Mud pits

Passion week has kinda crept up on me. If I still my soul, if I stay calm, I know that there is so much more to this life than I am allowing. This idea that I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength leaves little room for fear, doubt and worry in me. I sit here wondering what if, what if it is that simple and I have made it so much more. I cling to worry about my husband’s job, our car falling apart, our children, how people view me and all of a sudden I’ve crowded out every image of the Lord in my life. I am just rolling through each emotion.

James 1 puts it in a new light for me:

¹² ·When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy [^LBlessed is the one who perseveres endures trials/temptations]. After they have ·proved their faith[stood/endured/passed the test], ·God will reward them with life forever [^Lthey will receive the crown of life; ^Calludes to the laurel crown given for a victory]. ·God [^LHe] promised this to all those who love him. ¹³ When people are ·tempted [undergoing a trial], they should not say, “God is tempting me.”[^LFor] God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But ·people are[^Leach person is] tempted when their own evil desire ·leads [lures; drags] them away and ·traps[entices; lures] them. ¹⁵ ·This desire leads to sin [^LThen, after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin], and then the sin ·grows [or becomes full-grown] and ·brings [gives birth to] death.

Today is an open slate, my friends. Today is the day He has made and He asks us to come and rejoice in it. Be glad. I can be paralyzed or I can extend my hand to joy. We are promised nothing about material success, however if we remain strong during the storms and trials, we can be happy, be blessed. Am I reading that right?

I get so focused on now. Or the future. Ugh! One day I’m going to stand before my Savior and see how all the pieces of my life fit together. Do we understand that these emotions of fear, worry and doubt are sin? I keep getting this image in my mind of me playing in a pit of mud (my worries, my fears and my doubts) and the Lord is extending His clean, beautiful hand to me saying, “Come out, come here, come clean” and I keep splashing in the mud because I can’t let go of fear. And I can’t, you can’t. We cannot do this on our own.

I waited patiently for the Lord.
He ·turned [bent down; inclined; stooped] to me and heard my cry.
² He ·lifted [drew] me out of the pit of ·destruction [or desolation],
out of the ·sticky mud [miry/muddy pit/bog/swamp].
He ·stood me [^Lplaced my feet] on a rock
and made my ·feet [^Lstep] steady.
³ He put a new song [^Ccelebrating victory; 33:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9;14:3] in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God. Psalm 40 EXB

Get out of that pit, Cara! Allow Him to lift us out of the pit. Allow Him to put our feet on a rock. Give Him a chance to make our feet steady. (Not in our circumstances, or status, or anything else but Him) I’ve heard it said that God is a gentleman. He will not push Himself in. I like that. God wants to put new songs in my mouth, your mouth. Sing for joy. He puts new songs in my mouth. Your mouth. Celebrate the victories! Ever notice how this Psalm has the writer waiting patiently? Friends, He is here now. He is just waiting to be asked in. He hears our cries. He responds and now we respond back. Do we just cycle through the worries in our prayers or have our prayers become an opportunity to praise Him?

³ Sing a new song [^Ccelebrating victory; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9;14:3] to him;
play well ·and joyfully [with a loud/a victory shout].
⁴ God’s word is ·true [upright; virtuous],
and everything he does is ·right [faithful].
⁵ He loves what is right and ·fair [just];
the Lord’s ·love [loyalty; covenant love] fills the earth. Psalm 33 EXB

Friends, in the midst of our trials, songs of truth and praise can fill our mouths. Rather than sadness and worry lines filling our faces, allow His truths to smooth the lines. So as I begin my day, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me. I ask that His word come alive in me, my words to my children, to my husband. Jesus has the victory! He has won over sin and death and here we are wringing our hands with our circumstances. Mercy, I have a chance to bring Him glory today! I have a chance to stand on the rock and invite those around me to be lifted up. Join in singing the anthem of the Lord’s renown!

The earth is filled with His glory. Filled. Seriously!

So, as it is Holy Week starting tomorrow, I want to focus my blog on Him. Not my circumstances, but His glory, His revelation in the power of Jesus Christ. So, want to join me? Pray with me.

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Thy precious time misspent, redeem,
Each present day thy last esteem,
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.

By influence of the Light divine
Let thy own light to others shine.
Reflect all Heaven’s propitious ways
In ardent love, and cheerful praise.

In conversation be sincere;
Keep conscience as the noontide clear;
Think how all seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
High praise to the eternal King.

All praise to Thee, who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.

Heav’n is, dear Lord, where’er Thou art,
O never then from me depart;
For to my soul ’tis hell to be
But for one moment void of Thee.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

I would not wake nor rise again
And Heaven itself I would disdain,
Wert Thou not there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Let’s do this day, friends, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray on.  Oh wait! My thankfuls!

233. God’s wisdom revealed in the Scriptures speaking life this morning.

234. Thankful for a day with my kids, as I pray for these precious kids with cancer that kills the body, I pray for these families. Moms and Dads who cling to the now with their precious babes.

235. Thankful for a dog who just makes me smile.

Pray on! Pray on!

Related articles

• Bonhoeffer’s Confirmation Sermon (tbolto.wordpress.com)
• Psalm 91- The Lord protects me (prepareforthelamb.wordpress.com)
• Through the Psalm / CH1:1-3 (cfcspn.com)
• All Your Needs Are Met!, Pastor Boaz Olang (magnifyhisword.wordpress.com)

 

Worship. Worship. Worship!

NGC 2467 and Surroundings by ESO

Good morning, beloved!

How’s that for a statement? Exclamation point! Ha! Take that stress! I wake up in the knowledge that I am loved by Creator God who makes such stunning displays of beauty. He reigns.

I remember when this song came out, my kids would belt this song out and one day I asked them what it meant that He reigns. O, Mom, you know, it means we are so thankful that it “rains”.  The song  takes on some interesting new connotations…

My kids all have certain ways that they like to go to bed. We have routines. They don’t like falling asleep without them. As they get older, the need for a certain routine seems to fade but the younger ones need the stability. Love you, see you in the morning, have a good night, it’s going to be a good night…repeated by each of them (well, except for my eldest). Each need, I believe, the assurance that they are loved.

When my world is caving in, I need reassurances that no matter how much rain falls, my God reigns. He makes it rain. He made this world.

The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6]. He is ·clothed [robed] in majesty.
The Lord is ·clothed [robed] in majesty
and ·armed [girded] with strength.
The world is ·set [established],
and it ·cannot be moved [will not totter].
² Lord, your ·kingdom [^Lthrone] was ·set up [established] long ago;
you are everlasting. Psalm 93 EXB

Tears may flow from my eyes from life’s messes but I know, I know, I declare that my God is faithful! He is Lord Almighty!

My Pandora mix today are all these songs. I think maybe my Lord wants to me remember this all. SO I’m sharing these songs because they are such good reminders. Remember, beloved. Nothing compares to His embrace. Light of the World He forever rains. (Just kidding..)

⁹ ·Worship [Bow down to] the Lord ·because he is holy [^Lin the splendor of his holiness].
Tremble before him, everyone on earth.
¹⁰ Tell the nations, “The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 93:1; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6].”
The earth is ·set [established], and it cannot be moved. Psalm 96 EXB

Worship Him. Tell the world that our Lord is King.

There was a whole lotta hoopla about History Channel’s The Bible debut of Satan this week. That the man’s makeup is designed to make him look like Obama. Whatever. For my brain, remembering that our God’s power is triumphant. Are Satan’s tactics hard to cope with? Yes. God lifts us higher. Lifts you higher than your circumstances.

So my thankfuls today:

230. A beautiful bathroom painted by my lovely Mother..

231. A neighbor who brought me yummy slippers and workout pants.

232. What’s In the Bible with Buck Denver..what a gift.

Praying for our Pastors and their wives:

Pray that your pastor and his wife will practice servant leadership, edifying the congregation with wisdom and serving with God’s “agape” love. (Gal. 5:13b; Eph. 6:7; Mark 10:43b-45, 9:23-24; John 13:5-9; Phil. 2:3-4) (ROH)

God bless you today..pray on. Pray on.

 

Worship

Šmarjetna gora, view towards Škofja Loka, Slovenia. Photo by Mihael Grmek

Good morning, beloved,

I took a walk the other day, alone. Nothing too spectacular about this, other than as I was praying out loud, I was led to sing. So I began to sing, at first, self consciously. Then I began to sing from my soul, instead of my brain. As we (Starburst and I) turned the corner, I heard some birds singing along with me. I stopped to listen to them. And they stopped. So I began and so did these little treasures. I stopped. They stopped. And I was reminded, all the earth will sing Your praises. Some of the earth decided to join my worship.

I need to keep singing. I desire my mind to settle on Him, to bring my harried soul to rest upon Him. Can we do it? Rather than allow my prayers to be about me, worshiping first. Worshiping last.

So I begin today with thanks and praise. I have to, I have to put my mind on Him.

³ He put a new song [^Ccelebrating victory; 33:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9;14:3] in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many people will see this and ·worship [fear] him.
Then they will ·trust [find refuge in] the Lord.

⁴ ·Happy [Blessed] is the person
who ·trusts [finds refuge in] the Lord,
who doesn’t turn to those who are proud
or to those who ·worship [go astray to] ·false gods [^La lie].
⁵ Lord my God, you have done many ·miracles [wonders; great acts].
Your plans for us are many.
If I tried to tell them all,
there would be too many to count [104:24; 139:17–18; John 21:25]. Psalm 40 EXB

Trust. Refuge. Worship.

Full rainbow taken in Clacton-On-Sea in Essex UK Photo by Danesman1

I see this rainbow and see God’s grace over our land. Undeserved, yet given.

My thankfuls today:

217. Thankful for God’s grace as my symptoms are returning.

218. Thankful for beautiful sunrises.

219. Thankful for groceries being delivered.

Pray for your Pastor and his wife…today I”m praying for strength in the day today, for His Spirit to fill these two precious people, for God’s blessing upon this family.

Pray on. Pray on. And worship. Worship Him!

 

 

 

Everything

Panoramic image looking south from the upper deck of the ‘Top of the Rock’ observation deck on Rockefeller Center. Lower deck is visible on the right edge of the frame. Photo by Daniel Schwen

Good morning beloved,

A friend opened her house to anyone in our co-op to come over yesterday and view History Channel‘s The Bible. I sat and watched scenes that until this moment have just been pictured in my imagination. It would be easy for me to criticize or wish for pieces to be shown differently. However, I cannot. Why? Abraham.

The impact of watching the scene play out from Genesis 22 hit me hard as I drove home. You see, you know what is unfolding, but to watch Abraham pick up his beloved son, lay him on the altar they both designed and pick up his knife. We wait for God‘s messenger to deliver. As Abraham begins to drive the knife into his son, he covers Isaac‘s eyes and the angel cries out. Abraham’s hand plunges into the wood rather than his beloved. They turn and they see a beautiful, spotless, white lamb.

It hurts my heart. I see that lamb as Jesus. A foreshadowing of what is to come. God will not hold His own hand.

Does it ever just hurt your heart to think of God’s Son was not held back? Do you ever ponder the wonder of a love so great?

¹³ Then Abraham ·looked up [^Llifted his eyes] and saw ·a [or another] ·male sheep [ram] caught in a ·bush [thicket] by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, ·and his son was saved [^L … in the place of his son]. ¹⁴ So Abraham named that place The Lord ·Provides [or Sees; ^CHebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be ·provided [or seen].”

¹⁵ The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, “The Lord says, ‘Because you did not ·keep back [withhold] your son, your ·only [precious] son, from me, I ·make you this promise by my own name [^Lswear by myself]: ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and ·give you many descendants [^Lmultiply your seed]. They will be as many as the stars in the ·sky[heavens] and the sand on the seashore, and they will ·capture [^Lpossess] the ·cities [^Lgates] of their enemies. ¹⁸ Through your ·descendants [^Lseed] all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you ·obeyed [listened to] me [12:1–3].’ ” Genesis 22

Hard video, friends, I have trouble even watching, but the song, the lyrics speak exactly to what I am trying to write.

Just to be with you, I (God) would give anything. He gave everything.

Here I am. Thankful.

My thankfuls:

214. For Precepts Bible studies where I truly understood the word covenant.

215. Your hand, Lord, Your hand not holding Your Son back.

216. I am thankful that this series is being shown on the History Channel.

Praying for your pastor and his wife today:

Pray that God will build a hedge of protection around your pastor’s marriage, and that he and his wife will be aware of the potential for any improper relationships. Pray that their family time will be protected. (Ezek. 22:30a; 2 Cor. 10:4-5; Matt. 19:6)  (Revive Our Hearts)

Pray on. Pray on.

 

Resembling redemption

Sunrise on the mountain Ruppberg near Zella-Mehlis (Thuringian Forest, Germany) photo by Rafael Brix

Good morning, beloved,

I think I might change my title picture to this! I cannot stop staring at it. The light cascades over the tree and even the areas not touched by the light are enlightened. Just gets me! Our morning does not look so spectacular this morning. I am reading a series named The Beyonders, well, I’m listening to it. I’ve finally appeased my eldest. I’m not sure why I waited so long but when the last book of the series is being released in March, I can say, um, that’s why! I abhor waiting for sequels to come. Anyway, this main character, Jason, has difficulty trusting a man who betrayed him once. Actually, the entire society distrusts this man and all like him. They are a disparaged, ridiculed, accosted people and they live up to each adjective. Except, maybe, this man might be different. Maybe Jason can trust him. (I’ve not finished the book so I’ve no idea here..)

When someone wrongs us, we can have such difficulty trusting them again. They probably don’t have the reputation of this man, but we can either forgive or not. I pondered that verse from 1 Corinthians 13 over and over. Love never fails. It is never reduced to inactivity. Just kept pondering that, and thankfully, I understand first, our Morning Star will never fade in His divine love for us. He will never fail us. Humans may fail, but God will never, ever fail us. Oh, what a promise that is for us!!

Then to have the verses of the day be:

⁹ [^LFor] The law says, “You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not ·want to take your neighbor’s things [covet; Ex. 20:13–15, 17;

Blue Spruce Tree Snow Spring evergreen by ForestWander

Deut. 5:17–21].” All these commands and all others are really summed up in this one ·rule [command; word]: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18].” ¹⁰ Love never ·hurts [does wrong/evil to] a neighbor, so loving is ·obeying all [fulfilling] the law.

¹¹ Do this ·because you know the times in which we live [^Lknowing the time/season]. It is ·now [oralready the] ·time [hour] for you to wake up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night [^Ca metaphor for the present evil age] is ·almost finished[advancing], and the day [^Cthe time of final judgment and reward] is ·almost here [near; or at hand]. So we should ·stop doing [put aside; cast off] ·things that belong to [^Lthe deeds/works of] darkness and ·take up the weapons [or put on the armor] ·used for fighting in [or that belong to; ^Lof] the light.¹³ Let us ·live [walk] ·in a right way [properly; decently], like people who belong to the day.  Romans 13 EXB

This week’s AWANA brought store night. My daughter came home with huge smiles and happiness. Her brothers decided it was Ella night and bought her the most expensive thing at the store..this mega-pack of My Little Pet shop or whatever that name might be.

These boys were so excited to give her this gift. So excited by her response. I wished I had been there to see this gift exchange. They behaved as children of the light. Children of the day…not holding onto to past arguments, or frustrations. Instead they gave.

I can learn a while lot from this, and most honestly, so can my boys. This love they showed their sister, they could show each other. They could give each other grace as they so easily bestow on their sister.

 I come back to this post after another crushing day. When I am hurt, wounded by others, my natural instinct is to attack. I want to wound as I have been wounded. The Spirit of God prevents me from this MOST of the time. Countless numbers of texts, emails and phone calls have never been made/sent as I hash it out, how do I show grace to others? Then to add to my stress, there was more. More worry. I realized something at the end of the day. I have to believe wholeheartedly in what type out on these pages. When fellowship fails, when circumstances threaten my world, I don’t like how far I seem to be from resembling Jesus in me. I cannot see that this is a stitch in the tapestry of my life. I walk around my neighborhood crying out for peace. For more of Him and less of me…

It comes back to remembering, Love never fails.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not ·jealous [envious], it does not brag, and it is not ·proud[arrogant; conceited; puffed up]. ⁵ Love is not ·rude [disrespectful], is not ·selfish [self-serving], and ·does not get upset with others [is not easily provoked/angered]. Love does not ·count up [keep a record of] wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love ·takes no pleasure [does not rejoice] in ·evil[wrongdoing; injustice] but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love ·patiently accepts all things [^Tbears all things; or always protects], ·always trusts [^Tbelieves all things], ·always hopes [^Thopes all things], and ·always endures [^Tendures all things]. 1 Corinthians 13 EXB

I cannot love in my own flesh. I cannot trust in my own flesh but when I remember God asks me to love from His endless acceptance and love for me. I feel as though the Lord asks me the same questions as Jesus asked of Peter. This is redemption at it’s very finest.

¹⁵ When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” [^C“These” probably refers to the other disciples (rather than the fishing gear), and could mean “Do you love me more than you love your friends?” or “Do you love me more than they love me?” The latter is more likely. This whole scene is the restoration of Peter after he had boasted of his loyalty to Jesus and then denied him.]

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “·Take care of [Tend; Shepherd] my sheep.”

¹⁷ A third time he said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter ·was hurt [grieved] because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”

He said to him, “Feed my sheep. [^CIn verses 15 and 16 Jesus uses a different word for “love” (agapaō) than Peter uses (phileō); but then in v. 17 Jesus uses Peter’s word (phileō). The two terms can be synonymous, and the difference is probably stylistic. The passage is not contrasting two kinds of love; rather, Peter’s three affirmations counterbalance his three denials; see 18:15–18, 25–27] ¹⁸ ·I tell you the truth [^LTruly, truly I say to you], when you were younger, you ·tied your own belt [dressed yourself] and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will ·tie [dress] you and take you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ (Jesus said this to ·show[indicate; signify] how Peter would die to ·give glory to [glorify] God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”

God calls me to love Him first, then to follow in His steps to His calling on my life.

Pray for your pastor today:

Pray for spiritual unity in the church staff and among the spiritual leadership of the church (elders, deacons, etc.). Pray that the enemy will not be allowed to create divisions, strife, or misunderstanding among the church leaders. (Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 12:25)

Pray for your pastor’s wife:

Pray for spiritual unity between the pastor’s wife and others in the church—especially other staff members’ wives. Pray that the enemy will
not be allowed to create divisions, strife, or misunderstanding in any way. (Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 12:25) (Quotes from Revive Our Hearts)

My thankfuls:

Gifts of tin, wood, glass (Ann Voskamp, Joy Dare):

190. My mind draws a blank with tin,LOL, So I’m thankful for my sun room that has some sort of metal surrounding us and allows beautiful sunshine to stream through.

191. A cross we, as a family, made after Joshua’s unemployment. A tangible reminder of God’s precious faithfulness to provide..

192. Thank for my coffee maker. Ha!

Pray on. Pray on.

Related articles

• The Key to Growing Your Church (incrediblygoodnews.wordpress.com)
• Why I Don’t Want to Love (christianthought.hbu.edu)
• Friday (February 22): “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church/” (shechina.wordpress.com)

 

But have not..

Good morning, beloved,

As I think I have shared with you, our family has begun memorizing large chunks of Scripture. We have memorized, the Apostle’s Creed and Psalm 15, this last month. It’s exciting for me, as I seem to have had so much trouble in the past years of AWANA land, to remember, to recall and to now move on to our next challenge. As I listened to the kids working through our next passage, if they could have sang, “watermelon, watermelon”, it would have made less sense. The words at parts are a little fuzzy and I began pausing and asking them questions about what they were able to regurgitate. They didn’t understand.

So, out the white board came, and we began working through the first couple of verses. I will admit that this can be a little frustrating for me as kids move around, touch things and generally appear to not be listening. However, when I asked for a recap, I was pleased by their recollection.

Yet, the blessings were manifold for me. I had never looked at this well known passage by taking it apart as we were doing. At first, I felt a little rocky, but I hit my stride and I think everyone was a little pleased I limited us to two verses. Ahem. (See most of my posts if you don’t know to what I am hinting..)

When I was turning in my mind, praying as to what I was to discuss, this song was the first on Pandora. Okay, Lord, let’s do it. And now this song comes in,

Want to guess what passage we are studying?

 

I may speak in ·different languages [^Ltongues; 12:10, 29, 30] of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a ·noisy [resounding] ·bell [gong] or a ·crashing [clanging] cymbal. ² I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all ·the secret things of God [^Lmysteries] and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 

1 Corinthians 13 EXB

 

So we just dived in.

I may speak in different languages…we know Paul, himself, must have known at least Hebrew, Greek, possibly Aramaic, and possibly Latin. He was an incredibly gifted man. I realize as I try to research these first few verses, not many speak about who is the “I”. Paul was never bashful in sharing the good and the bad (see Romans 7) that was within him. So, he spoke many languages. The word languages (glōssa): 

the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech

the language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations

You may be able to speak their language. You may EVEN understand the language of the angels. Think of Paul’s life before the road to Emmaus. He was on that road, angry, bitter and revengeful, ready to rout these meddling Christians.  Then Paul met Jesus, or rather, Jesus met Paul. Before? Paul was a gong.  He was a crashing, clanging cymbal. After? welcome to the New Testament, friends. Love.

Love with Jesus standing before, behind and beside you. Me. That’s love. Otherwise, our feeble attempts alone?

Chain sizzlers in position on cymbals. Photo by Andrew Alde

Just sayin’.

I may have the gift of prophecy… Oooh. The kids and I were amazed at the words here. Easy to speak these words..

prophēteia: the gift of “the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God”

The mind and counsel of God?

³³ ·Yes [^LO], ·how great are [^Lthe depth of] ·God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge [or the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge]! ·No one can explain [^LHow unsearchable are…] ·the things God decides [God’s judgments] ·or understand [^L…and untraceable…!] his ·ways [paths]. ³⁴ As the Scripture says,

“[^LFor] Who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been ·able to give him advice [his counselor; Is. 40:13]?”
³⁵ “·No one [^LOr who…?] has ever given God anything
that he must pay back [Job 41:11].”

³⁶ ·Yes, God made all things, and everything continues through him and for him [^LBecause all things come from him, through him and for him]. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11 EXB

The Center of the Milky Way

Pause and calmly think of that! Rather then utter words on your own, pray His Word back to Him. This is what I am learning. This is why I am becoming such a huge fan of memorizing. We all have our own ways to memorize, thanks be to God, I’ve found a way. You? You need to find the Word in your heart. I need to KEEP His word in my heart. Then when we pray for people, we don’t suppose to understand the mind of God, we speak the word of God.

I may understand all the secret things of God…

I think I’m just going to let Jesus take this one.

¹⁰ The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you ·use stories to teach the people [^Lspeak to them in parables]?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “·You have been chosen [^LIt has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets[mysteries] about the kingdom of heaven, but ·others cannot know these secrets [^Lit has not been given/granted to those others]. ¹² Those who ·have understanding [^Lhave] will be given more, and they will have ·all they need [an abundance]. But those who do not ·have understanding [^Lhave], even what they have will be taken away from them. ¹³ This is why I ·use stories to teach the people [^Lspeak in parables]: [^LBecause] They ·see [look], but they don’t ·really see [perceive]. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. ¹⁴ ·So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true [^LIn them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says]:

‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not understand.
You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].
¹⁵ For the ·minds [hearts] of these people have become ·stubborn [dull; calloused; hardened].
They ·do not [hardly] hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand ·in their minds [with their hearts]
and ·come back [turn; return] to me and ·be healed [I would heal them; Is. 6:9–10].’

¹⁶ But ·you [^Lyour eyes] are blessed, because you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. ¹⁷ I tell you the truth, many prophets and ·good [righteous; just] people ·wanted [longed] to

Warped Galactic Ring

see the things that you now see, but they did not see them. And they ·wanted [longed] to hear the things that you now hear, but they did not hear them. Matthew 13 EXB

And Paul:

²⁵ ·Glory to God [^LNow to the one] who can make you strong in faith ·by [or in accord with] ·the Good News that I tell people[^Lmy Gospel] and ·by [or in accord with] the ·message [preaching; proclamation] about Jesus Christ. The message about Christ is the ·secret [mystery; 11:25] that was hidden for long ages past but is now ·made known [revealed; disclosed]. ²⁶ It has been ·made clear [revealed; disclosed] through the writings of the prophets. And by the command of the eternal God it is ·made known [revealed; disclosed] to all ·nations [Gentiles] ·that they might believe and obey [or for the obedience that follows faith; ^Lfor the obedience of faith]. Romans 16 EXB

But, if you understand all of this, but have not love? (Oh, I know I’m skipping..) I am, you are nothing. I don’t want to be nothing. If I am allowed into the mysteries of God, yet I don’t share, I don’t live..love…

I may have a faith that moves mountains…

Now I’m going to James have the floor:

¹⁶ [^LTherefore,] Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. ·When a believing person prays, great things happen [^LThe prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective]. ¹⁷ Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed [earnestly; ^Lwith prayer] that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! ¹⁸ Then Elijah prayed again, and ·the rain came down from the sky[or heaven gave rain], and the land produced crops again [1 Kin. 17—18]. James 5 EXB

That is our faith, friends. That is what is available to us. Elijah was just like us?

No love, though? Judgmental thoughts, gossip, anger held, forgiveness withheld? Ahem.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of ·people whose lives tell us what faith means [^Lwitnesses], let us run the race that is before us ·and never give up [with endurance/perseverance]. ·We should [Let us] ·remove from our lives[get rid of; cast aside] anything that ·would get in the way [impedes/hinders us] and the sin that so easily ·holds us back[entangles/clings to us]. ² Let us ·look only to [keep our eyes on] Jesus, the ·One who began [Pioneer/Founder of; orLeader/Prince of] our faith and who ·makes it perfect [completes it]. He ·suffered death on [^Lendured] the cross, ·accepting the shame as if it were nothing [^Ldisregarding/despising the shame] because of the joy that ·God put before [lay ahead for]him. And now he is sitting at the right ·side [^Lhand] of God’s throne [1:3; 13; Ps. 110:1]. ³ Think about Jesus, who endured such ·hostility [opposition] from sinful people, so that you will not ·get tired [grow weary; get discouraged] and ·stop trying[give up]. Hebrews 12 EXB

See what I mean about keeping myself to two verses? Oh, Lord, steal my show.

Hey, just an update about this family. I continued my road with my injections and since they are confident to the parts of my nerves in my neck that are damaged, we went to the next step yesterday. You can read about it here. I had one side of my neck done yesterday. The next side will be next Thursday, your prayers are coveted. Your encouraging notes are blessing. God’s word is so amazing isn’t it? And we are the body…

Heat restoration in my house began in earnest yesterday. We will be fully ensconced in the warm bliss of heat by next Tuesday. Praise God!

Please keep praying for my boy. He is having such a hard time.

Today’s time in the Word was such life for me.

Ann Voskamp, Joy Dare

Three gifts red:

157. Jesus’ precious blood, the most amazing gift of all.

158. My Minnie Mouse coffee mug, okay, it’s not all red, but what a gift from my kids.

159. My red jammies..love me jammies.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

Where would I be?

Aqueduct of Segovia photo by David Corral Gadea

Good morning, beloved,

I wake up now in complete darkness. Joshua and I are on week three of changing routines for our whole family. One of them for us is devotions and time with the Lord early. Routines are, for me, never easy to begin. Now looking back, I’m grateful we began. Last night I called Danny ready to remind him and he came trotting in saying, Mom, I know what you are going to say. I’ve already laid out my clothes and I know I need my meds. Thanks. Mom.

Open. Close Mouth.

Complete darkness in the morning? Here I come. I know daylight is coming.

We long for light. Our bodies cannot function, well, without the light. We stumble, we get depressed, we stub our toes, we fumble..it’s not pretty. I have to share this with you.

Light therapy might be as simple as getting up early and walking outside on a bright winter morning, Rosenthal tells WebMD. “You can also increase light in your home,” he says “Make one room a sun room.”

A technique called “dawn simulation” — in which a light is programmed to turn on early in the morning in your bedroom — can also help, Rosenthal says.

Light boxes are widely sold over the Internet and exposure to them can help. When buying one, get advice from your doctor and choose bigger ones — one that is at least 1 foot by 1.5 feet, Rosenthal says. These larger boxes have more supporting research, he says.

Patients sit in front of the light boxes daily for a specified amount of time. “Using light in the morning for a half hour to an hour is very effective,” says Stephen Josephson, PhD, a psychologist in New York City and associate professor at Cornell University Medical School and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. (Fending off Depression Symptoms in Winter, Kathleen Doheny, WebMd)

Light therapy. Our bodies crave light.

Dawn simulation. One of my favorite, favorite names of Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to ·tell you [testify/witness to] these things for the churches. I am the ·descendant from the family of David [root and descendant/offspring of David; ^Ca messianic title applied to Jesus; 5:4; Is. 11:10], and I am the bright morning star [2:28; Num. 24:17; ^Ca messianic title].” Revelation 22 EXB

Have to share with you Numbers 24:17:

I see someone ·who will come someday [^Lbut not now],
·someone who will come, but not soon [^LI see him, but not near].
A star will come from Jacob;
a ·ruler [^Lscepter] will rise from Israel [^CSaul, then David and his descendants, including the Messiah].
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth [^Cidentity uncertain].

I’m suggesting to you…in addition to sitting in front of a light box, getting fresh sunlight, how about adding a regime of kneeling in front of the Light of the universe?

Where would I be without the Bright and Morning Star?

Oh friends, I don’t even want to dwell on that one. Look at Peter’s response to Jesus…

⁶⁶ After Jesus said this, many of his ·followers [disciples] ·left him [^Lturned back to previous things] and ·stopped following[^Lno longer walked with] him.

⁶⁷ Jesus asked ·the twelve followers [the Twelve], “Do you want to leave, too?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord [or Master], who would we go to? You have the words that give eternal life. ⁶⁹ We believe and know that you are the Holy One from God.” John 6 EXB

I ache with these words. How often have I turned my back? How many times have I worked on building my own kingdoms (only to realize they are sandcastles..)? Barf. Gag.

Peter! Peter! He’s got it. Where would we go? It’s wild. It’s encouraging. It’s heartening.

Friends, Peter did go. Peter did deny Him. You remember that. When you turn your back, you start building your own kingdoms, you remember Peter.

Peter didn’t go anywhere Jesus couldn’t find him. Rescue him. Jesus rescues. That’s His business. Next time you see the light brimming over the dashboard. Rising over the houses. Setting over the soccer fields. You remember: He’s the light.

And He’s in the business of rescuing YOU.

My thankfuls:

A gift wrinkled, smoothed, unfolded (Ann Voskamp, Joy Dare):

130. My family three years ago, newly moved in here.

131. My family, the past year…smoothing…

132. My family…today. Thankful.

Pray on. Pray on.

131.

 

Contrasts

Pig’s Ear (Cotyledon orbiculata) by JJ Harrison

Good morning, beloved,

We let the kids stay up late last night. Shockingly, some are still sleeping so I am hiding out in my room watching the sky lighten and planning my week. Listening to worship music and allowing my mind to drift. I keep coming back to this Psalm. God, Creator of the universe, forming me, molding me, knowing me intricately and loving me. How often to we pause to just thank God for our life? How often do we look in the mirror and realize just how beautifully God made us?

I have the divine pleasure of looking out my window now and seeing a beautiful male cardinal. He is a stark contrast to the browns, grays of the barren trees.

 

¹³ You ·made [created] my ·whole being [inward parts];
you ·formed [knitted] me in my mother’s ·body [belly; womb].
¹⁴ I ·praise [thank] you because you made me in an ·amazing [awesome] and wonderful way.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know this very well.
¹⁵ ·You saw my bones being formed [^LMy bones were not hidden from you]
as I ·took shape [was made] in ·my mother’s body [^Lsecret].
When I was ·put together [^Lwoven] ·there [^Lin the depths of the earth],
¹⁶     ·you [^Lyour eyes] saw my ·body as it was formed [^Lembyro].
All the days ·planned [^Lformed] for me
were written in your book
·before I was one day old [not one of them existed]. Psalm 139 EXB

Stop. Pause. Breathe. You have a marvelous Creator God who knows you. Loves you. Nothing remains hidden from Him, and He still remain faithful and loves you.

Good grief, now I have two male cardinals outside in my trees. So beautiful! Now the female is close by. How can I marvel at His creation outside my window and not marvel at the creation that is me?

Friends, the battle of the mind is so fierce. I am so very convinced of this. Our thought life can transform us either way. We can be transformed by the renewing of our mind with Scripture or transformed by negative thoughts of criticism for self and others, fear, doubt and worry.

Today, my family will wrap up (I hope) our memorization of Psalm 15 and will continue to 1 Corinthians 13. I say that not for a pat on the back but because I am convinced of the power of His WORD in my family’s mind and especially mine. What Scripture is going to be the sword you will use when the evil one whispers today?

My Thankfuls:

A Gift in Sky, Water, Memory Ann Voskamp Joy Dare

127. My thankful in sky are the beautiful birds that have joined me for my quiet time this morning.

128. I’m thankful to have stepped out on the ice last night and watched my girl ice skate for the very first time.

129. I’m thankful for my memories of my friend, Jo.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

Pour

Tree with visible roots in Kiental, between Herrsching and Andechs, Germany by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Poco_a_poco

Good morning, beloved,

I wonder, this day, what it will be like to open my eyes and behold the glory of Heaven for the first time. Sometimes, I think, on this side of heaven, my courage is small. I say these two statements after beginning a three-hour movie last night. Five stories of men and women from across the Muslim world who had radical encounters with Jesus in dreams and visions. Their lives were radically changed as they beheld the glory of Jesus.  Their hearts’ cry was to know and understand more about God. He came to them.

The movie is, More Than Dreams and here’s a blurb:

For decades, a phenomenon has been recurring in the Muslim world. Men and women – without any knowledge of the Gospel and without any contact with Christians – have been forever transformed after experiencing dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. Reports of these supernatural occurrences often come from “closed countries” where preaching the Gospel is forbidden and where converting to Christianity can invoke the death sentence. A common denominator appears to be that the dreams come to those who are seeking to know and please God. We decided to capture some of these stories and use them as a witnessing tool to Muslims all over the world.

Real-life Stories
Through many personal interviews, we selected five true-life stories of
former Muslims who now know Jesus as their Savior. From the outset, the producers endeavored to represent a global cross-section of Islam, and for that reason, stories were selected from Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria, and Indonesia. More Than Dreams re-created each of these stories, producing each in its original language, in a docudrama format and shot in high-definition video. The movies include a ministry segment explaining what it means to follow Christ and leading viewers in the salvation prayer.

After an encounter with Jesus, these people, each one, made radical decisions to follow Jesus, no matter the persecution that followed. And it was severe. The rage of the families who saw this transformation…

Give me Jesus. As we watched, Dad quoted a passage from Joel 2

²⁸ “After this,
I will pour out my Spirit on all ·kinds of people [humanity; flesh; Acts 2:17–21; Is. 32:15;Ezek. 39:29; Zech. 12:10].
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.

The word pour here, shaphak, means:

b) (Niphal) to be poured out, be shed, 

2) to pour out oneself

Pour out. Not holding anything back. Being poured out like a drink offering, pour out one’s soul.  What does that look like in Scripture?

Isaiah 32:

¹⁵ This will continue until ·God pours his Spirit [^Lthe Spirit is poured] from ·above [heaven; ^Ton high] upon us.
Then the desert will be like ·rich farmland [a fertile/fruitful field]
and the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field] like a forest [29:17; 35:1, 2].
¹⁶ Justice will ·be found [^Ldwell] even in the desert,
and fairness will be found in the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field].

Ezekiel 39:

²⁷ I will bring the people back from ·other lands[the nations/peoples] and gather them from the lands of their enemies. So I will use my people to ·show many nations that I am holy [^Ldisplay my holiness in the eyes of many nations.]. ²⁸ Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into ·captivity [exile] among the nations, but then I ·brought them back [gathered them] to their own land, leaving no one behind. ²⁹ I will not ·turn away [^Lhide my face] from them anymore, because I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] into the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, says the Lord God [11:19; 36:26–27; 37:14].”

How about in the New Testament?

Acts 2 describes such an occurrence:

When the day of Pentecost [^Ca harvest festival fifty days after Passover, celebrating the firstfruits of the crops (while on this day the firstfruits of the Spirit); Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16] ·came[arrived], they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a ·noise [roar] like a ·strong [violent], ·blowing [rushing] wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw something like ·flames [^Ltongues] of fire ·that were separated [that were divided; or that spread out] and ·stood [came to rest] over each person there. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak ·different [other; or foreign] ·languages [^Ltongues] by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them [^Creversing the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel; Gen. 11:1–9].

For me, bells are ringing. Lights are flashing. (Okay, not really). Remember what we worked on yesterday?

Philippians 2:

¹⁷ Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. [^LEven] If I ·have to offer my own blood [^Lam poured out as a drink offering] with your sacrifice, I will be ·happy [rejoicing] and full of joy with all of you. 

Paul willing to be a drink offering, willing to be poured out and his soul’s response? Joy. Joy to the fullest measure.

God pouring out His Spirit and then men and women would dream dreams…the response of those people who meet Jesus in dreams? Willing to sacrifice it all for the sake of the One they encounter. As each one describes Jesus, eyes light up, demeanor changes…joy has been gifted to them.

We offer our lives as a drink offering to Jesus. Yet, we aren’t the only ones here pouring out. Are we? God’s Spirit pouring out across barriers, reaching, touching, blessing, encouraging, asking each, will you follow Me?

My thankfuls today:

3 gifts from God’s Word:

118. I’m thankful today that God does not hold anything back. I’m thankful He gave us everything. He gave us His Son.

119. I’m thankful for the word pour today. He pours. We accept. We pour. We are blessed with joy.

120. I’m thankful for courage. Not because of anything I’ve done, it’s all because of pouring.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

 

 

 

Know the dance

Sunset by Hühnerauge

Good morning, beloved,

My daughter was able to start swim lessons last night. She danced her way through the day, so excited to be in the water. Little murmurs all day, Mommy, I cannot wait! Telling everyone she could. I wonder if this is a trait in other children, but when my younger set gets excited they bounce.  When my Luke was playing soccer this fall, he practically jumped up and down the entire game. So excited to just be playing. Ella got in the water last night and I watched her from afar and she bounced the whole time. I asked her if she was cold and she looked at me strangely and replied no…Mommy, I just was so excited to be in the water. I danced.

When my children play the Wii, they jump up and down while playing. I’ve reprimanded them because it bothers other players. Now, I wonder…

I love watching my children dance.

So when the fighting comes, the discontent mars their faces, tears stream down their cheeks, at the core for me is this: why?

Sin mars. Self focused. We forget to dance. We forget to jump up and down because of the joy that lives inside of us.

John 8:

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you ·continue to obey my teaching[^Lremain/abide in my word], you are truly my ·followers [disciples]. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will ·make [set] you free.”

³³ They answered, “We are Abraham’s ·children [descendants; ^Lseed; Gen. 12:1–3], and we have never been anyone’s slaves. So why do you say we will be free?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “·I tell you the truth [^LTruly, truly I say to you], everyone who ·lives in sin[commits/practices sin] is a slave to sin. ³⁵ A slave does not ·stay with a family [live in the household] forever, but a son ·belongs to the family [lives in the household] forever. ³⁶ So if the Son makes you free, you will be ·truly free [^Tfree indeed].

If we remain in His word, we are His followers.

Know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Remain. Know. Free. Yesterday, my daughter got married. Yup. Very exciting. And during the ceremony, she was to read part of the Bible, but she’s still getting her wings with reading. I encouraged her to sing the Apostle’s Creed as we have been learning it with the Sing The Word soundtrack. She sang the whole thing.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen. Common Worship

Friends, memorize the word. Know the word. And you’ll dance. You’ll jump up and down. Joy. Freedom. 

Know His Word. 

My thankfuls today:

A gift worn, A gift given, shared:

112. My Grandma’s wedding ring..I think of her so often. And I miss her, yet I’m so thankful she’s dancing in glory.

113. Thankful to be able to make gifts for Christmas and give them. 

114. Thankful to begin to be able to have friends over and share a meal.  (Joy Dare, January, Ann Voskamp)

Pray on. Pray on.