BURNT BISCUITS [copied]

......When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! "Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own. " God Bless You..... Now, and Always.....So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burnt one will do just fine.!.!.!.!

Not How I Expected It To Happen

I don't know why but since the beginning of the year I just knew the time was coming. July 15th, 2010 started like most normal days other than the fact that Mom is here from Montana and my daughter from Oklahoma. My day did begin like normal. Upon getting up I did my study time and then posted the last part to my "Mercy" lesson on my blog. I continued with my morning routine of eating breakfast and letting Chico outside. During this time Chico gets his medication and breakfast too.

Shantelle & Mom were more with it. They were already done with their breakfasts and dressed for the day. So while I did my primping they took Chico for a walk. My primping time took a little longer than normal because I decided to trim my hair too. I didn't resurface with Mom & Shantelle until it was almost 10:30 in the morning.

By that time I had received several text messages from my sister. She was driving over from Minnesota to spend the day with us. Once she arrived we started our time together by going out to lunch. We all had such a good time eating and laughing. Mom said to Shantelle, her granddaughter, "I can't believe I raised these two!" It was her way of saying she had no control over us anymore. We were joking around so much. After lunch we did some serious shopping.......at second-hand stores. It's our kind of shopping.

When we returned back to the house my husband grilled hamburgers on the grill for our supper. We talked and laughed some more. Chico for some reason liked my sister's legs and kept licking her. He was always looking for someone to play tug with him. After doing dishes together in the kitchen my sister went back home. Kevin went out on visitation with my son. Mom & Shantelle claimed to be totally worn out. I made a trip to the grocery store and by the time I got back home the guys had returned from visitation and everyone was just talking.

As the day was winding down my son went back to his apartment. We had our family prayer time and then everyone proceeded to get ready for bed--all except me. I'm the night owl in the family. I started texting some messages back and forth with my other daughter. I really wasn't going to stay up late. Sometime after 10:00 pm I was turning off lights and double checking the doors to make sure they were locked. I had even started down the stairs to my bedroom. But preoccupied in my thoughts I turned around, went back to the living room. I turned on the light and sat down in my chair.

In that short expanse of time I hadn't realized that Chico had hopped up on my chair. I sat on him. He howled and cried in great pain and distress. It took quite some time to comfort him and calm him down. All the noise brought everyone else back out of bed. When I tried placing Chico down on the floor he couldn't walk--something was definitely wrong. So then we were off to an animal emergency center. An x-ray revealed his right leg bone was pulled out of it's hip socket. When the vet tried to pop it back into place it wouldn't stay. This told the vet there was extensive damage to the muscles and ligaments around the hip socket. We were told if we elected for surgery it would have been on another day with a specialist. My little buddy, Chico, was going on 14yrs old and showing little signs of his age. While the vets tried the first procedure of getting the leg in the hip socket. I prayed about it with God and I knew if it didn't work it would be time to let Chico go. But after receiving the report that the damage was more extensive it was still so very difficult to be saying, "Good-bye" when only a couple hours earlier he was pestering us to play with him. In a 2-second moment everything changed.

I know my Chico is only a dog but animal-lovers know how attached we get to them. The point in sharing this long rendition is you never know what the next moments will lead to. In my heart I knew my time with Chico was drawing to an end. But I never expected it to end in such an abrupt way. I never expected it to happen on such a good day. That is my whole point I guess--you never know, but God Knows! You never know, but God is right there to see you through when difficult decisions have to be made.

This whole thing was a reminder to me that life is short. When we don't know what the day is going to hold it is best when God is leading us. It was a reminder for me that relationships are important. I must watch the words I say and the things I do because I might not have an opportunity to apologize. Once a moment is spent it cannot be changed.

But What About Mercy --Part 3

We have been talking about the loving, mercy of God through chastening.

Chastening produces a test of a our faith. Will we begin to view life from God's perspective now that God has our attention? Or will we continue to go our own way? Can we see God in the picture now? And most important, will we submit to God now?

We are exhorted to let the chastisement to have its perfecting work in us so that we may be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." --James 1"4

Without the consequences the human heart will continue to gamble on the outcome. We do not need to be removed from the unpleasantness of our problems. We need to experience the unpleasantness to help us change.

In Hebrews we are told that it is not a "joyous" experience. Rather it is "grievous" but it will produce the righteous fruit of godliness in the believer who is "exercised thereby." --Hebrews 12:11

To cut short the trial by removing the grievous consequences is to short-circuit the merciful effort of God to deliver us from our self-centered living.

Chastisement and consequences are part of the rebuke, correction and instruction in righteousness that equip us for usefulness in the future.

[Being chastened by God is difficult sometimes painful. But knowing God has a divine purpose can make it easier for us to submit and obey. We know God always has our good in mind. We can trust He is doing the best for us. It will help us to grow toward fruit of righteousness and to turn from living a self-centered life.]

--My thoughts along with excerpts taken from Jim Berg in Changed in His Image.

But What About Mercy --Part 2

[Yes, I know I said you wouldn't be seeing me for awhile, but part 2 for Mercy was just too good. I couldn't put it off.]

One of the merciful ways God extracts us from the power of sin in our life is to allow us to experience it consequences. Most times we do not recognize God's mercy through His chastening hand. Though it is sometimes painful--God is delivering us from a miserable end of our self-indulgent living. His purpose is to produce fruit of righteousness.

• "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? .....Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." --Hebrews 12:6-7 & 11

[When I have felt God's chastening hand in my life I did not recognize it as His loving, mercy. I praise the Lord for wanting to better me and correct my life for a better path. I pray that my life would begin to show fruits of righteousness. Not self-righteousness our of my own flesh, but godly righteousness of God working through me.]

I ask for your patience

Some of you may be wondering what has happened to me. I am sorry I haven't had the time to post the things that have been on my heart. I promise you I will be back. I am getting company this week and I've been making plans for my mother's 80th birthday. We are combining a party/family reunion for 50+ people. I'll post as time allows. Otherwise you'll see me back at the end of the month, Lord willing. --Katie

But What About Mercy?

People are quick to point out, "God is merciful." And "Why can't you let him have a second chance?" The question comes from a misunderstanding of what mercy is. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that no one should suffer --ever!

God's mercy contains two elements:

1. An inward concern for the miserable plight of someone.
2. An outward action aimed at relieving that desparate condition even at great expense to the one relieving the suffering.

We see this kind of compassion in Christ as He responded to the various plights of people in the Gospels: the leper who needed to be healed; a widow's son who just died; a crowd of hungry people; two blind men who needed their sight restored. Christ's compassion always extended beyond their physical condition however to the greatest misery of all -- a soul bond by sin.

Christ challenged his disciples to reach the lost with the Gospel. We too must be moved with compassion when we wee the dire state of the condemned lost.

--Excerpts from "Changed in His Image" by Jim Berg.

[This is our biblical example of God's mercy toward the suffering needs of others and the lost soul that is condemned to hell already. If he does not trust Christ as his personal Saviour it says in John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." It is so important for us that we do our part in giving out the gospel. We may not always reap a lost soul to Christ. God says we are to plant and water with the seed of His Word. It is God's job to give the increase.

There is more to be considered on the subject of mercy that I will share next time.]

THINGS GOD WON'T ASK on that day.

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove, He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5..God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

What Are Your Ratings --Part 3

Rate your example -- "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." -- 1Timothy 4:12

My example in "faith"

• Do I seem content with my present circumstances (not bitter, resentful, discontent)?
• Do I make my spiritual life a priority (setting saide time for personal devotions and church attendance)?
• Do I freely share with others what God is speaking to me about?
• Do I pray with them?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

My example in "purity"

• Is my speech free from sensual, crude, or vulgar words?
• Are my entertainment choices (reading, viewing, and listening) free from sensuality and worldliness?
• Do I tactfully but decidedly address the sensual and worldly elements I see in my friends?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

What Are Your Ratings -- Part 2

Rate your example -- "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." -- 1Timothy 4:12

My example in "charity"

• Do I make time for others--to listen to them, to be with them?
• Do I show concern for the disappointments and needs of others (compassionate)?
• Do I genuinely serve others rather than use and manipulate them?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

My example in "spirit"

• Do I stay calm and stable under pressure and stress (not quickly angered or discouraged)
• Do I possess a sense of humor that makes me pleasant company but does not belittle others?
• Do I patiently listen before giving advice and taking action?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

What Are Your Ratings -- Part 1

Rate your example -- "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." -- 1 Timothy 4:12

My example in "word"

• Do I seem to know when and how to approach problems (tactful, sensitive)?
• Do I effectively challenge others to fulfill their responsibilities?
• Do I refrain from unwholesome conversation (gossip, griping, off-color remarks)?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

My example in "conversation" (lifestyle)

• Do I seem to be free from a preoccuptation with material things (not greedy, not worldly)
• Am I attentive to small, personal details (cleanliness, punctuality, manners)?
• Do I live for others instead of using my time to pursue my own interests (receation, hobbies, television, etc.)?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom--Part 3

Nothing exposes our own spiritual deficiencies --and sometimes outright spiritual poverty--more than the pressures of life. If you are buckling under pressures resist the urge to just "get away from it all" as a solution. Unless by that you mean to remove yourself from the situation temporarily for a few hours for meditation and prayer with God Himself.

Don't think that just a change of scenery or pace will solve the problem. There is no doubt that these can be a temporal restoration just as the reason we have a "day of rest". The greater benefit for this pause from normal activities however was to draw ones focus back to God.

Often we will use our work, television, sports, hobby, or other escapes aways to get away from our pressures of life. We must not teach through this example to "get away from it all" as a valid way of handling problems. When facing pressures of life we should stop to draw closer to God --He is the One of it all when we are under pressure.

So if a believer has a renewed mind about his pressures, he can consider them a source of joy.

• "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." --2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [Remember God's purposes for the pressures.]


• "Gird up the loins of your mind" --1 Peter 1:13 [That means to restrict our thinking to God's perspective only and change our response accordingly. Ouch!

Any believer can experience that joy if he handles his pressures God's Way. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." --Isaiah 26:3

[This timely lesson on dealing with life's pressures has given me a biblical base in working through them without falling apart or exploding from them. I have been learning so much but when situations arise I haven't been so good with the applications. Please, Lord, help me.] As previously stated in Part 1 these excerpts are from Jim Berg with my thoughts added in brackets.

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom--Part 2

Why do you suppose our view of God is so deficient?

• Our hearts are not pure. They become so cluttered with sin and worldliness that we don't see God. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." --Matthew 5:8

• "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." --Romans 10:17 This is more than attending church faithfully but studying in God's Word daily.

A believer with a renewed mind accepts God's purposes for pressure.

• "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." --2 Corinthians 4:16-18 [We often lose sight of eternal values by focusing on our surrounding circumstances.]

• "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." --Hebrews 12:1-3 ["great cloud of witnesses"--People are watching our example in how we deal with difficult situations. So as Christians, we must look to Christ for our example. He endured much more when He was on earth then we ever will. ]

• "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." James 1:2-3 [Everything has a greater purpose.]

• "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" --1 Peter 1:6-7 [People highly esteem gold--it is often coveted in the gain of much wealth. But from God's perspective gold is pavement for His roads and to Him we are valued far greater. The trials of our faith are for the purpose of cleaning out imperfections so that we might being honor and glory to God.]

A mature believer understands God's love, grace and sustaining power. He knows how to pray. He sees life from God's perspective. This perspective adds an extra quality of endurance in life that sustains any load God places upon it.

[I decided to look up the meaning for sustain --To keep in existence; maintain. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for. To support from below; keep from falling or sinking. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage. --Since we don't see God as always being with us, we often take the lead as a "pilot" in our life. Or we might think God is the "pilot" and we are the "co-pilot." But because God is God. He is always good. He is there to supply our needs through love and grace. God will sustain us. We don't have to "pilot or co-pilot" through our trials. If we trust God to be the "sole pilot" in our life and its trials, we won't be exploding from the pressures of them.]

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom! Part 1

[Let me ask, "Why is it that right after I blow it big time, God gives me a devotion over it?" This was for me --a good lesson to be learned. So if you're reading this you can reap from it before going through the pressure cooker lesson yourself. Oh, you've been through it too! Well, I hope you didn't fail as miserably as I did.] This except is taken from Jim Berg and God's Word.

Looking at Pressure Biblically:

• Many people do not handle well the pressure that is God's Will for them because they are already overloaded with the pressures of a burdened conscience. Our sin blocks God's ability to help us.


• Are we over committed? Have we assumed responsibilities outside the Will of God? These added activities and responsibilities may not be harmful in themselves but they take up too much time and energy. They are usually added to meet some personal desire and may not be God's Will for the present. These become "weights" that we must "lay aside." --Hebrews 12:1

A believer with a renewed mind sees every pressure and resource from God's perspective. A Christian's spiritual needs can never be "overdrawn" like there was insufficient funds to take care of the need. God gives unlimited protection to do those things that are His Will. [Wow, Hallelujah, Amen!!! So why am I always trying to deal with things by myself???? Oh me :( God has promised to supply all that we need for godly living--including wisdom, grace & strength.]

• "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." --2 Peter 1:3


• "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" --2 Corinthians 9:8


• "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." --2 Corinthians 12:9-10

[This is not all that I have learned. I'll have more postings on "Pressure" to come.]

Are They Our Harmless Little Secret?

by Susan Verstraete

She was an intimate friend, and I was in her confidence from the beginning. She was feisty and quite pretty, but not in a fussy way. Life dealt her some hard blows, but she was self-sufficient and didn't need a man to take care of her—or at least, so she thought. I could have told her the right man would be the answer to all her problems, but she never seemed to listen. I suffered with her through tragedy and trembled when her life was in peril. And I felt a vicarious delight when he came on the scene—the strong, handsome, masculine hero that would rescue her from her lonely, cold existence and teach her all about real love. Oh, and I almost forgot—they went to church sometimes.

That's the plot, more or less, of every Christian romance novel I've ever read. In the past, I read a lot of them. If you are like most believing women I know, at some point you've read one, too. Obviously someone is reading them. One major Christian bookseller has over 2,000 current titles listed in this category. There are several clubs that send members a new Christian romance novel every week. While you are waiting for the mailman to deliver the next selection, you can surf to an author fan site or one of dozens of sites that review and suggest books in this genre.

So, is this a harmless area of Christian liberty? I'll let you decide. But it wouldn't hurt to look more carefully at what we are reading and how it might—just might—be a problem for some of us.

Have you turned off your intellect? When researchers asked women why they read Christian romance, an overwhelming majority said they valued the books because they inspired an emotional response. That's not necessarily wrong, but we need to be discerning even when reading fiction. For example, whole series of novels are written that are "Christian" in name only. The characters are practical atheists who may attend church, but their faith does not impact their decisions. We don't want to passively accept this as normative Christian behavior.

We also have to remember that in these books, God behaves in the way the author causes Him to behave. The theology illustrated in the book is always fallible because the author is fallible. It's easy to get discouraged when we read over and over about God speaking audibly to the characters in a novel, or when we see that their loved ones always get saved before the last chapter. It's also worth mentioning that some romantic situations in these books may actually be adultery, depending on the author's view of divorce and remarriage. If you read them, do so with your head as well as your heart, and don't let them shape your understanding of God.

Does it teach idolatry? I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out. If the heroine in your novels is always saved by a lover, that's a false redemption. Christ is our Redeemer, and God is our ever-present help in time of trouble. Our hope is in Christ, not in Prince Charming. No mere man can fix all our problems. Accepting this idolatrous view of romantic relationships will cause you to place pressures on your husband that will end in deep disappointment, if not disaster. Only Jesus can be your Savior.

Is it changing your expectations? This is a subtle problem and nearly impossible to self-diagnose. Do you think that God will always wrap up all the loose ends in your life in a timely manner? Do you expect your life to always be exciting, or your work always fulfilling? Should you always be the center of attention? Do you fantasize about being rescued by a man from a situation in which you feel helpless? If so, you may have been influenced by reading Christian romances.

Is it a form of emotional adultery? God has designed our relationship with Him, the marriage relationship and our relationships in the church to meet our deep need for emotional intimacy. We may unintentionally circumvent this plan by vicariously identifying with heroine after heroine in these novels, selfishly meeting our own emotional needs instead of letting those needs drive us into real, sometimes messy, relationships.

Is it a steady diet? Finishing a Christian romance novel is a little like taking the last bite of a hot fudge sundae. We usually feel a little sad that it's over. The fantasy has ended and we return to our comparatively boring, unglamorous, meat-and-potatoes lives. The temptation is, of course, to immediately pick up a new book and immerse ourselves in a new fantasy.

In the same way that we should not allow a steady diet of hot fudge sundaes, we should not allow ourselves a steady diet of popular fiction. If we do so, we miss the chance to read material that will teach us good theology, help us grow as believers, and develop realistic expectations about relationships and spirituality.

Instead, I urge you to try reading biographies of Christian women like Ann Judson, Amy Carmichael or Sarah Edwards. Many women have found the books Stepping Heavenward and Pilgrim's Progress to be helpful works of fiction. Ask your pastor or a trusted older woman in your church to recommend more titles. Challenge yourself to read books of substance.

[Have you ever noticed yourself getting in the habit of doing something without even questioning it like........how it is filling our mind? What kind of an impact it could be making in our thinking and outlook? I thought this article was a very good reminded for us to reevaluate the things we do in our life.]

Forgiveness & Healing

Jennifer wrote a very good blog posting on forgiveness that I think you ought to check out --http://daughtersofthemosthigh.blogspot.com/2010/06/forgive-and-let-go.html. I appreciate her transparency as she shared her heart on forgiveness. It is a very difficult thing when we try to deal with our hurt feelings. The longer we hold our hurts the harder it seems to forgive. Reading Jennifer’s blog reminded me of my own struggle with forgiveness. So I thought I would post my story and how God worked in my heart.

I had a very hard time forgiving my father over many issues through my upbringing. How can I explain to you my hurt emotions and how deeply they became rooted through the years? It was through many ways I felt unloved and rejected by my father. He was a very self-centered man though he was married to my mother and had four daughters. He preferred to spend his time drinking and playing with his toys—boats, fishing, motor cycle, snow mobile etc. He was always upset when Mom asked for money to buy food or material to sew us clothes. You see he worked hard for his money and didn’t like it going to such things. I don’t ever remember Dad being around for our birthdays or that he ever said I love you. I grew up believing he loved his good times drinking and toys better than us. I guess you could say it felt somewhat like abandonment even though he lived with us. Each of us developed emotional scars in our heart living with Dad. I’m not telling you any of that stuff for sympathy or pity, but just to highlight points in painting a small picture of what caused my heart to harden with unforgiveness. When Mom & Dad divorced I remember the day I vowed I would never forgive him and cut him out of my life.

All of that happened in my life before I got saved and became a believer. Then several years later during a revival message God smote my heart hard that I needed to forgive Dad. I wrestled with God many times before I surrendered in my heart to forgive him. God showed me I could use Philippians 4:13 in this matter of forgiveness. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” So I asked God even though my heart didn't feel capable of forgiving Dad I asked for strength through Christ to work the forgiveness in my heart. And when I had those moments of feeling used or rejected by Dad again. I prayed again for Christ strength in forgiveness and He always did help me when I had trouble forgiving on my own.

You may be asking yourself if my relationship ever changed with Dad. And the answer would be both, yes and no. I tried to bring Dad back into my life. I wrote him letters, sent cards and pictures of his grandkids. But there always seemed to be a wall between us. In Aug ’01 my uncle called with the news Dad had a major stroke. At the time I was living in Idaho. I knew it would be the only time in our hearts where Dad & I wouldn’t have any walls up. So the next day I flew home to South Dakota to see Dad. He was very surprised to see me walk into his hospital room. He started crying, I started crying and we held each other for 5 minutes before the nurse interrupted us and caused the moment to end. That will always be a sweet memory for me. Did Dad ever say I love you? No. Was our relationship better after that? No. Dad lived six more years before he passed on. But I will always be thankful for the lesson God gave me on forgiveness and I will always be thankful for those 5 minutes in the hospital. Five minutes I would have never gotten if I had not forgiven Dad.

How Well Do You Smell Smoke?

I read this illustration this morning that just really hit home for me. It started out by pointing out how "the real culprit that hinders our usefulness to God is any manifestations of the flesh in our lives." We cannot be sensitive to the flesh that rules in someone else's life when we are living a fleshly life ourselves. It then continued with this example......

Most people who smoke do not realize how keenly nonsmokers can smell cigarette smoke. A smoker may go into a nonsmoking building and try to light up in the restroom for a couple of quick-puffs. He does not think that others will smell it because of the exhaust fans in the bathroom. Every nonsmoker in the area can tell within minutes, however, that someone has lit a cigarette. The smoker doesn't smell smoke as keenly as the nonsmoker.

The same is true when we are indulging in the flesh. Our impact is a poor example and we are less apt to notice the fleshly heart of someone else. We will not pick up on the attitudes, words, or choices the reveal a self-centered heart (that of our own and someone else's.) Fleshly living will only become further entrenched in our hearts making any change in the future that much harder to make. Just like a smoker has a hard time quitting the habit of smoking.

But as a believer we know we are not enslaved to the pull of our flesh. We have the strength of Christ to resist when we ask for His help. So the question that you and I must ask ourselves is......"Have I been listening to God as He has tried to disciple me by His Spirit into a life toward spiritual maturity and usefulness to Him?" Ouch! Help me, Lord!

Order Out of Chaos

Did you have chores as a kid? Did you hate them as much as I did? Did you try to cut corners to get them done quickly? Then did you have to do them all over again causing you to be at your chores twice as long? As a parent do you find yourself assigning chores to your children? And why would you do that when you know how much you hated them when you were younger?

Hopefully through the years of doing chores and maturing we have learned the value of orderliness it brings out of chaos. Having chores teaches law and order which is foundational for the developement of civilized and productive people. Chores teaching our children to take orders from authorities and to value orderliness. But they are not techniques in themselves that would guarantee godliness. They are merely examples of the kind of structure used to restrain the flesh from its natural impulses. This daily training of chores and orderliness helps in the application toward submissiveness in godly living. Submission that can show a spiritual application toward God-dependence and self-denial because one is not left to himself to do as he wishes.

Without orderliness we would have chaos. The chaotic person's life is lived by haphazard efforts to accomplish things that press at him the most or by the spontaneity of doing whatever pleases him at the moment. Oftentimes in this sort of chaos we would see many projects started but never finished. A person who lives like this is living to please himself and for the moment. He is not a productive person in our society and he are not useful to God.

So even though we hated chores as a kid we know they were good for us. They are also good for our children today. Doing chores is learning orderliness which will make them better people. And most of all can lead them to be useful and productive for God too.

Kindergarten Basics For Christianity

One of the most basic of lessons that we learn in kindergarten, or should have learned by then, is respect for authority. This kindergarten basic is so important in our relationship with God. Through it we gain victory over the flesh, which gets us in trouble consistently. Without an attitude of sweet submission to authority we will remain governed by the flesh and remain in ignorance of how wonderful God can be.

Without the kindergarten basic of submission to authority, we will not deny self and, in so doing, make no real progress in our spiritual growth. In fact, we will struggle constantly and feel discouraged. We will want to blame God for our problems, just like self wants to blame any authority for our problems, because we fail to see that self is at fault.

Once we have learned this kindergarten basic, we will be able to take “no” for an answer from God because we have learned to accept it from the God-given authorities in our lives. We know that the authority has the responsibility to make decisions, which may be contrary to ours. With this understanding, and knowing that God knows more than we know, we can accept “no” from God cheerfully. We can also confidently obey Him immediately, even if we don’t agree or understand.

This obedience is more than just an outward compliance to the demand of authority to avoid desired consequences. God intends that obedience be based on our love for God and thus His commands are not grievous "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." --1 John 5:3 Self-denial is the practice within the heart that says "no" to what the sinful heart wants for itself at that time. It is treating self as if it no longer has any influence on us.

This most basic of concepts brings the greatest of rewards. This is opposite of our selfish thinking, which brings pain, frustration, doubt and discouragement. Trust God because we simply cannot live our lives our own way and find contentment and fulfillment. God is in charge and we are not our own masters "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." --1 Corinthians 6:20

Godly obedience is the foundation for everything else in the Christian life.

[Yesterday I was trying to put my thoughts together on this subject but my mind was so disattracted with plans I am working out for my mother's 80th birthday party/ family gathering. So I asked my husband to look at my draft. He did such a good job of expounding on my seed thoughts that I am posting what he said. So this blog was a duo effect from both of us.]

The Quiet Sermon

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastors visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Exactly & With Perfection

Do not give into sadness or desperation for what you’re going through today. God knows how you feel....... God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to you in your life at this precise moment.

God’s purpose for you is simply perfect. He wants to show you things that only you can understand by living what you are living, and by being in the place you are now.

I realize some of you may have already read these two paragraphs in my facebook notes but as I continued to think on things this morning it reminded me of Pastor's message last night.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." --Philippians 4:6 Once we have prayed and given it to God we are not to waste anymore thought on the circumstances that would cause us to fret.

Everything is to be given over to God. Trusting Him because He has a precise purpose for what He allows. And with the purpose is a spiritual lesson for us to grow by in the end results. So knowing this we can have "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:7

I understand how it is when we get sad or in despair, fretful or anxious. But it is clear God understands that too because He tells us in Philippians 4:8-9 how to occupy our thoughts instead of fretting. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."..........through the problems going on in your life.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Let me share with you how the Lord has turned this birthday into a fabulous day (and it's not even noon yet).

Since the beginning of the year I have been dreading my birthday. I didn't even want to whisper what age I would be turning. As this day drew closer the dread only seemed to grow. Through this week though not much has even been said about my birthday. Was my family going to forget it this year. Part of me thought what a relief no big 50th "over the hill" party but did I really want it to be forgotten all together? They do love me, don't they????

This morning other than the cat and Chico I'm all alone in the house. But as I came up the stairs I was greeted by a big, beautiful helium balloon, a frappuccino in the refrigerator, text messages on my cell phone and emails on the computer. Wow! I guess no one wants me to forget I've turned 50 today. I appreciated their efforts in refraining from the choruses of tedious and obnoxious wise cracks about my age. It all touched my heart and I was ready to hold my head up high and declare my age with pride.

Last night I was talking to sweet Hazel as I drove her back to the retirement home after church. She is 81yrs and she mentioned there is a lady in the home who is 106yrs old. I pointed out she'll have to live 25 more years to reach that age. She said, "Oh, I hope not. I'm old enough now...." Today I'm thinking I have 31 years to go before I'm Hazel's age and 56 years before I would be Miss Marty's age--that's like another whole life time to go.--And then I realize, "Man, I'm young!"

I appreciate how the Lord brought my thinking into the right perspective regarding my age. Besides what is age when we look to all eternity that is ahead. As another verse of the birthday song goes "Happy Birthday to you, Only one will not do, Born again means salvation, How many have you?" I have two! On June 3, 1960 I was born through a physical birth and then on July 18, 1982 I was born again through a spiritual birth. And with that second birth I will enjoy some fabulous birthdays through all eternity. So I ask you whether you're 50 or 5250...... what does it matter cuz if you're born again you are in the Lord's hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are You Adrift?

Without a continual check against a known standard [God's Word] we tend to drift [in the flesh].

Can you remember a time when you were floating on an inner tube? Just relaxing and soaking in the sun. Listening to the sounds of birds and nature. Then the next thing you realized you have drifted quite some distance from shore and safety. It happened so gradually that you hadn't noticed you had drifted at all. We will drift just like that in our spiritual walk too if we don't stay tethered to God. When we drift from God we move into dangerous waters and we're no longer safe. I recently had a lesson on how quickly one can drift from missing just a few days of my time with God. The thing is we can get back on course if we want by reattaching our tether to God.

This is why regular, daily times with God and regular attendance at a Bible-preaching, doctrinally sound church are crucial for the survival of every believer. Those who are "forsaking the assembling of [them]selves together" will find that spiritually they are drifting off course. The human heart needs a constant exposure of God's Word to reprove the heart's current direction and show when or if it may have gone off course.

The Garbage Truck Story

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" That is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So... "Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't."

Life is....10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is for everyone...we are in charge of our attitude

Righting Our Wrongs

Inspired Scriptures also has the function for correction in the life of a believer.

Correction means to make something stand up again or to right something again. Through the Scriptures correction teaches us how to make the wrong things in our lives right with God and others.

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." --Proverbs 29:13 When righting our wrongs, both, confession and forsaking are crucial elements of this process.

• Confession is making any offense right with God and others. It's agreeing that we are guilty of the charges that have been brought against us. Making confession and asking forgiveness shows we accept full responsibility and our desire to reconcile.

• Forsaking means a willingness on the part of the offender to make restitution and accepting certain restrictions. Forsaking is like working out or the exercising of repentance.

Correction through confession and forsaking restores our fellowship and usefulness to God.

[How many times have we said or heard, "I'mmm sorrrrry! (often said with an attitude or grudge) I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! (given with great emotion and tears but it is a repeated offense that happens over and over) That's because we are remorseful from being caught and corrected but it's not followed with repentance. I have done this myself and I saw it through my kids as they were growing up too. We all do it but in what we read above it falls short of a true apology that shows genuine change. If we don't practice this kind of apology of confession and forsaking we stunt our growth in Christlikeness.

Some other thoughts that I've been thinking on is oftentimes we only think about the outward sin that we see and is obvious to us. Outward sin only reveals to us that there is an inward problem of the heart where the root of sin lies. Rebuke and correction must be applied to the root of the sin problem not to how it is manifested.

We often try to fix only the outward manifestation of sin--stop that swearing, stop that drinking/smoking, change how you dress....... These things will only last for so long if the root of the sin problem isn't taken care of first. When things are right in the heart changes will automatically manifest itself on the outside. Whatever is in the heart is revealed through our words, actions or appearance. Help me Lord, that my life would manifest a genuine testimony and not a false facade.]

Excerpt taken from Jim Berg with my thoughts added.

Is It Rebuking Or Criticism

The Bible is used by God to teach us what is wrong with us and how that wrong is to be addressed. Every man--even a believing man--is prone to go his own way. Therefore, the believer must "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." --2 Timothy 4:2-4

We should prayerfully self-examine our life and heart before dealing with the sins of others. We cannot be used of God to call anyone to obedience to us or to God if we are doing so from a position of our own disobedience. [Ouch] The words of God must saturate our own heart before we attempt to teach them to others.

Following the example of Jesus Himself, he considered this willingness to rebuke and chasten an expression of His love for His people. He loved them too much to allow them to continue in their sin. His rebuking was done for the sole purpose of restoring them to God.

But the one who criticizes usually desires to elevate himself over the one he is criticizing. These motivations are ungodly and follows the ways of Satan. So the important thing for us to ask our self is do we follow Christ's example? Is our desire for giving rebuke or "constructive criticism" done with the intent of restoring a person to a closer relationship with God? A loving heart must clearly be evident when giving a rebuke. A believer who is allowing God's Word to convict his own conscience and his relationship with God and his follow neighbor will not be mean-spirited as he deals with others.

Dealing With The Hurt

God is the Expert at addressing people in pain. Most of the Bible was written to hurting people.

• O.T. Scriptures were written about and to hurting people who were in the chains of slavery
• N.T. Gospels recorded Jesus' words to Jews living under the cruel rule of Roman Gentiles.
• N.T. Epistles were written to Gentile churches whose congregations often contained many slaves.
• In the 1st century believers were targeted for persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ, being martyred at the hands of Jewish religious leaders. No matter where they went they suffered greatly.

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
--James 1:2-4

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead....Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." --1 Peter 1:3,6-7

So how do we deal with great pain? --Grow out of it. We are to increase our intake of the Word and be doubly careful that we are "not fashioning our[selves] according to the former lusts in [our] ignorance." --1 Peter 1:14

In the epistles Peter and James used these words often to counsel their scattered flock of believers: "know" "knowing" "knowledge" "known" "remember" "remembrance" "mind" and "grow". Our problem is we do not know Him and His Word well enough to know His ways.

God's inspired Word will always tell us what is right. It is the only infallible source of truth. It accurately contains "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." --2 Peter 1:3

[Excerpts from Jim Berg.]

The B-I-B-L-E

The B-I-B-L-E,

Yes, that's the book for me.

I stand alone on the Word of God.

The B-I-B-L-E,

The BIBLE!!!!

Long ago I learned that the Bible is the holy, inspired words of God. I have no trouble accepting that God inspired 400 men over the course of 1600 years to write 66 books of His exact words -- word for word.

It is quite easy for me to believe that an all-powerful God could create every part of this universe and mankind out of nothingness. In God's omniscience of knowing all things He didn't ignorantly leave out anything important. Nor has He revealed anything that can be contradicted by new information in the future. He has revealed completely and truthfully everything necessary for man to know. God is wise enough that His Word is without error. He is also omnipotent--all powerful and therefore competent to make sure His Will is transmitted without error and will be fulfilled. Shout! Jump! Hallelujah! Leap for Joy -- AMEN!!!!!

So why would we turn to other sources (then the Bible) for answers for our daily problems? Who can we find that is Greater? Who is more Powerful? Wiser or more Loving than our Heavenly Father? Help me, Lord, to change old habits that would stunt my spiritual grow. Readers, I'm preaching to myself here. If you get anything good from it too, Praise the Lord! Boy, does Satan use secular things from this world to plant seed thoughts in our mind to make us in effect for God.

I think I'll jump on my soap box for just a minute here since this is my blog space. One of those ways is through all the versions printed of God's Word. How can they even say they are God's words anymore for the way it is so diluted down? Why would they want to leave out verses on the blood? Because "....without shedding of blood is no remission [for sin]." Why would they want to take away from the miracle of Jesus' conception to say Mary was a young maiden? The whole point was Mary was a virgin and Jesus' conception was through the Holy Ghost not a man. Why do they leave out verses and passages of scripture all together? I know, I heard hundreds of people say those other versions are easier to understand. But we are to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Most of us studied harder for our history or biology test than we do God's Word! I have also been asked what bible version is the best because they are so confused as they consider the different versions to pick from. That right there should tell people the new translations of God's words are works of Satan because he is the author confusion not God.

If any reader would like more information on what I have just said there is a really good tract out there to go through. "The Eye Opener" that will show you 200 KEY REFERENCES on how all modern Bibles differ from the KJV and the Greek Textus Receptus from which it was translated. I do not stand on the Word of God through KJV 1611 out of bull-headed, stubbornness there is good reason for it. If you truly want to know more get the tract or contact me and I'll send it to you.

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 7)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Endureth all things (vs. 7)--sacrificing self by staying put when feeling like quitting; bears all things at all costs; digs a trench and stays put; stays when feels like running."

SELF-LOVE

• Quits. "I've tried, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back." "I'm not sticking my neck out there again so he can chop it off!" "I'll cut and run while I still have some dignity." "I can't handle it anymore!" "You wouldn't be able to handle it either if you were in my shoes!""

GOD'S LOVE

• Love never faileth (vs. 8)--sacrificing self It always accomplishes God's work on earth and in heaven. It is supernatural in its origin and its results.

SELF-LOVE

• Self-love always fail! (Galatians 6:7-9)-- "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption."

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 6)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Believeth all things (vs. 7)--sacrificing self to believe the best about God and others; puts the best interpretation on events; believes in the best outcome; doesn't look to condemn; looks to save, not to judge."

SELF-LOVE

• Wants to judge; condemns; plays up the doubts; believes the worst; in cynical, suspicious. "I told you he was no good!" "I know what he's thinking/" "I know why he did that!" "So what do you want from me this time?" "He said he would change once before, but....." "

GOD'S LOVE

• Hopeth all things (vs. 7)--sacrificing self by not giving up; anticipates a good outcome when God's truth wins out; hopes in every situation, against all evidence; confronts people with the truth in the hope that they will obey and change. As long as God's grace operates, failure is never final.

SELF-LOVE

• Acts hopeless; talks hopeless; feels hopeless; gives up; quits praying; doesn't trust God or follow His way. "He's hopeless." "Why try? He'll never change!? "That's just the way I am. I'll never change!""

Mr Fix-It

Have you ever found yourself trying to fix things? I don’t mean things like a leaky faucet, or a cracked window or a torn sleeve. But have you found yourself trying to fix the problems of life? I was one of those who always tried to fix whatever problem came up. When problems raged in my life I didn’t feel very secure. What I found out though some problems are just beyond my capability of fixing, especially when it involves other people. I figured if I could just fix the problem it would stop hurting; things would return to normal and then my world would feel secure once again.

When I took this kind of approach toward problems I was looking to my own way and strength in which to fix it. If the problem was actually solved it was after much add stress and grief which seemed to amplify the hurt and pain. Often times the problems remained unsolved prolonging duration of it.

You know that isn’t how we are to handle the heartache and problems we go through. God’s Word says we are to carry an attitude of prayer by…..”praying without ceasing.” Because then we are more likely to “cast all our cares upon him.” God cares for us and He wants us to rely on Him. Whatever the problem in our life is….our pain that causes our heart to hurt. We don’t have to fix it. Just give it over to God. Does it hurt so badly that you feel you just can’t cope any more? Give it over to God…..surrender it to Him. Stop searching for the solution.

Chances are you won’t see the problem or heartache solved or taken care of instantly. But God will calm your heart if you trust Him. He will give you peace and grace to wait as He works out the solution. Satan likes to play tricks on our thinking in believing this doesn’t work since the pain or stress comes back. You will find it is a process that we must keep repeating. God will ease our pain and He will take care of our problems of life in His time. “His ways are not our ways” that is why we must “trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on thy own understanding.

The Sword of the Spirit

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." --2 Timothy 3:16-17

This verse shows us four very important functions of God's Word. God uses the Word in these ways to equip the believer for their own spiritual walk and the ministry to others (furnished unto all good works.)

1. Doctrine--what is right for us.
2. Reproof--what is wrong with us.
3. Correction--how to make it right.
4. Instruction in righteousness--how to keep it right.

The religious climate today tolerates anyone except those who claim that doctrine is important for biblical unity. Modern ecumenists say the sole test of faith is whether one loves Jesus. The question is "which Jesus?" Paul was fearful that the believers of his day would be deceived by men who were "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." --2 Corinthians 11:13

There are more verses to warn us.......
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Galatians 1:6-9 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

1 John 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

2 John 1:9-11 "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

Doctrine was inspired by God for these men to write. It was important to them and it must be important to us. What the Scriptures say is important because of what the Scriptures are. [I am just loving this stuff in my study. Each day I feel I receive something spiritually meaty to chew on. Maybe that is why I could never be a vegetarian in my physical diet either because I like a good juicy beef steak, pork chop, fish fillet, chicken breast, ham, turkey, whatever the meat. Love it!]

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 5)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but refoiceth in the truth (vs. 6)--sacrificing self to love what God loves and hate what God hates; is excited to do the biblical things; doesn't take iniquity by the hand and escort it into some other area of life. "If God likes, it, I'll like it. If God hates it, I'll hate it." "

SELF-LOVE

• Rejoices in iniquity; entertains sin; escorts it right into his life; gets a thrill out of sin--his own or someone else's. "It's my life; I'll do it if I want to. I'm strong enough to handle it." "It's my body; I deserve a little pleasure!" "Did you hear about what _______ did?" "

GOD'S LOVE

• Beareth all things (vs. 7)--sacrificing self to cover others' weaknesses; covers, supports, protects; covers anything it can righteously cover; bears, not bares

SELF-LOVE

• Uncovers and exposes someone's sin to others unnecessarily; bares, doesn't bear sin. "I don't mean to gossip, but...." "Did you hear about _______? She did a terrible thing! Don't tell anyone, but it's a fact that...." "Well, my wife/husband has her/his faults too!""

One More Night With the Frogs

"And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow." --Exodus 8:9-10

Can you imagine?.....The frogs were everywhere! There were frogs in the bedroom, frogs in the kitchen, frogs in the parlor, frogs in the oven, frogs in the kneading-troughs! God had said, "If thou refuse to let them [the children of Israel' go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs"! (Exodus 8:2). God keeps His word! Imagine an Egyptian woman opening her oven; she screams! --out jump frogs! There's a fellow pulling down the sheets to get into a comfortable bed, and --frogs are his bedfellows! Imagine another is putting on his clothes: what's that in his pockets? Frog! See those Egyptian boys kicking along the roads to school, squashing frogs (instead of mud) between their toes! Frogs in the palace, and frogs in the hut of squalor. Little frogs, big frogs! The din must have been deafening! Frogs in the house, frogs in the yard--thousands of dead frogs heaped up in smelly mountains as millions more come from the rivers to take their places! Finally Pharaoh could stand it no longer. He called for Moses, the servant of God. "Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord"!

Moses must have been overjoyed. At last Pharaoh had made up his mind. At last Pharaoh was to be converted! So Moses said, "Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?"

And Pharaoh said, "To morrow"! I have never been able to figure that one out! Frogs in his food, frogs in his bed, frogs in his clothes, frogs all over the house--and God was ready to remove the frogs instantly: the decision was up to Pharaoh. And he said, "To morrow"!---"Give me one more night with the frogs!" Why could he have possibly chosen one more night with those frogs?

Pharaoh was a sinner and a type of sinners. Rebellious, proud, fleshly, godless, he was a good picture of the sinner today, the lost man outside of Christ. God had warned him. But like sinners today he stubbornly refused to obey God. So the frogs came. The frogs came because of his sin. Even so, for sin we are plagued today! Troubles, doubts, burdens, sufferings. Sickness, sorrows, fears, perplexities. Disappointments, heartaches--frogs, all of them! Frogs of difficulty and grief on every hand, directly or indirectly because of our sins! But God loves us and is ready to remove the frogs that plague us because of our sins. But like Pharaoh, most of us say, "Tomorrow! Give me one more night with the frogs!"

Pharaoh said, "To morrow." But " the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts!" (Hebrews 3:7-8). Think of it: Pharaoh said, "To morrow"! The Holy Ghost saith, "To day"!

A Christian will ask for one more night with the frogs, one more night with his defeated, wasted Christian life!...before he wants to fully surrender to God."

The black-slider will ask for one more night with the frogs, one more night of his compromising and carousing before coming back to God. 1 John 1:9says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. "

The lost sinner begs for one more night with the frogs! He knows he ought to be saved, and he's going to be---TOMORROW!

We are famous for what we are going to do TOMORROW!

What we don't seem to think about is.....the frogs may not leave tomorrow! Or....Something worse may come in the place of the frogs! Or....Tomorrow may never come! "Behold, now is the accepted time...." "The Holy Ghost saith, TO DAY"! Won't you right this minute decide that you will not spend even one more night with the frogs of sin?

[Except taken from sermon of Evn. Hugh Pyle -- August 17,1956]

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

A message every parent should read because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'

LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT Each of us (mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend) influence the life of a child.

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 4)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Is not easily provoked (vs. 5)--sacrificing self to be calm; is not soon angry for its own causes; is not oversensitive and touchy (Hebrews 10:24). "

SELF-LOVE

• Explodes; is an earthquake in the spirit; reacts in anger instead of acting in kindness; retaliates; is given to sudden out bursts; is angry for selfish reasons. "You can't do that to me and get away with it." "

GOD'S LOVE

• Thinketh no evil (vs. 5)--sacrificing self by not keeping score; is not jealous; does not take permanent account of some thing for the purpose of bringing it back up; believes the best about a person; gives the benefit of doubt; forgives.

SELF-LOVE

• Uses "indelible ink"; builds a case for evil; enters wrongs into a ledger so that they can't be forgotten; jealous; thinks evil; won't forgive and go on. "I remember when he...." "You always/never do that." "I haven't forgotten what you did to me!" "I know what kind of person he is." "I know what he meant when he said/did that!""

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 3)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Doth not behave itself unseemly (vs. 5)--sacrificing self by being a lady or gentleman; doesn't present the love of God in an ugly, misshapen way; is proper and courteous; does the right thing at the right time. "

SELF-LOVE

• Is rude, crude, boorish; draws attention to self by being loud, silly, moody, harsh, or having poor manners, inappropriate actions, words, timing; giving too much attention to fashion (fads) or appearance (flashy or dowdy). "I can't help it. That's just the way I am." "I do what I want when I want to do it."

GOD'S LOVE

• Seeketh not her own (vs. 5)--sacrificing self by not demanding rights; is not selfish; is a servant; gives; is not grasping for "my rights, my time, my money, my comfort, my things" (Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3).
  

SELF-LOVE

• Is selfish; rejects God's way for own way; seeks to please self. "I demand my rights." "I am right!" "I want my way!" What I want is more important than what you want!" "It's my _________ ; I'll do what I want with it."

Sermon in Shoes

"Putting on the new man" means having a Christlike influences that makes a difference in the lives of those around us--being a God-loving example. Our example shows forth through what we are teaching.

God calls us to be teachers. Not the sort classroom teacher with lesson preparations that you would expound upon a classroom of students. But God calls us to be a "Word-filled" teacher by saturating our whole heart with the ways and the words of the living God.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." --Colossians 3:16

We are teaching all the time because we teach by our example. We also teach whenever we open our mouth and give advice, comment or instruction. A children's song comes to mind right now called.........

"Sermon in Shoes"

Do you know oh Christian you're a sermon in shoes?

Do you know oh Christian you're a sermon in shoes?

Jesus counts upon you to spread the gospel news;

So walk it and talk it; Live it and give it;

Teach it and peach it; Know it and show it.

A sermon is shoes.

You see, we will always be teaching something by what we say and do. So we must ask our self are we a "Word-filled" teacher? .......And the things that we teach, do we practice our self?

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 2)

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"
1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Envieth not (vs. 4)--sacrificing self to cheer for or weep with others; does not "boil, seethe, stew"; is content with God's control; doesn't compare for the purpose of looking "down on" or "up to."

SELF-LOVE

Is envious; boil, seethes; laughs when others weep; weeps when others laugh; resents and wants what others have; wants to be what others are; is displeased by prosperity of others; judges others' worthiness by comparing it with his own. "It's not fair! I should have that."

GOD'S LOVE

• Vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up (vs. 4)--sacrificing self to remain small; doesn't "parade to gain applause"; is not proud; points to God not self; doesn't brag or boast; doesn't inflate self.
  

SELF-LOVE

• Is proud; a "windbag"; praises self; will become anything so others will notice; brags; attempts to impress others; tries to appear to be what he is not; never admits he is wrong; is mad when others are too selfish to notice; points to what he's accomplished. "Hey! Look at me!"

God's Love Versus Self-Love (Part 1)

[I found this charter for self-evaluation. So for the next several days I'll post a couple new section for us to ponder on through our day. We must ask our self this question, "How do others see me?" Self-evaluation is hard. We must be honest with our self. And we must be willing to listen to the Holy Spirit?]

"Just two choices on the self--loving God or loving self"

1 Corinthians 13

GOD'S LOVE

• Suffereth long (vs. 4)--sacrificing self to wait for God's way and timing; is patient; has the divine power to wait; is long-fused; doesn't retaliate even when it has the power; gives to others not what they deserve but what God gave us!

SELF-LOVE

• Desires own way and own timing; suffers if can't have its way now!; is impatient; resents any departure from own schedule; won't wait for God to work; snaps at people. "I want it this way, and I want it now!" "I will teach him a lesson he won't soon forget!"

GOD'S LOVE

• Is kind (vs. 4)--sacrificing self to meet others' needs; has passion to be active and useful in the lives of others; is kind in words and deeds; does the unexpected, undeserved, and unrewarded.

SELF-LOVE

• Is nasty and hurtful in words and deeds; acts in favor of "me" instead of others; always puts conditions on others' love. "Why should I do that for them? They didn't do it for me." "Others? It's all I can do to deep up with my wants and needs."

Seed Thoughts

A seed thought is often the start of what we meditate on. Sin starts with a deception of a planted thought--often a twisted truth. Just like in the Garden of Eden the serpent planted twisted truth in Eve's thoughts. Like her, we don't recognize it as a bad seed thought. Like Eve, we'll mull it over and over in our mind the deception, considering the benefits of indulgence until we are so convinced of its virtues that we choose to embrace the it.

Our sin never happens by accident. It is a decision of choice. Some sins become so automatic they are done without much reasoning or thought because we have made a practice (habit) in that sin behavior. For a believer the hook of sin may get embedded in our natural responses but that doesn't mean we are enslaved to them. Just as we made the choice to sin, we can make the choice not to sin. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for strength and help in order to be successful because it is a spiritual battle to overcome.

Whatever a believer's thoughts are based upon, is what he meditates on. If he meditates on truth he desires for God. If he meditates upon lies he desires are for things that will become a replacement for God.

God is good, He is delightful and He is desirable to make one wise. We must be careful of the seed thoughts we choose to meditate on, because they will become our desires, and our desires become our actions whether they be good or evil.

Quench Your Thirst

True worship does not come from people whose feelings are like air ferns with no root in the solid ground of biblical doctrine. These religious feelings that do not come from a true apprehension of God are neither holy nor truly free, no matter how intense.

Those who have great impact for God are those who have a great passion for Him fueled by meditation upon His Word. No one can know Him intimately and lot love Him passionately.

Are we thirsty for God?

• ".....they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness" --Matthew 5:6
• "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --Matthew 11:28

It is a thirst He intends to quench and a rest He intends to give them who come to Him and who stop searching for relief from other sources. When He is revealed to us as we behold His glory, we will be stunned by His mercy to us, humbled by His grace and thirsty for knowledge of Him.

Have we been tasting God?

• "O taste and see that the LORD is good" --Psalm 34:8

Scripture sermons, biblical Christian hymns & music, short Scripture reading and discipleship studies all help but you will not be full until you have feasted at His banquet hall and fill yourself with the knowledge of who He is.

Do we know the joy of abiding in Christ?

After we spend a day with God reflecting on what He has revealed about Himself, confessing our sin, turned our heart toward Him in praise and offered our self to Him to use as He wills, we will begin to experience the joy of abiding in Christ. This kind of God-loving believer makes a difference in the lives of others because he is filled with "all joy and peace in believing."

[Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy that endureth forever. How often do we find our self bent toward the flesh and casual in our attitude toward God-Himself, and His Word? I've learned that's why it's so important to have that daily time with God. Otherwise we just start our day off on the wrong foot and in our flesh. But when we experience the "hunger and thirst after righteousness" it is like pulling up the shades on our windows and viewing the Himalaya Mountains for our self. It is so good and wonderful!

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." --1Timothy 4:15-16]

Being Lukewarm

How can we behold God's works and His glory and all its greatness and still remain lukewarm?

I didn't go very far in my study this morning because this paragraph just caused me to stop.....

"Why is it we find that people exercise their affections in everything else but religion?!?! When it comes to their worldly interest, their outward delights, their honor and reputation, and their natural relations, they have warm affection and ardent zeal. In these things their hearts are tender and sensitive, easily moved, deeply impressed, much concerned, and much engrossed. They get deeply depressed at worldly losses, and highly excited at worldly successes. But how insensible and dull then are their affections! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low and their gratitude small. How can they sit and hear of the infinite height, depth, length and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of His gift of His infinitely dear Son offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of men, and yet be so insensible and regardless?!?!

Is it any wonder then that so few believers of the next generation want what we portray to possess? Who would want to be like us? If we are not known to be God-loving believers by our obvious devotion and obedient service for the Lover of our soul, why should those who follow us bother with Him either?"

[Thank you Lord, for these words to ponder on. It seems I naturally set my affections on what physically affects my senses around me. How do I work this verse in my heart? "...love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" --Deuteronomy 6:5........Help me to fill my soul with your life-giving Word.......Help me to listen obediently to the promptings of your Spirit........Help me to delight myself in extended times of devotion with You, God.......Help me to live my life with eternities values in view.]

Excerpt taken from Changed into His Image by Jim Berg

To Much Information!

"To much information" is something we would say when we are given graphic details that cause our thoughts to form mental images we would just as soon not envision. I had one of those moments tonight. No one was telling anything that was crude, off-color or gross. But at the same time it felt like we cheated in life to see what our future may hold.

I know many of our friends who read my blog already know my husband (Kevin) has Parkinson's. But there may be a few who don't know yet. Last summer he was finally diagnosed but it has been an uninvited guest in our lives since 2001. It was a blessing and relief to know what it was......to finally give it a name. We praise the Lord the medicines they started him on has been a big help.

Tonight we went out on church visitation. Recently we have been splitting off with another couple. Kevin happened to get home before me tonight. By the time I got home he was watching "Saving Millie" on YouTube. It's a true story on Millie's life and being diagnosed with Parkinson's Plus which is very fast in its progression. Kevin's Parkinson's is slow progressing.

I don't really care to see movies that show the decline of the body as the disease progresses......it's just hitting to close to home. And it feels like a glimpse into the future for what may be in store for us many years down the line. I watched it though because Kevin wanted to see it for some time now since he read the book. I would rather live the day.........day by day and moment by moment........living by faith, trusting in God. I would rather not know what tomorrow could hold.....I don't want to think about how this disease will steal my husband away bit by bit. "Saving Millie" is a good movie just more information that I wanted. And now I have this song in my head.........

"I don't know about tomorrow; I just live from day to day. I don't borrow from its sunshine For its skies may turn to grey. I don't worry o'er the future, For I know what Jesus said. And today I'll walk beside Him, For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow And I know who holds my hand......."

It's strange how the peace of God will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I didn't cry with the sadness of the movie's ending. Neither am I crying now as I post this blog entry. I will continue to live the day.....day by day and moment by moment......living by faith, trusting in God............

Limiting God's Hand

Why is it we often think God cannot handle our little problems? We often don't think of taking our problems to God until we reach that certain point. We are are independent, problem-solving people. There are some who would argue that's why God gave us a brain. When a situation comes up our minds and energies immediately work toward a solution.

Only when we come to the end of ourselves and our resources do we then turn to God for help. Why isn't this the place where we start? God is almighty, all powerful! Doesn't the creation of His handiwork testify that He can do great and mighty things? In fact, wouldn't you agree God is quite extravagant in His creation?!?! He is extravagant in His love--His sacrifice was extravagant--He gave His only Son! God's promise to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" is extravagant too.

Thinking upon these things, let me ask again, "Why is it we often think God cannot handle our little problems?".......Maybe you are saying I've never thought that. But that is what our actions show when we go about things without turning to God for His help. I am saying these things because I am one of those people. In doing so I limit God's hand of blessings on me.

Whatever It Takes by Lanny & Marietta Wolfe

There’s a voice calling me from an old rugged tree
And it whispers, “Draw closer to me;
Leave this world far behind, there are new heights to climb,
And a new place in Me you will find.”

For whatever it takes to draw closer to you, Lord
That’s what I’ll be willing to do;
For whatever it takes to be more like you,
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

I’ll trade sunshine for rain, comfort for pain,
That ‘s what I’ll be willing to do;
For whatever it takes for my will to break,
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.
Take the dearest things to me,
If that’s how it must be to draw me closer to Thee;
Let the disappointments come,
Lonely days without the sun
If through sorrow more like You I’ll become

Take my houses and lands
Change my dreams and my plans
For I’m placing my whole life in Your hands;
And if You call me today to a land far away,
Lord I’ll go and Your Will obey.

For whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

[Since I mentioned this song in one of my previous postings I thought I would share it with you today. Many years ago in ‘82 I heard Pastor’s wife, Anita Henry sing this song at Eastside. Each time I heard it sung it deeply stirred my heart—becoming the desire of my heart. I had opportunity to sing this song myself and I meant every word of it as I sang it unto the Lord.

Through the years I saw the Lord allowing different trials in my life to shape me and draw me to Him. Many of those trials I did not enjoy and I would have preferred not to go through them. I wish I could say that I responded to those trials with the right heart. But I even went through times of getting bitter with God before I surrendered my will to His Will. When I got bitter I was rebelling—having a spiritual temper tantrum with God. During those times there was a raging war going on in my soul. I found out God could shove harder than I could dig in my heels. I had to let go of my strong will for His Will. Then I found out it was much sweeter and easier to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s conviction than have that raging war that goes on inside when one rebels. God did not desire for me to be bitter or to hurt me.

Trials in our life are for our good. He only allows them in our lives because He desires to make us better—drawing us closer to Him.]