled-Jones-Christmas-Carols/dp/B001HWTCCM/ref=sr_1_4?...

Mary did you Know

2011-12-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

2011-12-05T15:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't always loved this song , but this version I found to be beautiful: http://youtu.be/bK8xB1opuQ8 The carol was originally a poem, "Christmas Bells," containing seven stanzas. Two stanzas were omitted, which contained references to the American Civil War, thus giving us the carol in its present form. The poem gave birth to the carol, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," and the remaining five stanzas were slightly rearranged in 1872 by John Baptiste Calkin (1827-1905), who also gave us the memorable tune. When Longfellow penned the words to his poem, America was still months away from Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9th 1865; and, his poem reflected the prior years of the war's despair, while ending with a confident hope of triumphant peace.

Faith--What faith can do--kutless

2011-10-19T15:36:00.001-04:00

Anger and Forgiveness

2011-09-13T22:12:00.000-04:00

I bind unto myself Today (St. Patrick's Breastplate)

2011-06-08T22:12:00.001-04:00

Deer's Cry --St Patrick

2011-06-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

I love the way this hymn builds and the words.

Sacris Solemnis

2011-05-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

Based on Symphony No. 7: Allegretto by Beethoven---I love the way this music builds.

Give us clean hearts

2011-05-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

Also when praying remember Is 58 and 2 Chronicles 7:14

Hallelujah what a Saviour

2011-04-20T09:41:00.000-04:00

His presence in suffering

2011-03-18T22:21:00.000-04:00

I found this to be very helpful.

we are spiritual

2011-02-28T08:43:00.002-05:00

I don't know anything about this guy, but I really agree with what he says here!

Also a note to self: in seeking God this week in some struggles---he spoke to me (not audible) the night ----speaking to my heart: You are my child. You are a daughter of the King. (It was just what I needed to hear)

Prayers for marriage (especially good for ceremony)

2011-02-17T09:29:00.004-05:00

These are such good prayers-- they are from the Book of Common Prayer and are very good for a wedding ceremony

Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life,
author of salvation, and giver of all grace:
Look with favor upon the world you have made,
and for which your Son gave his life,
and especially upon this man and this woman
whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen

Give them wisdom and devotion in the
ordering of their common life,
that each may be to the other
a strength in need,
a counselor in perplexity,
a comfort in sorrow, and
a companion in joy. AMEN

Grant that their wills may be so knit together
in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit,
that they may grow in love
and peace with you and one another all the days of their life.Amen.

Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize
and acknowledge their fault,
and to seek each other's
forgiveness and yours. Amen

Make their life together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful
and broken world,
that unity may overcome estrangement,
forgiveness heal guilt,
and joy conquer despair. Amen.

Bestow on them, if it is your will,
the gift and heritage of children,
and the grace to bring them up to know you,
to love you, and to serve you. Amen

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that
they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen

Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows
may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. AMEN

Grant that the bonds of our common humanity,
by which all your children are united one to another,
and the living to the dead,
may be so transformed by your grace,
that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven;
where, O Father, with your Son and the Holy Spirit,
you live and reign in perfect unity,
now and for ever. Amen

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love
in sending Jesus Christ to come among us,
to be born of a human mother,
and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.
We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in
his Name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance
of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts,
a mantle about their shoulders,
and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship;
in their sleeping and in their waking;
in their joys and in their sorrows;
in their life and in their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast
for ever in your heavenly home;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
on God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage
that in it is represented the spiritual unity between
Christ and his Church:
Send therefore your blessing upon these your servants
that they may so love, honor and cherish each other
in faithfulness and patience,
in wisdom and true godliness,
that their home may be a haven of blessing and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.Amen.

prayer/song

2011-02-12T17:18:00.001-05:00

I like this--kindof like a prayer and song together.

God's love is a symphony

2011-01-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

This song does express how I often fee. God's love is all around me--beneath, over, in, above and through---just like a symphony

memorizing Philippians and song about it

2011-01-17T08:06:00.001-05:00

I am memorizing Philippians and I like this song about Philippians

wounds for the wounded

2011-01-16T20:31:00.002-05:00

I like this quote

"In today’s Gospel passage from St. John, we have heard again of the appearance of the Risen Christ to his disciples. At that moment he brought to them the fruits of his triumph over death: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of peace. Here too we come to the work of the ordained priest: to pronounce with confidence the forgiveness of God and to bring peace to a troubled soul and a troubled world.

To this service, to this ministry we welcome our three priests today. But we must be attentive to the words of the Gospel. In bestowing these gifts, the Risen Lord also employs an eloquent gesture: he shows them his hands and his side.

He shows them his wounds. The mission they receive, the mission of reconciliation, comes from the wounds of Christ. This is the mission we share and at every Mass we once again gaze on the wounded, broken body of the risen Lord. Our mission is characterised by woundedness: a mission to a wounded world; a mission entrusted to a wounded Church, carried out by wounded disciples. The wounds of sin are our business. The wounds of Christ, even though we have caused them, are also our consolation and strength."

-Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the ordination of three Anglican bishops into the Roman Catholic Church.

Tupperware Christianity

2010-12-13T09:27:00.002-05:00

I like what David Robinson says in "Ancient Paths"

"Many people have a "Tupperware" understanding of the spiritual life. In this view, faith and religion are kept in plastic containers with sealed lids. Our faith seldom mixes with the rest of our lives. Such people tend to ignore God at their workplace, in a restaurant, or while making love, or knitting a scarf. Those realms are in their own separate plastic containers called Career, Food, Sex, and Hobbies. Religion is just one more container. Benedict saw the Christian life differently. Spirituality is more like the coolant in the refrigerator. It infuses every container, moving right through the plastic lids and containers, keeping everything fresh and new. The ladder of humility moves us away from a compartmentalized approach to God. We begin to allow God into every aspect of our life, infusing our life with freshness."

Tribulation

2010-11-08T11:50:00.002-05:00

A quote from St. Francis de Sales:

"Considered in themselves, trials certainly cannot be loved, but looked at in their origin--that is, in God's Providence and ordaining will--they are worthy of unlimited love.......Tribulations considered in themselves are dreadful things; looked at in God's will , they are things of love and delight. Often have we felt disgust for remedies and medicines when a doctor or apothecary gives them to us, but when offered to us by some loved hand love conquers our loathing and we take them with joy. In fact, love either removes the harsh character of suffering or makes pleasant our experience of it."

"........Afflictions are like that. If we look at them apart from God's will, they are naturally bitter. If we consider them in that eternal good pleasure, we find them all gold and more lovely and precious than can be described."

Well, this is something to think about.....it is easier when I look back on a trial than when I am in one, however!

Spiritual insight by the wee grandkids?

2010-10-20T15:45:00.002-04:00

My daughter told us about the conversations of her two kiddies above. One is 4 and one is 2. Rhianwen is the 4 year old girl:

Funny conversation:
Rhianwen to Alden about if God is here with us: "Do you know how to obey without Him?"
Alden: silent
Rhianwen: "Ok, then, He's here!"
Take that, atheists ;0) From the mouth of babes...

Alden to mommy: "Is there food in heaven?"
Mommy: "The Bible says that there's a banquet, so I think so."
Alden: "I like God."

What the miners shirts said!!!

2010-10-14T10:59:00.001-04:00

Did you know that one of the first things the miners asked for after they were first found was Bibles. Now look at this video and find out what their shirts said as they came out of the mines!

Blogging Break

2010-10-12T15:53:00.001-04:00

I have been on a break in the Mountains. I will return at some point and catch up with you all!!

When we suffer

2010-09-21T20:09:00.003-04:00

This below was helpful to me. It is a quote from Jared Wilson's blog found here:

How to Carry the Death of Jesus in Our Bodies When We Suffer
2 Corinthians 4:6-12

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

This is a beautiful, confounding passage. The image at work is the frailty of a clay vessel concealing a priceless treasure ("the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"). It is something eternally valuable placed inside something with an expiration date. We are dime store piggy banks holding within us the Hope Diamond. What Paul is getting at with this imagery is that when the jar is broken, as in suffering, the treasure becomes visible.

When we suffer, we show what we're really made of.

The purpose of suffering for the believer, then, is to reveal this light of Christ, to reveal the image of Christ, and we do this first by suffering as he suffered, by being conformed to the image of the crucified Savior. But how do we do that? How can we actively engage, in the midst of our hurts and brokenness, in carrying the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is visible in our bodies?

I look to the actual dying of Jesus for help. In his words from the cross, I see the means of dying and dying to myself in a cross-centered way.

1. Be Honest with God

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus is here quoting Psalm 22, and as I have argued in Your Jesus is Too Safe, I don't believe God actually forsook Jesus on the cross, as Psalm 22 is not about being forsaken by God at all, but actually about God not forsaking his children. But the opening of Psalm 22 and Jesus' words here are certainly about feeling forsaken. And in this we find the okay to be honest with God. Many times, either out of fear of the pain of further vulnerability or out of bad theology that tells us to put on a happy face or God won't like us, we hold back from God, thinking we may leverage his healing or his comfort or his approval by sucking it up and pretending we aren't hurting. But the psalmists don't do this. The prophets don't do this. And Jesus didn't do this. You can't hide anything from God anyway. He sees you're hurting. Be honest with him. He can take it. Being honest with God is the way of holding no part ourselves back, the way of laying it all on the altar for his dealing. This is precisely what Jesus did, even in his anguish. We show that Jesus was real, in more ways than one, when we agree to expose all to God.

2. Forgive

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

One ironic way to embrace the power of God in the midst of hurt is to forgive those who have hurt you. Unforgiveness brews bitterness, which does not alleviate pain but exacerbates it. When we forgive our enemies and bless those who persecute us, we glorify God by acknowledging he is the sovereign Judge over all and that vengeance is his. And we highlight the treasure of Christ, who forgave all the way to death those who hate him.

3. Submit to God's Sovereignty

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

This is the dying man's way of saying "Not my will, but yours be done." We may not know all the why's of our suffering, but as Rich Mullins sang, "It would not hurt any less, even if it could be explained." As Christians, what we can know is that God has purposed pain to remind us that the world and those of us who live in it are broken, fallen because of sin. We can know that "pain is God's megaphone," as C.S. Lewis reminds us, to wake up to the reality that something is wrong, that we are in need of a Fixer. And we can know, thanks to the revelation of God that is his written word, that the grand purpose of suffering for the Christian is to be conformed to the image of Christ. We can commit our spirit into the Father's hands by ditching our pleas for fairness and trusting that God is revealing the treasure of Christ in our bodies through our bodies' very decay. Let us look forward to the resurrection, when we will have new eternal bodies, powered by the Spirit and awash in the glory of the risen Son. Let us amen Job's oath: "Though you slay me, yet will I trust you." The sufferer who is able to say this makes Christ look big.

4. Center on the Gospel of Jesus Christ

"It is finished."

The work is done. This is the great message of the good news: he has done it! (Also the final cry of Psalm 22.) We can hope in our suffering, then, that the finished work of Christ, when believed with our hearts, is a down payment on the work begun in us. The gospel tells us that we are forgiven from sin, that we stand under grace, that we have the blessed hope of Christ's return, that we will be resurrected as he was, and that we stand to receive the inheritance of Christ's rich presence in the new heavens and the new earth. The gospel tells us that God will be faithful to finish the work he started. So the fragility of our jars of clay is not just our winding down for the grave, but our winding up for eternity. When we center on the gospel as we suffer, we communicate as dying men to dying men that there is real hope for real people. We make Christ manifest in this witness. With Job we can declare, "Though worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh I will see God. My eyes will behold him." And: "I know my redeemer lives and in the end he will stand upon the earth."

If we can apply these words from the cross in our times of suffering, we can carry the cross-shaped death of Jesus in our bodies, thereby revealing that he who is the life everlasting is our true treasure.
Posted by Jared at 8:30 AM 3 comments

Cruciform love--more about it in marriage

2010-08-22T17:15:00.003-04:00

I have gotten back to Paul Tripp's book called What did you Expect??Redeeming the Realities of Marriage. He talks about cruciform love and its context in marriage. He wants to tell us how Christlike love thinks and acts in marriage. Since this is helpful to me, I want to place some of his descriptive points down here. These are QUOTES:

1. Love is being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of your husband or wife without impatience or anger.

2. Love is actively fighting the temptation to be critical and judgmental toward your spouse, while looking for ways to encourage and praise.

3. Love is the daily commitment to resist the needless moments of conflict that come from pointing out and responding to minor offenses.

4. Love is being lovingly honest and humbly approachable in times of misunderstanding, and being more committed to unity and love than you are to winning, accusing, or being right.

5. Love is a daily commitment to admit your sin, weakness, and failure and to resist the temptation to offer and excuse or shift the blame.

6. Love means being willing, when confronted by your spouse, to examine your heart rather than rising to your defense or shifting the focus.

7. Love is a daily commitment to grow in love so that the love you offer to your husband or wife is increasingly selfless, mature, and patient.

8. Love is being unwilling to do what is wrong when you have been wronged but to look for concrete and specific ways to overcome evil with good.

9. Love is being a good student of your spouse, looking for his physical, emotional, and spiritual needs so that in some way you can remove the burden, support him as he carries it, or encourage him along the way.

10. Love means being willing to invest the time necessary to discuss, examine, and understand the problems that you face as a couple, staying on task until the problem is removed or you have agreed upon a strategy of response.

11. Love is always being willing to ask for forgiveness and always being committed to grant forgiveness when it is requested.

12. Love is recognizing the high value of trust in a marriage and being faithful to your promises and true to your word.

13. Love is speaking kindly and gently, even in moments of disagreement, refusing to attack your spouse's character or assault his or her intelligence.

14. Love is being unwilling to flatter, lie, manipulate, or deceive in any way in order to co-opt your spouse into giving you what you want or doing something your way.

15. Love is being unwilling to ask your spouse to be the source of your identity, meaning, and purpose, or inner sense of well-being, while refusing to be the source of his or hers.

16. Love is the willingness to have less free time, less sleep, and a busier schedule in order to be faithful to what God has called you to be and to do as a husband or a wife.

17. Love is a commitment to say no to selfish instincts and to do everything that is within your ability to promote real unity, functional understanding, and active love in your marriage.

18. Love is staying faithful to your commitment to treat your spouse with appreciation, respect, and grace, even in moments when he or she doesn't seem to deserve it or is unwilling to reciprocate.

19. Love is the willingness to make regular and costly sacrifices for the sake of your marriage without asking anything in return or using your sacrifices to place your spouse in your debt.

20. Love is being unwilling to make any personal decision or choice that would harm your marriage, hurt your husband or wife, or weaken the bond of trust between you.

21. Love is refusing to be self-focused or demanding but instead looking for specific ways to serve, support, and encourage, even when you are busy or tired.

22. Love is daily admitting to yourself, your spouse, and God that you are not able to love this way without God's protecting, providing, forgiving, rescuing, and delivering grace.....love is fundamentally deeper and more active than some warm, romantic, feeling.....No, love is a specific commitment of the heart to a specific person that causes you to give yourself to a specific lifestyle of care that requires you to be willing to make sacrifices that have that person's good in view.

"This comprehensive, lifelong relationship is a tool in the hands of God to expose our delusions of wisdom, righteousness, and strength and to mobilize us to seek help. And there is help, wonderful and sufficient help, for all who seek it."

His book fleshes all of these points out in more detail in just one of the chapters. This is helpful to me---it is a goal to look toward and a key help in examining my love.

A sobering quote from Ryle

2010-08-17T21:47:00.001-04:00

In Ryle's book on Holiness he says,

"A single day in hell will be worse than a whole life spent in carrying the cross."

I need to meditate on this one.

Sweet Lamb of God

2010-08-05T07:23:00.009-04:00

-Sweet Lamb of God

I also had a song my a very young child singing Amazing Grace but the link doesn't work any more so deleted it.

Orthodoxy and what it should mean to us

2010-08-04T20:02:00.001-04:00

DugDownDeep_Shook.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo. This is a quote from Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. The book sounds interesting and he allows us to read a chapter from his book if you go to his blog here: http://www.joshharris.com/2010/07/free_chapter_from_dug_down_dee.php

Unexpected help-How God can supply all of our needs

2010-07-22T06:55:00.006-04:00

Cindy at http://ioweitalltohim.blogspot.com/ asked us to share about how someone helped me when I least expected it. There will be a link up at her blog this Friday-Sunday.

This is a story that took place early on in our marriage.[I love how God does things in our lives to teach us principles that impact us for the rest of our days!]
We had recently moved from CT to Oklahoma and we were basically broke financially. We had one child, who had not turned one and another on the way.

We believed that the minimum God required of us as for financially supporting our church was the ten percent tithe. One week we just did not have the money. We really desired to give him the ten percent, not out of legalism, but just because we loved Him and wanted to do this. As we looked at what we owned, we realized that we had our high school class rings that were worth some money for the gold with which they were made. These rings were rings we did not wear, and really did not need. So we pawned them and recieved 90 dollars which would cover the tithe (I can't remember if this was for one week or two?).

On Sunday we gave the money to the church. Later in the week, it may have been Monday, we recieved the exact 90 dollars in the mail from my brother who lived in Texas. He had written a note saying that God had really layed it on his heart to give us this money and this amount. He said it was such a conviction by the Holy Spirit he had to do it. This had never occured with my brother and us and never has occurred again in our relationship (over 30 years ago, now!). My brother knew nothing of our struggles or our needs.

God was using this to teach both my brother and ourselves that He will provide our needs even when we are broke and that when we give to Him he will do as Malachi says--in 3: 10 and following: "Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And therby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. ...."

I want to testify that God has always done this. He has enabled us to be debt free--we owe no money on our home or cars. Our three children graduated from college debt free, including my daughter who received her doctorate. This was not due to our salary, but to God giving money from different sources. He is amazing. He is faithful. He even provided socks for me at one point when I just could not afford to buy them, but that is another story.

I am so thankful for the way that God provides. He has often provided above what we ever expected. We have gone through times of real need, with no job....but even then God provided a shelter, food, clothes, and family. He constantly amazes me.

Part of a letter I don't want to loose on perseverance of the saints

2010-07-20T21:09:00.005-04:00

In answer to a question about Hebrews 6 . What are verses that deal with not loosing your salvation:

As far as verses about not loosing your salvation, scripture has to agree with scripture. I have basically seen the Hebrew passages [such as Hebrews 6--there are more than one) as examples of Matt 13:1-9 which is the parable of the sower. Jesus talks about the seeds in verse 5 -"Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold.....etc . I think as in Hebrews 6 it is possible to have a taste of the Holy Spirit working, and to be enlightened and to taste the goodness of the word etc, and not to be saved. You can be sitting under the preaching of the word and be enlightened by the Spirit and taste him, but not be saved. True Christians who have experienced salvation by the indwelling Spirit of God will be those in verse 8 of the parable.

Here are some verses about not loosing salvation:

John 316--that whoever believes in him should not perish but HAVE ETERNAL Life.

John 5:24--Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS ETERNAL LIFE. He does not come into judgment , BUT HAS PASSED from death to life.

John 6:47--Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes HAS ETERNAL LIFE.

John 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood HAS eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

**John 10:27 and following is powerful: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I GIVE them ETERNAL LIFE, and NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.

I believe all of this has to do with the perseverance of the saints. True believers will persevere in their belief. Heb 3 :14 "for we SHARE in Christ, IF INDEED we hold our original confidence firm to the end." Those that fall away really did not SHARE IN CHrist.

Philippianns 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Matt 18:14: So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."

Ephesians 1: 3 and following 3"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even AS HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for ADOPTION through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, WITH WHICH HE HAS BLESSED us IN THE BELOVED. 7 IN him we HAVE REDEMPTION through HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR TRESPASSES, according to the riches of his grace, 8 WHICH HE LAVISHED upon us, in all wisdom and insight, 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ......

{notice adoption couldn't be reversed in Roman times--also notice the tense of the verbs)

11 In him we HAVE OBTAINED an INHERITANCE, having BEEN PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM WHO WORKS ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE COUNSEL OF HIS WILL......

verse 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, WERE SEALED with the promised HOLY Spirit, 14 who is the GUARANTEE of our INHERITANCE until we acquire posession of it, to the praise of his glory."

[We have been chosen before the foundation of the world and SEALED and as John said earlier--no one can snatch us out of his hands]

Ephesians 2 :1 said we were once "DEAD in the trepasses and sins in which you once walked......"

BUT verse 4 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the GREAT LOVE with which HE LOVED US, 5 EVEN WHEN we were DEAD in our trespasses, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST--by grace YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED--6 and RAISED us up with him and SEATED us with hiim IN THE HEAVENLY places IN Christ JESUS, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the IMMEASURABLE RICHES OF THIS GRACE IN KINDNESS toward us in CHRIST JESUS. 8 FOR BY GRACE you HAVE BEEN SAVED through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God 9 NOT A RESULT of WORks so that no one may boast. 10 For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD PREPARED bEFOREHAND, that we should walk in them."

[note--we were once dead in our sins but now are alive. by grace you HAVE BEEN SAVED--past tense--done deal. EVen our raising and seating in the heavenly places is past tense--done deal. pretty wonderful stuff here in Ephesians! yippppppeeee!---so a person who is in Christ who has passed from death to life will persevere in belief because of God's power, grace, towards us}

II Thes 3:3 'But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."

Romans 8:35-39--nothing shall separate us from the love of God--not death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, .......etc.

As one guy put it--"The moment one believes, eternal life becomes a reality, a present possession, and not merely a conditional gift of the future. " John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." As this commentator put it" He does not say that we have to eat many times, but that if we eat at all, we shall live for ever." Also "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life"--John 4:14.

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony, that God GAVE US ETERNAL LIFE, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever HAS the SON HAS LIFE; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. "

Heb 10:14 "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

II Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom...."

Romans 8: 29-30 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whhom he justified he also glorified."

As one guy has put it : "Christ makes intercession for His people (Rom.8:34; Heb 7:25), and we are told that the Father hears Him always (John 11:42). Hence the Arminian, holding that Christians may fall away must deny either the passages which declare that Christ does make intercession for His people, or he must deny those which declare that His prayers are always heard. Let us consider here how well protected we are: Christ is at the right hand of God pleading for us, and in addition to that , the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, Romans 8:26."

Here are some more references: Jer. 32:40, Ezek 11:19-20. I peter 1:5, II Cor 9:8, Romans 14:4, II Tim 2:19, Luke 10:20, Phil 4:3, Rev 3:5, 13:8 17:8, 20:12-15; 21:27 (These last passages refer to the lamb's book of life--one guy says, "basically the names of the righteous are found there;but the names of those who perish have never been written there from the foundation of the world {read those passages]. God does not make the mistake of writing in the book of life a name which He will later have to blot out. Hence none of the Lord's own ever perish. Jesus told His disciples to find their chief joy in the fact that their names were written in heaven, Luke 1020; yet there would have been small grounds for joy in this respect if their names written in heaven one day could have been blotted out the next."

There is a good reference to the perseverence of the saints on page 1627 in the Reformation study Bible (esv). I like this paragraph, "In declaring the eternal security of God's people it is perhaps clearer to speak of their preservation than, as is usually done, of their perseverance. Perseverance means continued adherence to a belief despite discouragement and opposition. The reason that believers persevere in faith and obedience, however, is not the strength of their own commitment, but that Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit preserves them. "

It gives a whole bunch of references in this place on page 1627. It does not mean that all who ever professed to be Christians will be saved....nor those who try to live a Christian life in their own abilities...some will say Lord, Lord Matt 7:21-23......but it is those who have truly believed and been regenerated by God. These true believers, may backslide...but the Holy Spirit will not leave them alone--he will convict, and compel them to repent and be restored.

A favorite verse this week

2010-07-15T20:48:00.006-04:00

Cindy at http://ioweitalltohim.blogspot.com/ is doing a linky with our favorite verse this Friday.(I am also participating in WOW-see sidebar) I think I will change this up a bit and share the verses which God is using this week in my life. It actually is 2 verses:

Is 58:10-11

10. if you pour yourself out for the
hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the
darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you
continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched
places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail

I just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I want to search my life. I want to think about what it means to do what this verse 10 says--pouring yourself out for the hungry....the afflicted. It is a challenge. As I think about how most people in the world live (in much poverty) and as I think about how we are to love others the way Christ loves us, I am challenged to apply this verse 10. Already He has been providing extra money to give. But this verse goes way beyond this. I need to pray, seek, and do.

MY PRAYER for MYSELF: "O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

The coolest dance and song

2010-07-10T17:19:00.006-04:00

See side bar -the Hungarian Ressurrection Day song.
My Son sent me this; it is fantastic--the dancing, and the words together! This is what it says about it:

On April 4, 2010, over 1,300 young people, all of them members of Faith Church celebrated Resurrection Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.

Music: Ferenc Balogh Jr.
Lyrics: Shelly Matos, based on the Hungarian text by Tamas Pajor (Tompage)
Producer: Ákos Nemes
Art Producer: Tamás Pajor (Tompage)
-----------
Dear Friends,

Thank you for your interest and for all your kind words! We are glad to inform you that we will start a new webpage soon called www.uptofaith.com where you will find other materials in connection with the dance video (e.g. a Trainer Video and The Making of the Dance). We also make arrangements with similarly high quality intellectual products: musics, flash mobs, actions, etc. These products will be also available on our webpage. Please visit us after one or one and a half month.
Till then please send our link to your friends!
We are also waiting for your comments, then we can send you advice notes about our new actions!

Best wishes,
The Resurrection Sunday Dance Team

the long Goodnight by matthew smith

2010-07-09T08:07:00.014-04:00

The Long Goodnight by Matthew Smith - Joshua Harris

I love the song and the words--a good reminder when our loved ones in Christ die. Click the l above hear the music! Josh put this on his blog because his mom was dying. She died on the 4th. She was a vibrant Christian--

I journey forth rejoicing
From this dark vale of tears,
To heavenly joy and freedom,
From earthly bonds and fears;
Where Christ our Lord shall gather
All His redeemed again,
His kingdom to inherit.
Goodnight, goodnight till then!

Why thus so sadly weeping,
Beloved ones of my heart?
The Lord is good and gracious,
Though now He bids us part.
Oft have we met in gladness.
And we shall meet again,
All sorrow left behind us.
Goodnight, goodnight till then!

I go to see His glory,
Whom we have loved below:
I go, the blessed angels,
The holy saints to know.
Our lovely ones departed,
I go to find again,
And wait for you to join us.
Goodnight, goodnight till then

I hear the Saviour calling,
The joyful hour has come:
The angel guards are ready
To guide me to our home,
Where Christ our Lord shall gather
All His redeemed again,
His kingdom to inherit.
Goodnight, goodnight till then!

Relationships in Marriage = love barometer

2010-06-25T08:38:00.005-04:00

I like this quote from Paul Tripp in his book--"What did you Expect?? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage" ----

Based on 1 John 4 and especially verse 20("If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen"), Tripp states:

"Your love for your husband or wife is a very accurate barometer of your true love for God."

Now this is something to think about! For other intersesting quotes this week go here to the Monday post about a "Week in Words: http://barbarah.wordpress.com/

Cruciform love

2010-06-21T13:47:00.003-04:00

I have been reading Paul Tripp's book called--What Did You Expect??Redeeming the Realities of Marriage.

In this book he gives a definition of what he feels cruciform love is: "Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that does not require reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving."

I like this definition and it is good to think on. He says we get our" best definition of love from the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's sacrifice of love is the ultimate definition of what love is and what love does. In this passage John is calling us to cruciform love, that is love that shapes itself to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ (cruci = 'cross' and form = "in the shape of' ). "

He was applying some of I John 4. I felt this was good to think about and reflect on.

I think I will link this to Barbara's http://barbarah.wordpress.com/ The week in words

Walking as Jesus Walked

2010-06-15T10:52:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about this. In my devotions today I John 2:6 , "whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" .

I have been reading a book by Andrew Murry called, "With Christ in the School of Prayer." One of the things he says is this:

"And of all the traits of a life like Christ there is none higher and more glorious than conformity to Him in the work that now engages Him without ceasing in the Father's presence--His all-prevailing intercession. the more we abide in Him, and grow unto His likeness, will His priestly life work in us mightily, and our life become what His is, a life that ever pleads and prevails for men."

Hebrews 7:25 says, "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

I am so thankful for His continuous intercession.....I need to do this too.

Thanks again

2010-06-10T10:09:00.003-04:00

God, I am so thankful for your intimate care. I think you for the God Wink you gave us this week. You gave us this verse , "Be still, and know that I am God", along with the Netherlands type picture. You gave us this just when my husband's company had been purchased by a group from the Netherlands. Thank you for reminding us that we can trust in what you have in store for us. Thank you for the way you then turned this around for some rich blessings. What a gracious God you have been......giving us beyond what we could hope or think. You are full of surprises. You give us beyond what we deserve. You shower us with blessings and with the glory of your intimacy. You delight to show yourself powerful. I give you thanks for your mercy, your grace, your self-revealing love, your joyful giving nature, your Fatherhood. Praise you from whom all blessings flow.

Images and symbols in worship

2010-06-08T18:46:00.004-04:00

I found this discussion on Images, signs and symbols here: http://www.franciscan-anglican.com/Images.htm I wanted to post it here so I could think about what is said. I have been changing my views a bit on this subject. I don't agree with everything in this article--but it gives me something to think on and search the scriptures in this area. The tabernacle was full of symbolism because it was a shadow that points to Christ and to things in the heavenly places. Can we still have things that point to our great redeemer---I now think so. Here is the article

"The use of Images, Signs, and Symbols in Anglican Worship

The concept of using images in worship finds its origins in the Old Testament. The Temple contained numerous visual images, including the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. The Temple Solomon built for the Lord contained many carvings of trees, gourds, flowers, and angels (1 Kings 6). It is clear that God did not forbid images used in the Sanctuary to glorify God.

What about symbols? In reading the Bible we discover that God uses tangible signs and symbols throughout the Scriptures as a way of communicating to God’s people. Often God’s people are instructed to make use of such signs and symbols to help them understand or remember what God is teaching them. :

· God’s use of the rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant to humankind never again to destroy the earth by a flood (Gen.9:13)
· the use unleavened bread by the Israelites as a symbol of their hurried flight out of Egypt
· the use of the blood of the lambs on their doorposts during the Passover as a symbol of their faith
· the use of animals upon the altar for ritual sacrifices to symbolize their sin and atonement
· the image of the bronze serpent Moses used as a symbol of God’s healing (Num. 21:9)
· the use of oil to anoint Israel’s Kings as symbolic of God’s setting them apart
· the placement of the twelve stones in the River Jordan to remind the Israelites of the crossing God had provided for them “as a sign” and “memorial” (Joshua 4:3-7)
· the building of stone altars by the Old Testament patriarchs including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and David as a symbols and acts of worship to God
· and the numerous symbolic acts carried out by the OT prophets (such as Jeremiah burying a loin cloth to demonstrate Israel’s ruin in Jer.13:4ff).

The examples are nearly limitless. In the New Testament God uses powerful symbols such as:

· the star of Bethlehem to signify the birth of Christ
· the dove to signify the Holy Spirit’s presence at Jesus’ baptism (John 1:32)
· water to signify one’s commitment to Christ at baptism
· bread and wine to signify Jesus’ body and blood.
· And the earliest church usage of the cross and empty tomb as signs and symbols of our faith
· the enduring marks in Jesus’ hands as symbolic of his sacrifice
· the symbol of a lamb to represent Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God

In addition, the Scriptures themselves paint vivid images for us of God in Divine glory. See Isaiah 6 where God is seated on the throne with God’s robes overflowing the Temple, or Daniel 7:9ff where Daniel has a vision the Ancient One with clothes white as snow and hair like pure wool on his throne of fiery flames, or in Revelation with its numerous images and symbols of God, Jesus Christ, and his Kingdom (too many to recount here).

In addition, signs and symbols are used by all of us today to communicate important truths of significance such as wedding rings, birthday cakes, birth stones, red roses, monograms, etc. It is natural way of communicating significant meaning.

The Greatest Sign: The Incarnation

Another important point which must be mentioned is the significance of God taking human form in the person of Jesus Christ. This has powerful ramifications for our worship and the use of images. Now that God has been revealed in a tangible, physical, material way through Jesus Christ (the Word became flesh and dwelt among us), we can now image or imagine God in the form of Jesus Christ. Now that God has taken physical human form, God has given us an image of God in Jesus Christ: the God-Man. It is now possible to use symbolic pictures and images of Christ in his humanity to aid us in our devotion to God and cause us to continually recall and remember the work God has done in Jesus Christ. This is the main reason why early Christians began painting pictures of Jesus, demonstrating the different offices and attributes of Christ, in their places of worship. Soon these simple paintings became beautiful icons whose purpose was educational and devotional. Icons of Jesus and Biblical figures teach us about God and the Bible and cause us to lift our hearts in gratitude to our Creator. There is tremendous historical precedent for their use in worship and in individual devotion. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of the Church upheld the tradition of the use of images in the worship as consistent with the orthodox Christian faith in 787.

What is forbidden to us however, is to make images and symbols which become objects of worship in themselves. We are never to offer worship to anything created; worship is meant for God alone. Images and symbols are meant to aid us in our worship and understanding of God and to bring glory to God. They are merely guideposts which always point us back to the Creator. Symbols and images are good in and of themselves, especially when used to bring glory to God, but it is humans which corrupt them. One common solution to this human error is to disallow all images and symbols. This is the situation in some churches following the Reformation. But this is again a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The Bible is rich and full of many symbols and imagery; it is a gift of God to aid us. If God deigned to take on human flesh in all its particularity, we no longer need to fear particular symbols. Rather, we ought to make proper use of the gifts God has given us and educate ourselves and others as to their appropriate uses.

The Gnostic philosophers of Greece believed that only the spiritual was good, and all matter (or material things) were evil. We have inherited this dangerous Gnostic tendency in our western society that causes us to be overly suspicious of the material. In our Gnostic tendencies, we feel that the physical and material are more prone to corruption. We have too often thrown out the tangible, material forms of worship, as modeled in Scripture, in place of an immaterial form of worship. But God desires that we worship God both spiritually and physically as demonstrated in the Scriptural models of worship."

I am not sure about this take on the pictures, statues of Jesus. But I need to think about it.

Worship

2010-06-05T10:32:00.005-04:00

It is weekend of worship at http://inhimoneheart.blogspot.com/ Where we can link up with a prayer or poem --ect of worhship to God. So I thought I would participate in this first one ;-) It seems a little awkward to put a prayer of our own up on a post----but perhaps it is good for me to do at times.

Father, I want to lift my hands in thanks to you today for the blessing of blogging friends. Their creative spirit is such a reflection of all that you are as Creator. I love the way that you have filled the world with such a huge amount of variety. It always astounds me as I look around me at all the colors , shapes, sizes in flowers, birds, stars, trees, leaves ; I could go on and on. I love the way that women reflect this in the ways they decorate their homes, their blogs, their clothes, their hair, etc! I love the fact that you have stamped them with the image of God---that we were made in your image. What a wonderous Being you are. Thank you for making our lives so rich and for the blessing of knowing such a God. Thank you that we are constantly learning new things about you and your creation. Thank you for creating us as social beings who interact with you and each other. Thank you for these rich blessings!

Dancing in Jesus--great for this amen

2010-05-07T09:11:00.001-04:00

This is great for rejoicing!!

good to remember

2010-05-07T07:04:00.001-04:00

God's timing

2010-04-16T06:46:00.004-04:00

I was reading today in Esther. It was really amazing to see how God timed the edict to destroy, to kill, to annihilate the Jews. The edict was written on the 13 day of Nisan (the first month). It would have started to be sent out on the 14 which was the Jewish day of Passover. It would have been a reminder to the Jews of God's great ability to deliver. It would give them hope that God could have a huge deliverance planned . The edict was not to be carried out until the 12 month so the Jews would have time to pray, etc.

I love how God ordered the timing of this.

Self examination help from Mark Lawrence (Bishop sc)

2010-02-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Something to do during lent

"These steps are part of the process of self-examination and repentance. As St. Paul counsels in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves...." There are two fundamental sources of help for practicing self-examination. The first and most important help, which seems almost superfluous to mention, is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit indwells us as believers. The Holy Spirit knows us thoroughly and searches the deep things of our lives. (Read for instance such passages as Psalm 139, John 7:37-39, John 14:16-26, Romans 8:26-27). To invite Him to search your heart is an invitation not merely to compile a list of sins to be gotten through; it is an opportunity for growth, learning, discovery, making new connections, receiving insight and to seek His help in putting things in order. The second help for self-examination is a written list to be worked through with self-honesty. Some people use the Seven Deadly Sins--(Pride, Envy/Jealousy, Anger, Sloth/Melancholy, Greed, Gluttony and Lust), others, the Ten Commandments, or the Litany of Penitence in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy (BCP, p. 267). One possibility that is often forgotten is to use not those lists that accentuate the negative dimensions of our lives but to ask the question about the place and pursuit of virtue. After all we have spent, as a culture and Church, far too much time with the clarification of values and given too little attention to the cultivation of virtue. So to take the Beatitudes, or the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:19-26, or even Seven Saving Virtues (Justice, Courage/Fortitude, Prudence/Wisdom, Temperance, Faith, Hope and Love) as the focus, after scrutinizing our sins of omission, can be a profitable exercise indeed. Such written forms might nudge us into areas we might be unconsciously avoiding and yet towards that which God would have us go. "

Thanks

2009-11-18T18:50:00.003-05:00

This is the tree outside my FIL assisted care place. It was nice and orange in a gray sky.

I am thankful for:

The brightly colored leaves that make gray days quite wondrous

Hot baths

pumpkin biscuits (gluten free)

safe travel for my son

a quiet evening with no meetings

a nice visit time with the inlaws

blogs to visit

peppermint tea

Thanks

2009-11-17T08:52:00.003-05:00

Thankful this morning:

for the sun peeping through

for the glory of the Fall flowers

for the comfort of Bishop Boots (our cat)

for the birds at the feeder

for hot oatmeal

for God's patience

for God's tenderness

for quiet times

divine romance

2009-09-19T19:38:00.004-04:00

NOTE: MY SPIRITUAL SUNDAY POST IS THE ONE BELOW THIS

The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beautys all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, Im completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah its filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God Im completely satisfied
Category: Music

Beautiful

2009-09-19T19:31:00.007-04:00

My son shared this song with me today and it really spoke to me. It is called Beautiful. This is for Spiritual Sunday

As I look into the stars
Pondering how far away they are
How You hold them in Your hands
And still You know this man
You know my inner most being, oh
Even better than I know, than I know myself
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I, what am I
As I look off into the distance
Watching the sun roll on by
Beautiful colors all around me, oh
Painted all over the sky
The same hands that created all of this
They created you and I
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I
That You might die, that I might live
What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I

THIS TIES IN WITH THE QUOTE BELOW THAT I HAVE BEEN REFLECTING ON THIS WEEK:

"There is only one place where your heart can be healed, restored, satisfied, and protected. ...It will only be filled, satisfied, and at rest when it is filled with the beauty of the Lord." Paul David Tripp

The rejection of rejection

2009-09-06T07:32:00.003-04:00

It is spiritual sunday at spiritual sundays

I have been reading Paul David Tripp's little book called -- A Shelter in the Time of Storm. It is a small study on Psalm 27:10

His book really speaks to me and he has just some 2-3 page little devotionals, but they are very thought provoking. Here is one of them--they are sometimes poems (don't worry this is short because of the short lines):

My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. Psalm 27:10

Unthinkable
irrational
impossible to conceive.
The Trinity
torn asunder.
The Son
wrenched from His Father.
Salvation realized.
I am
the thief.
I am
the gossip.
I am
the rebel.
I have wanted
my own way
in
my own time
at
my appointed place.
I have rebelled
against Your law
and I have
set up my own.
I deny
Your kingship
while building
a kingdom of my own.
I think
my wisdom
is wiser than You.
I think
my plan
is better than Yours.
I crave
the sovereignty
that only You should have.
But You did
the inconceivable;
You accomplished
the undoable.
You stood
in my place
and You satisfied
God's wrath.
But
in the process,
the Three in One
was torn in two.
in the process,
the Father
did the most painful thing
that has ever been done.
He turned His back
on You.
You withstood
this pain
so that I would never have to.
You took my
rejection
so that I would only ever have
acceptance.
So, I can
rest assured,
I can
live in hope,
I can enjoy true peace,
because I know
that You are always with me.
For long ago
on the cross
Your rejection
was for me
the final rejection of rejection.

Take a Moment

1. In what ways would your practical, daily living change if you lived with a deep and lively sense of appreciation fr the horror of the rejection Jesus faced for You?

2. Where is God calling you to offer to others the same love and grace that you have been given?

Why bad things happen if God is good and powerful

2009-08-25T08:26:00.001-04:00

This was very helpful--he has humor but then part of it is seriously powerful

dancing in the rain

2009-08-15T18:27:00.001-04:00

a God wink about fear

2009-08-09T19:51:00.002-04:00

I was feeling fearful about certain things and prayed about it and God let me read this:

Fearless Forever

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1

In a world that is held
In such deep darkness
Where the light of truth
Often seems more of a flicker
Than a flame,
In a world where
Deceit
Dishonesty
Falsehood
And foolishness
Divert and distort
The lives of so many,
In times when a myriad
Voices
Say so
Much
About so many things,
Where confusion seems readily available
And clarity seems hard to find,
In a world where opinions
Rise to a place
Where only truth should be,
And every voice
Seems to get an equal hearing,
In the constant cacophony
Of ten thousand
Contradictory voices,
It is a wonderful
And amazing thing
To be able to say
With rest and confidence,
The Lord is my Light!
My heart has been lit
By the illuminating
And protective glory
Of His
Powerful and transforming grace,
My mind has been renewed
By the luminescent presence
Of His truth-guiding
Holy Spirit,
And my life has been guided down straight paths
By the ever-shining lamp
Of His Word.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I am strong
Or wise.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I have power
Or position.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I have health
Or wealth.
I am not afraid;
But it is not because my circumstances
Or relationships
Are easy.
I am not afraid
For one glorious reason:
I have been lit by the
Lord of Light.
In the darkness
Of this fallen world,
I no longer walk
In the night,
But I have been given
The Light of Life.
I am not afraid
Because light lives in me.
This one amazing reality
Gives me rest;
I have been rescued from
Darkness
And transported into the
Light
And I am not afraid.

Paul David Tripp

old favorite hymn -Before the Throne of God

2009-08-03T08:48:00.001-04:00

Blessed is He

2009-07-06T10:45:00.003-04:00

I like what the Jews in old times would do---they had a bunch of short prayers for different things through out the day that would start with ,"Blessed is He".. . When you would open your eyes in the morning you could say, "Blessed is He who opens the eyes of the Blind". When you put on your clothes, " Blessed is he who clothes the naked" etc. I want to cultivate this. A book I am readying said to check out the following webpage--- jewishencyclopedia.com and to go to the benedictions. I think I shall check it.

Chance encounters

2009-07-02T08:54:00.002-04:00

God does cool things. I" happened" to run into someone by chance. It was someone that God has been teaching and showing Christ's truths concerning Christ's nature and the truths of Christianity. I "happened" to hear about this person a week or so ago, but had not met them. It was a neat providence to run into this person as they were speaking to another person about spiritual things (in a public place ).......cool when God does this.

providential message for Skip

2009-06-29T08:03:00.002-04:00

My son Skipper has finished his degree work for college , except for one Math course which is required. He has been unable to pass the required course.....so he can not get his degree because of this one subject. The Sermon on Sunday, June 28, was so appropriate. ...even the illustrations applied to Him. It is amazing how personal God is in our lives.

On death and dying

2009-05-19T11:57:00.004-04:00

Excellent wisdom and advice given by a lady with cancer who is dying at the age of 37:

http://deathisnotdying.com/fullvideo/

2009-05-03T22:09:00.002-04:00

I was reminded of this video the other day--it makes me realize the wonder of having our sins forgiven. These people in the film respond in an outbreak of joy when they realize the truth:

Goal--added for 2009

2009-02-24T15:18:00.003-05:00

Seek to have all aspects of my life push me towards the glory of God---anything that detracts me from this or lessens this--- get rid of it....seek to walk in his love....seek to out-love others.

Simple Spirituality

2009-02-23T08:12:00.002-05:00

Chris Heuertz has recently finished writing a book called Simple Spirituality, which has been released by InterVarsity Press July 28 .

The final chapter of the book is about brokenness. In it Chris writes,

"Our prayers, our worship, our praxis of living into a simple spirituality and a grounded theology are all, in a sense, attempts to tend to Christ’s open wounds. Unless we have the courage to put our hands into the hurting places of Christ’s body – the hurting places of the world – the world won’t have reason to trust that God is good … We can’t simply proclaim God’s love and sing about it. We need to simply live it."

2009-02-11T22:42:00.000-05:00

This is what I feel.

2009-02-10T06:59:00.000-05:00

Garden Poem

2009-01-29T16:21:00.002-05:00

Lord , purge our eyes to see
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly:
Till taught by such,we see
Beyond all creatures Thee..."

English poet Christina G. Rossetti

2009-01-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

There is no oil without squeezing the olives,
No wine without pressing the grapes,
No fragrance without crushing the flowers,
and No real joy without sorrow

Forgiveness verses Reconciliation (helpful)

2009-01-06T11:10:00.013-05:00

Pastor Mark said (not a direct quote) :The forgiveness of a sinner is not contingent on their repentance, it is contingent upon Christ's Character. As Christians God has mercy not malice towards us. While still enemies Christ came as man for us.

CONCERNING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS: We need to forgive everyone and entrust them to God's judgment. There can be forgiveness (humanly), without reconciliation. Reconciliation takes the action of both people, while forgiveness can be shown by just one. The one who forgives should not , continue enabling an unrepentant one to be abusive and should not be an enabler of their sin. They can forgive even when the other is unrepentant by entrusting that person to God's judgement. For there to be reconciliation the offending one needs to repent which will demonstrate itself in change. This changed life will also demonstrate that they are safe and trustworthy. Therefore reconciliation takes both people, while forgiveness can be shown by just one.

We are hypocrites if we receive his mercy and don't forgive. Sin is so bad God had to die for it--so forgiving does not mean approving. We have to keep on forgiving--it takes time to rebuild trust.

I like what this guy ( Richard (Dick) Innes ) says at (
http://www.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=136&d=2&c=3 ): His quote is in blue---

"Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."1

"Following a series of Daily Encounters on "Forgiveness," a number of readers wanted to know if forgiving another person meant that we have to forget what has happened; or to love and stay with them if they are abusive; or to trust them?

"The answer is no, no, no! Let me explain further.

"When we have sinned, we need to be reconciled to God, but while reconciliation with others is the ideal, it isn't always possible—and sometimes not to be desired. Some teachers argue that forgiveness isn't possible unless the offending person admits what she/he has done and asks for forgiveness of the one they have hurt. If this were true, many of us would be stuck for life for the fact that many people do not, or will not, admit that they have done anything wrong, let alone apologize for it.

Forgiveness is dependent only on the person who has been hurt. Reconciliation is dependent on both the offended and the one who has offended.

One reader, whose husband was an alcoholic and physically abusive and dangerous when drunk, wanted to know if forgiving him meant loving and trusting him. Whew ... she was in quite a predicament. However, the most loving thing she could do, was to confront him and let him know that she was not going to tolerate his behavior any longer.

Furthermore, unless he got into recovery, and overcame his alcoholism and abusive behavior, she needs to separate herself and the children from him, and not return until his counselor could assure her that she and the children would be safe to live with him again. If she keeps tolerating his abusive and destructive behavior, she becomes part of his sickness.

In cases like this, the first thing victims need to do is to get professional counsel and help because some of these abusive husbands can become very dangerous.

And unless destructive and/or toxic, abusive people repent and change their ways, it is wise to avoid associating with them wherever possible. As the Bible indicates, it just isn't possible to live peaceably with all people.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, in all my relationships, please help me to forgive all who have hurt me, to seek forgiveness where I have hurt others, and give me the wisdom to know when reconciliation is or isn't advisable or possible, and give me the courage to do what I need to do no matter how painful or frightening it may be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."1. Romans 12:17-18 (NASB).2. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV). " END of QUOTE

So we may forgive someone , but not trust someone. Trust takes time and has to be earned. This is true even with how God treats us. As this person states: (http://www.geocities.com/dcheddie/forgiveness1.html )

"When God saves us, he forgives us and wipes our slate clean...as if we never sinned. However he does not "promote" us just quite yet. It takes time for him to build character in us. He starts off by giving us a small number of talents. Depending on how faithful we are, he gives us more (Matt 25:14-30). And so on. Little by little he builds character in us, until we get to the point where God could trust us with big things. The forgiveness was automatic. The trust had to be earned. Similarly, we must be quick to forgive and seek reconciliation, slow to give up on people. However trusting them takes time. Trust is not automatic. "

"I wouldn't want a serial rapist working around my house with my wife and kids anywhere nearby. I don't care how radically saved he is. He has to earn that trust. If someone's spouse cheats on them, it is their job, however hard it is, to forgive the person. However, if they feel they can no longer trust the unfaithful spouse, they are no longer bound to salvage the marriage. Marital unfaithfulness is an adequate grounds for divorce as far as God is concerned. If they feel, however, that they could work with the unfaithful spouse and build back the trust, that is also in order. But it is the forgiveness we are commanded to offer, not trust."

A new YEAR/goals

2009-01-04T21:38:00.004-05:00

Well I didn't make any New Year's resolutions.......but perhaps I really should set some goals. I guess the main thing I want to focus on this year is controlling what I think. Letting my mind be more fully focused on God and not on worry. Focusing on trusting Him. Focusing on controlling thoughts in general.

A second thing I need to work on is my schedule. Somehow getting in the exercise, cleaning, cooking, visiting, reading, crocheting, studying, church stuff, etc.......I do not understand how I could be short on time when I am not working at a job outside of the home----Man!! I thought I would have lots of time. Weird.

A third thing I have been working on and still need to continue working on is organization.

A fourth thing is to continue to find good vegan recipes that we all like.

A fifth is to apply and practice stuff from the book Eowyn gave me (The Love Dare) and the one I shared with Chip called When Sinners Say "I do" .

A sixth is figuring out how to stop all of the neighbors cats from urinating on our doors, windows, and house---this problem has gotten out of hand --at first it was a nuisance, now it is becoming a stench!

A seventh draw nearer to God.

An eighth is think before speaking.

A ninth--continue working on all relationships.

neglected

2008-12-21T21:20:00.002-05:00

Well, I have neglected this blog....not sure if I will continue it!! I have been enjoying fellowshipping with my oldest son this week. ....discussing the book , When sinners say, I do.......marriage, children, walking with the Lord. I am thankful for the beauty and difficulties of family life ;-)

October 14

2008-10-14T19:57:00.002-04:00

Well I have not posted here for quite some time!!! I like what one friend shared with me. She asks Jesus to do things with her.....ie, "Come on Jesus , lets go clean the house." or "Let's go for a drive in the car" or "Lets go grocery shopping".

I like this idea. Jesus, of course is always present with us, but when you put it like that it makes you more aware of Him and doing things for His glory.

song for Spritual Sundays

2008-09-21T23:08:00.007-04:00

like this song ---it reminds me of God's work in me and the need to examine my life --The words are printed below, too. (click on the picture on the left that mentions spritual Sundays and it will bring you to the link for others)

Download "Sanctus Real" Music

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This *is* something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time *to* breathe in and let everything out

Thanks to Kelsi for these lyrics

Thanks to Karolina F. for these lyrics

Sept 19, 08

2008-09-19T08:18:00.001-04:00

John 12: 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

This is something to think about--loving the glory that comes from God more than the glory that comes from man.

Tim Tebow for Spiritual Sunday

2008-09-06T23:34:00.006-04:00

It is Spiritual Sunday at http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/2008/09/welcome-back-to-spiritual-sundays.html

I just got done watching University of Fla. play football tonight and am so thankful for people like Tim Tebow--Someone who desires to live for Christ. His story is inspiring. Here is a bit--it may take 30 seconds to start.

Aug 21,08

2008-08-22T07:04:00.002-04:00

John 6

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Every morning mercies new
Fall as fresh as morning dew;
Every morning let us pay
Tribute with the early day:
For your mercies, God, are sure;
Your compassion does endure.

Still the greatness of your love
Daily does our sins remove;
Daily, far as east from west,
Lifts the burden from the breast;
Gives unbought to those who pray
Strength to stand in every day.

Let our prayers each day prevail,
That these gifts might never fail;
And, as we confess the sin
And temptation's pow'r within,
Every morning, for the strife,
Feed us with the Bread of Life.

As the morning light returns,
As the sun with splendor burns,
Teach us still to turn to You,
Ever blessèd Trinity,
With our hands our hearts to raise,
In unfailing prayer and praise.

Words: Greville Phillimore (19thC)Music: Every Morning, Edward John Hopkins (19thC

August 19

2008-08-19T07:24:00.001-04:00

John 5

44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Aug 14/08

2008-08-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

At your feet, O Christ, we lay
your own gift of this new day;
Doubt of what it holds in store
Makes us crave your aid the more;
Even in a time of loss,
Mark, it Savior, with your Cross.

Yes, we would your Word embrace,
Live each moment on your grace,
All ourselves to you consign,
Fold up all our wills in yours,
Think, and speak, and do, and be
Simply that which pleases you.

Hear us, Christ, O, hear our prayer;
Hear, and bless our deepest care.
May your love to us impart,
Loyal singleness of heart;
So shall this and all our days,
Christ and God, show forth your praise.

Words: William Bright (19thC) adaptedMusic: Sunrise (18thC)

Aug 11/08

2008-08-11T08:17:00.000-04:00

Ps 89

15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel

Aug 5/08

2008-08-05T11:24:00.001-04:00

It is so cool how the Lord wants to display His greatness. He seems to enjoy putting us in a difficult situation so He can get glory for himself .

Judges 7

2 The LORD said to Gideon, "The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.' 3 Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.'

Spiritual Sundays

2008-08-02T16:44:00.005-04:00

It is Spiritual Sunday at Charlotte's at
http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/2008/08/first-spiritual-sundays-sharing.html go there to participate.Love this quote from Kierkegaard--(I don't know to much about his theology--but you have to love this quote)

"When it is a question of a sinner He does not merely stand still, open his arms and say, 'Come hither'; no, He stands there and waits, as the father of the lost son waited, rather He does not stand and wait, He goes forth to seek, as the shepherd sought the lost sheep, as the woman sought the lost coin. He goes--yet no, He has gone, but infinitely farther than any shepherd or any woman, He went, in sooth, the infinitely long way from being God to becoming man, and that way He went in search of sinners."

Aug 1/08

2008-08-01T08:28:00.002-04:00

Rising in darkness,
let us all keep watching
let psalms provide our source of meditation
And sing with all our strength
hymns of adoration
to our Creator bring.
As we might praises
bring a holy ruler
so may we sing
your heavenly courts to enter
There with the saints to join
now and ever after
blessing on us confer.
Grant, blessed God head
this our prayer at dawning
that we reflect the goodness of your Presence
Your beauty shines, O Light,
O Sun, O Radiance
glory re-echoing.

Music: Christe sanctorum Anonymous (18thC)Words: Gregory the Great (6thC)

Ps 73

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever

july 30/08

2008-07-31T06:35:00.000-04:00

Ps 71

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me
,and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.

July 29/08

2008-07-29T07:26:00.001-04:00

Psalm 68

19 Blessed be the Lord,who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death

July22

2008-07-22T03:02:00.000-04:00

Romans 14:1-12

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master [7] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,and every tongue shall confess [8] to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

July 18 08

2008-07-18T03:58:00.000-04:00

Romans 12:9-21

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

July 17, 08

2008-07-17T06:37:00.000-04:00

Psalm 37

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act

July 16 08

2008-07-16T06:58:00.001-04:00

Rom 11

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to himthat he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

July 15,08

2008-07-15T06:19:00.002-04:00

psalm 28

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 36
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.

July 14, 08 Piper on pain

2008-07-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

This was very helpful. It is a quote from Piper from his desiringgod.org at http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1307_why_god_doesnt_fully_explain_pain/

"One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reasons for us to manage, namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.
God says things like:
These bad things happened to you because I intend to work it together for your good (Romans 8).
These happened to that you would rely more on God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1).
This happened so that the gold and silver of your faith would be refined (1 Peter 1).
This thorn is so that the power of Christ would be magnified in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12).
But we can always object that there are other easier ways for God to accomplish those things. We want to know more specifics: Why now? Why this much? Why this often? Why this way? Why these people?
The problem is, we would have to be God to grasp all that God is doing in our problems. In fact, pushing too hard for more detailed explanations from God is a kind of demand that we be God.
Think of this, you are a blacksmith making horseshoes. You are hammering on a white hot shoe and it ricochets off and hits you in the leg and burns you. In your haste to tend to your leg you let the shoe alone unfinished. You wonder why God let this happen. You were singing a hymn and doing his will.
Your helper, not knowing the horseshoe was unfinished gathered it up and put it with the others.
Later there was an invasion of your country by a hostile army with a powerful cavalry. They came through your town and demanded that you supply them with food and with shoes for their horses. You comply.
Their commander has his horse shoed by his own smith using the stolen horseshoes, and the unfinished shoe with the thin weak spot is put on the commander’s horse.
In the decisive battle against the loyal troops defending your homeland the enemy commander is leading the final charge. The weak shoe snaps and catches on a root and causes his horse to fall. He crashes to the ground and his own soldiers, galloping at full speed, trample him to death.
This causes such a confusion that the defenders are able to rout the enemy and the country is saved.
Now you might say, well, it would sure help me trust God if he informed me of these events so that I would know why the horseshoe ricocheted and burned my leg. Well maybe it would help you. Maybe not.
God cannot make plain all he is doing, because there are millions and millions and millions and millions of effects of every event in your life, the good and the bad. God guides them all. They all have micro purposes and macro purposes. He cannot tell you all of them because your brain can’t hold all of them.
Trust does not demand more than God has told us. And he has given us immeasurably precious promises that he is in control of all things and only does good to his children. And he has given us a very thick book where we can read story after story after story about how he rules for the good of his people.
Let’s trust him and not ask for what our brains cannot contain. "

July 14, 08

2008-07-14T06:08:00.002-04:00

Palm 25

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

2008-07-11T06:22:00.002-04:00

What beauty in this:

Psalm 16:

11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore

Rom. 10

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

For Skip etc

2008-07-10T07:13:00.003-04:00

Psalm 18

27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
—32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through,
so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help,
but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

Dt. 3:

22 You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’

july 8/08

2008-07-08T06:41:00.001-04:00

psalm 5

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield

Rom 8

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

July 7/08

2008-07-07T07:13:00.003-04:00

The importance of meditation on the word both day and night.

psalm 1
1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a treeplanted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2

July 3.08

2008-07-03T07:10:00.001-04:00

Romans 8:5

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

July 2.08

2008-07-02T06:23:00.002-04:00

For a soul that hungers and thirsts for God--this aspect of waiting for the Lord is a vivid portrait.

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

130:1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israelfrom all his iniquities.

June 30, 08

2008-06-30T09:48:00.002-04:00

From Tozer

The God We Must SEE

“To regain her lost power the Church must see heaven opened and have a transforming vision of God.
But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to man’s attention is his ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor. The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Savior. He it is that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in, who bringeth out his stary host by number and calleth them all by name through the greatness of his power, who seeth the works of man as vanity, who putteth no confidence in princes and asks no counsel of kings.”

Devotional stuffy

Nearer my God to thee

abortion survivor speaks

Surviving Adultery--how too--good advice

I thought this was a very good practical article on this subject; I have copied this from here: http://www.rickthomas.net/2012/01/19/surviving-adultery/

So you can go to the link for the original aritcle!

Categorized | Article by Rick Thomas, Greenville, SC

Surviving Adultery

Posted on 19 January 2012 Tags: how to respond to adultery, surviving adultery

Guard thy heart

God is in the crucible with you

How to survive

I don't know why , but there is a big space here until you reach the comment section and my next post---so just go on down!

Prayer for husband

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

The first job every morning

Prayer for the Day by St. Therese

Prayer for God's will in my day

St. Augustine--on praying without ceasing

Today is Gaudete Sunday!

Category:

Mary did you Know

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Faith--What faith can do--kutless

Anger and Forgiveness

I bind unto myself Today (St. Patrick's Breastplate)

Deer's Cry --St Patrick

Sacris Solemnis

Give us clean hearts

Hallelujah what a Saviour

His presence in suffering

we are spiritual

Prayers for marriage (especially good for ceremony)

prayer/song

God's love is a symphony

memorizing Philippians and song about it

wounds for the wounded

Tupperware Christianity

Tribulation

Spiritual insight by the wee grandkids?

What the miners shirts said!!!

Blogging Break

When we suffer

Cruciform love--more about it in marriage

A sobering quote from Ryle

Sweet Lamb of God

Orthodoxy and what it should mean to us

Unexpected help-How God can supply all of our needs

Part of a letter I don't want to loose on perseverance of the saints

A favorite verse this week

The coolest dance and song

the long Goodnight by matthew smith

Relationships in Marriage = love barometer

Cruciform love

Walking as Jesus Walked

Thanks again

Images and symbols in worship

Worship

Dancing in Jesus--great for this amen

good to remember

God's timing

Self examination help from Mark Lawrence (Bishop sc)

Thanks

Thanks

divine romance

Beautiful

The rejection of rejection

Why bad things happen if God is good and powerful

dancing in the rain

a God wink about fear

old favorite hymn -Before the Throne of God

Blessed is He

Chance encounters

providential message for Skip

On death and dying

Goal--added for 2009

Simple Spirituality

Garden Poem

Forgiveness verses Reconciliation (helpful)

A new YEAR/goals

Posted on 19 January 2012
Tags: how to respond to adultery, surviving adultery