Opposition...

In my study this morning, I read about some of the events recorded in Acts about the life of our brother in Christ, the apostle Paul.

This phrase in the reading material of my study caused me to stop and reflect…..

“ The positive response to Paul’s teaching stirred up opposition to him.”

The positive response?!? Brought opposition?!? Man, that’d make you want to quit wouldn’t it?

When you have some success at what you are attempting to accomplish, it’d be nice simply to not have to listen to negative responses, much less be faced with resistance and obstacles.


Human nature is ugly so often. And our enemy doesn’t miss many opportunities to make trouble.



At one time, Paul had been passionate about stamping out the movement of what was known as ‘The Way’…the way of Jesus Christ.

Passionate, but dead wrong.


Then he met Jesus.
Then he found out how horribly wrong he’d been.
Then he began the mission of his life....

……to tell anyone he could get to listen, that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of The Most High God. Jesus was the remedy and cure for the cancerous sin nature in mankind. The sin nature that Paul himself struggled with. (Romans 7 records Paul’s testimony about that very thing)



God had equipped Paul for all this. He had the best of education. He was a talented communicator. He had some political advantages, he was a Roman citizen.

He had lots of success.
He preached the story of salvation all across his world.
He convinced lots of people, made lots of converts, trained lots of other people to do the same.


But it was never easy. It didn’t begin easy, and it never got any easier.

There were opposing voices even within the believers who loved him.
There were attempts to stop him. Permanently.

I thank God right now that he wasn’t.



I thank You Lord God for recording and preserving these stories in scripture. Thank You for showing me that even Paul had to bear up under opposition….opposition even from within the circle of friends. Thank You for showing us how he met struggles and overcame them. Thank You Lord that you never left him without Your help and the assurance of Your Presence with him.




I am so very thankful for these words our brother Paul penned….

“ So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1Cor. 10:12-13)





I think Paul knew what he was talking about. I think he probably gives us some great advice here.

Anyone is prone to fall.
Everyone faces difficulty.
Each of us has to choose good over evil.

And God will never leave us alone in a situation.
He is present.
He sets a boundary around us.
He offers an escape.



“…All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.”
(1Cor. 10:13 The Message)

Breath...

Breath… Ever feel like you can’t breathe? Feel like you are suffocating? ….like the air you breathe in just isn’t enough somehow, and you find yourself sighing over and over?

I often find myself doing that.

I just don’t always breathe right. Don’t breathe deeply enough. Breathe in the wrong stuff…

When God formed the first human, Scripture says “He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person.”(Gen.2:7)

“The heavens were made when the LORD commanded it to happen. All of the stars were created by the breath of his mouth.”(Ps. 33:6)

God created life and every facet of our reality.
God sustains life and every facet of our reality.

Don’t be fooled. You don’t do it.

Government doesn’t do it.

Education doesn’t do it.

A wealthy economy doesn’t do it.

Medicine doesn’t do it.

Not even religion does it.

He does.

“When You turn Your face away from them, they are terrified. When You take away their breath, they die and turn back into dust.”(Ps. 104:29)

A look into history will show that when the blessings begin to be withdrawn, when things get tough and the tough can’t seem to bring about restored blessing….people begin to pant and search for God, begging for help.

Time and time again, He has brought restoration and healing. How I praise Him for His mercy, and the perfect love He offers. My human nature is incapable of that perfect love, I am slow to extend love to those I deem undeserving.



Thank You Lord God that you do not have a heart like mine. And thank You Father that you have said, “I will not find fault with my people forever. I will not always be angry with them. If I were, I would cause their spirits to grow weak. The very breath of life would go out of the people I created.”(Isa. 57:16)



The breath of life within me is more than the oxygen my lungs process for maintaining this flesh. The real breath within me is what He breaths out.

Some days, I choose not to breath it in.

Some days I choose to ignore the breathe He provides, and choose to choke and spew on whatever is available. And be assured, the enemy of my soul provides alternatives to the breath of life from God.

Today, I choose life.
Today, I choose to breath in, what He breaths out.

“ God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching me what is true. It is useful for correcting my mistakes. It is useful for making my life whole again. It is useful for training me to do what is right. By using Scripture, I can be completely prepared to do every good thing”(2 Tim. 3:16-17 personalized by me)

Call me a Bible banger. Call me a religious finatic. Call me a Jesus freak.

Call me whatever you like.

He calls me friend. (John 15:15)

I breath oxygen and have a heartbeat and pulse because He created human life, a life so very different from plant and animal life, because of His breath.

I breath the breath of God as I inhale what He has said, what He has done, and as I “Receive The Holy Spirit… that He breaths on me …” (John 20:22 personalized by me)

Don't be satisfied with anything else than the life made available and sustained by the very breath of God.

Limbo...

Limbo… Have you ever felt like you were living in it…just suspended somehow? Waiting?

Waiting to be a teenager.
Waiting to be 21 years old, that ‘magical’ ‘legal’ age.
Waiting to get married.
Waiting to have children.
Waiting for the children to be grown.
Waiting to have the house paid for.
Waiting for retirement.

Waiting to get a doctor’s report.
Waiting for a treatment plan.

Waiting on some difficult situation to get better.
Waiting on financial burdens to be lighter.

Waiting for next year when political offices change.
Waiting on the next election.
Waiting for the right candidate to come forward.

Waiting, waiting, waiting….

Living in limbo while you wait….trying to figure out what to do, how to do it, what not to do, and how to keep from doing that…..

And waiting on promises.

I often feel like I’m in limbo.

There are seasons of my life when that feeling is a constant thing.

There are times I want to do what the Thessalonians did, but Paul wrote to them, it’s recorded and preserved in scripture, so I have been instructed against it.

They believed in Jesus Christ, Who He is, what He accomplished. And they believed He was coming back to get them. So, they just pretty much quit the business of life, sat down and waited in limbo for that to happen.


“ Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him….
…….. stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter….
We hear that some among you are idle…..Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him.
Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.
Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
(2 Thes. 2:1,15 3:11-15)

It is true. I am in limbo.

Between eternity past, and eternity future.

But I am not to just sit and wait. I pray in agreement with Paul, “ May the Lord direct my heart into God's love and Christ's perseverance.( 2 Thes. 3:5 personalized by me)

Retirement...

Retirement… It’s a biblical concept, but I wonder if we haven’t distorted it.

After the tribes of Hebrew people left Egypt, and while they were traveling thru to the land that God intended to give them, there was a portable structure called the Tabernacle that served as the place to meet with God.

When the people moved, the Tabernacle was disassembled and moved with them, the structure itself and all the furniture and furnishings that served various purposes in the worship conducted there.

When the people stopped again and made camp, the Tabernacle was reassembled and readied again for worship and meeting with God.

One of the tribes of people, the Levi people, were designated to take care of everything concerning God’s Tabernacle and were also to conduct the worship activities.

If you were a Levite man, at the age of 25 you began to train for your work as a priest. At 30, you began to serve. (“Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.” Numbers 4:3)

At the age of 50, you retired.

“The LORD said to Moses, "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work….”(Numbers 8:23-26)

The difference in their retirement and what we think of as retirement if huge. The 50 year old Levite priest retired only from taking down the structure and from the physical parts of the worship rituals.

They didn’t ‘retire’ and go back to the tent and sit in the recliner.

Their retirement was becoming a supervisor instead of a laborer.

Their retirement relieved them early from physical stress on an aging body. It allowed the older men to advise and counsel the upcoming workforce by on-the-job mentoring.

Retirement in our culture sounds like a great thing.

But I really doubt anyone enjoys not being useful to some body, some way, some how.

Maybe so, maybe no…. don’t know if I’ll ever find out !!!

Becoming...

There is a slogan among hair salons… “If your hair is not becoming to you, you should be coming to us.”

It’s a catchy little advertising slogan. I’ve seen it printed on t-shirts and coffee cups.

I don’t use it. But during my quiet time this morning, I’m hearing it… with just a little twist…

“Connie…if what you see in yourself is not becoming to you, you should be coming to Me.”

What is unbecoming in me is beyond my fixing it. And once He has addressed the unbecoming mess, there’s always another unbecoming mess that becomes a problem.

Just like my house, my temple needs cleaning regularly. "What is my beloved doing in my temple as she….. works out her evil schemes?……”(Jer. 11:15)

And so, again, I find myself convicted by scripture.

“…. on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. (2 Thes. 1:10)

When, not if. He IS coming….to be recognized and acknowledged for all that He is…IN His holy people. And since I am His, that includes me.

He is coming to be glorified in me. And if you’re His, that means you too.

That process is begun. It is visible, or should be…for we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.”(2 Cor. 3:18)

When He comes, it will be no longer be a matter of ‘good hair days’ and ‘bad hair days’.

For now, some days we look a little more like Jesus than others.

On that day, He will be revealed in every one of us. Never again will we evaluate each other “…. from a worldly point of view.” (2Cor. 5:16)

Temple...

I’ve never seen a building called a temple, but I have studied a lot about the worship conducted in the temple of God in scripture.

The temple very costly to construct. It was damaged by enemy forces, and restored. It was completely destroyed in 70 A.D. Some people think it will be rebuilt, some don’t. It’s according to your interpretation of end-time events.

One thing that is certain, I am a temple. Now.

“…Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God…”(1Cor. 6:19)

The construction process was lengthy, and there has been lots of attacks from the enemy on this temple, lots of damages done, at a lot of different times…

… and there have been lots of restorations made. At one time, I thought the restoration came from the front end of a church-house aisle.. I have come to the conclusion that true restoration comes only from the One Who created it to begin with. He built it, He re-builds it.

Praise God, though I’m not there yet, He is in the process of restoring me to be what He intended me to be all along. Praise God, He has mended damage done from the enemy, damage from past hurts…damage from sin.

Some of the damages to this temple were done from the inside…..my temple hasn’t always been used as it was designed to be used. “…Therefore honor God with your body.”(1Cor. 6:20)

I have not always honored God with my behavior. Very often, I’ve done the damage myself. The enemy is persistent, he attacks on a regular basis. Some of his attacks are simply methods of deceiving me into tearing down the temple myself….

He’s a pesky rascal. He is defeated and he knows it, “….I am more than conqueror through Him who loved me. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord. (Rom. 8:37-39 personalized by me)


He continues to make those drive-by attacks and cause as much trouble as he can, get me distracted…. When he can catch me off guard, he still gets an arrow thru or knocks a hole in the wall somewhere…

That’s ok. There is One Who restores me every single time. He is within, on the job at all times, helping me and restoring me…



“ ….."I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple…”(1 Kings 9:3)

Flattery...

Webster says “commendation bestowed for the purpose of gaining favor and influence, or to accomplish some purpose.”

Flattery is used a lot for self-interest. People flatter others to push forward their own agenda, gain favor, be benefited.

Flattering words are always easy to hear. The flattering words might have shreds of truth in them, but there are phony. They are self-serving….far different than a simple compliment. And it covers up a person’s real intentions.

I’d never thought this much about flattery, never considered it’s root, nor its purpose. I’ve experienced flattery, and have recognized it as being manipulative. It is difficult for me to take a simple compliment, so flattery has always been quite distasteful. While I don’t enjoy a harsh delivery of truth, neither do I enjoy or want to be buttered up.


“We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else..”(1 Thes. 2:4-6)


In writing to his spiritual family in Thessalonica, Paul assured them he had no ulterior motive in his ministry to them. It was always about God and his love in providing salvation.

He didn’t do anything to make it easier to hear.
He didn’t hold out the need for repentance and a change of heart, change of attitude, and changes of behavior.

And, he didn’t flatter them by needing their praise. Ouch.

Do you feel that?

When someone else is so important to me that I need their approval regardless of whether it lines up with God’s will….I flatter them.

And I insult God.

Paul didn’t go there. I wonder how often I do.

How about you? Do you use words of praise to bring some benefit to yourself? Do you need someone to think highly of you so much that you make compromises? Like me, have you been guilty of attempting to make the truth easier to hear? More easily acceptable?

Imitate...

Imitate…

My sons have fun with imitating people. They have been especially known for imitations by telephone conversations. (…stirred up quite a ruckus on occasion before they ‘fessed up to the person on the other end of the line…)

I know that I am the subject of imitation sometimes. In the summer, when it is swimming pool time, a simple movement of the hands in a certain way brings a response of laughter. Everyone knows who is being imitated. Me.

Lots of money is made by comedians who imitate famous people.
Lots of hurt feelings come from unkind imitations of others.

Being imitated is sometimes done out of humor. Sometimes, it’s out of ridicule.

Sometimes it is the highest form of flattery.

“ You became imitators of us and of the Lord..”(1 Thes. 1:6)

Paul wrote a lot of follow up letters. He had been with the people of this city, taught them the truth about Jesus Christ, and educated them on the salvation that was not possible for all people.

It is incredible to me that Paul stayed humble. He could have been very prideful about all the imitators of his gospel message. He could easily have been tempted into taking credit. Satan tempted Jesus in that way, I feel sure he wouldn’t hesitate to tempt Paul in that way.

What these new believers imitated was merely Paul’s own imitation of Jesus Christ.

I pray that any person I can influence to Christ, will fully understand, that they are to imitate only Jesus Christ in me. There will be opportunity to see shortcomings. Certainly there will be things I would never want imitated.

How I pray to be a good example, a good role model, and that they will be pointed past me to Him.

He is the absolute only good in me.

Usually...

We humans tend to have patterns of behavior. Habits are made easily, both good habits and bad habits.

We have lots of encouragement from our enemy to make the bad ones.

Making good habits is encouraged by the God Who loves us, but He doesn’t force us.

It has always been our choice, and the operating procedure of the enemy hasn’t changed. He tempts, lies, deceives, and encourages poor choices.



What do other people expect of you? What is your ‘usually’?

Last week I didn’t have my iPod playing the music I like. People asked about it. They said "it is ‘usually’ playing".

I wasn’t at church last week, this week people asked why. “You’re usually here…” they said.

My husband asked if I was taking a nap after we had lunch Sunday, “You usually do.” he said.

Yes, I exhibit many definite patterns of behavior. Certainly not all good. (…I’ll not reflect on those here…)

In studying the events of Paul’s travel, I was struck with his ‘usual’.

“….as he usually did…”(Acts 17:2 The Message)

“…Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”(Acts 17:2-3 NIV)

Paul’s main objective was to inform every person he could influence about Who Jesus is, that Jesus was not dead but alive, and what that meant to them personally. He always had an audience at the local church house. He might not be welcomed for long, they might reject his message and throw him out, or throw him in jail, but he went.

And he told them truth.

That’s what he usually did.

What do I usually do? Do I look for opportunities to talk about who Jesus is?

Or is my ‘usually’ something far different?

Lord, help me to never miss an opportunity to relate to someone else the awesome truth of Who You are and what You have made possible for us.

Results...

Results…. I like to see them quick, or else I usually get discouraged. It is something I struggle with……walking in obedient faith.

Faith is not being sure of what we see. It is not hoping intensely for what we hope for…not wishful thinking, or even positive thinking. It is “being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.”(Hebrews 11:1)





Tonight, since sleep alludes me, I open the scriptures and begun reading about Paul and his companions beginning a second trip to find people who might listen and respond to the message of Jesus the Christ.


“…..we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony. It is an important city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there several days.”(Acts 16:12)

Several days. What can be accomplished in a mere ‘several days’?

I’ll tell you the most recent thing.

It started when this little band of mission minded, sold-out-to-Jesus, born-again sons of God traveled to Philippi and stayed a few days. Paul ministered there and some years later wrote a letter to those same people.

That letter is the book of Phillipians in our Bible.

And that letter has brought me more encouragement than I can recall….these being just a few.

“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”(1:6)

“…this is my (Paul’s) prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best..”(1:9-10)

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”(2:4,5)

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.(2:12,13)

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord..”(3:8)

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection..Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me….Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal ”(3:10,12,14)

“…. our citizenship is in heaven…He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. ”(3:20,21)




“ Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer …. present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable

—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
put it into practice.

And the God of peace will be with you. (4:4-9)

Thank you my brother Paul…for going to Phillipi and staying for ‘several days’….for getting acquainted with those people to whom you later wrote this letter. I can’t tell you have many times I’ve read it and been encouraged by your words…by knowing that even you struggled, by hearing how you dealt with difficulty, from your admonishments to rejoice, to pray, to think on excellent things…

You could never have known the results…you certainly didn’t see them.

Disagreements....

Why is it easier to disagree in anger? Why can we not just agree to disagree and move on?

It seems to me that anger is often a tool in the enemy’s hand….a genuine emotion that is twisted and used against us.

I wish I could say I never enter there. I wish every conflict I face could be dealt with without anger being a factor. But, I’m not there….

It is not true that conflict can always be avoided. It is not required of us to be the doormat for someone who disagrees with us, but conflict can be worked out, and God can and will continue to work out His will.


“ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company..”(Acts 15:37-39)

There is a lot of applicable lessons in this situation recorded in scripture. Disagreements happen even in the most ‘spiritual’ of us. We are all in an imperfect state, there was only One Who had no faultiness in His Personality.

We may disagree and disagree passionately. But we must not disagree on the purpose before us. To re-present Jesus Christ to anyone we can influence.

You may do that differently than I do.

And God is ok with that…It’s His work anyway, remember?

Choosing...

Choosing…

There is an Indiana Jones movie line that is repeated often around our house. “He chose poorly…” The greedy villain was choosing which vessel might be the 'holy grail' and looked over the wooden cup, choosing instead a very ornate gold one.

He chose poorly.

I thought about that while studying the characters of the “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11. Moses chose well.


“ By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God's people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin…”(Hebrews 11:24-25 The Message)

It sure didn’t look like a good choice. I’m quite sure it made absolutely no sense to the woman who had taken him from the river to the king’s palace and raised him as a prince of Egypt. I bet she had a fit…and I bet the royal family was quite insulted.

But Moses chose to seek God.

Lord, help me not to choose poorly. Help me to see the opportunities to sin for what they are, help me to see past the pleasure of that moment, and choose to seek You with an undivided heart.

I’m sure Moses has no regrets about his choices. I want to have no regrets about mine….

Unclear...

Unclear…

I don’t like the unclear. I like it plain as day. I don’t like surprises, I like knowing what is ahead, what to expect…and I like understanding the who, what, when, where, and why of it.

I’ve studied the eleventh chapter of Hebrews recently, and again looked at the portraits hanging in the ‘hall of faith’ we are shown there.

“By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”(Hebrews 11:17-19)

There is a song I like to sing that calls on this event. The lyrics are ‘There he stood upon that hill, Abraham with knife in hand, was poised to kill….but God, in all Your sovereignty, had bigger plans, and just in time, You brought a lamb. Cause You were there, You were there, in the midst of the unclear. You were there, you were there….always. You were there when obedience seemed to not make sense. You were there. You were always there.”

I find it incredible that Abraham intended to obey at such great length. Killing a son who was promised, the son who would supposedly be the beginning of a great lineage..multitudes of heirs to be born in the future. It just didn’t make sense.

Abraham figured God would just over-rule a dead Isaac, and make him alive again. God could certainly do that…HAS done that.

The lyrics of that song haunt me and accuse me. In the midst of the unclear, am I obedient? When obedience doesn’t make sense, do I obey anyway?

Will my picture ever hang in a hall of faith?

I hope I don’t have to be tested to find out……

Fake...

Fake…

I have some things that are not ‘real’. Lots of costume jewelry, some imitation furs, lots of cut glass.

….fake diamonds, fake mink, fake crystal.

It doesn’t matter to me that they are imitation. They are just as pretty.

I am pickier about some things. I don’t like fake leather. If you know me very well, you know I’m an original bag-lady. I like handbags, and I want ‘real’. Don’t give me some fake leather, I know the difference.

I heard a challenge via a radio message in my vehicle today that caused me to pause and consider my taste in authenticity.

I had just been shopping for a handbag I thought I wanted…til I felt of it and found it to be made of something called pvc. (..I think that must be plastic…)

I didn’t buy what I thought I wanted because it wasn’t ‘real’

I like leather. Real leather. Soft leather. Certainly not plastic.

The radio speaker challenged me about the authenticity of something else….my professed faith.

He said it is easy to fake religious convictions. Just learn the language, wear the clothes, and go to the right places. You’ll blend right in.

I want authentic leather in my handbags.

And I want to be authentic in the professions I make.

Lord, help me walk the talk….cause if you don’t, I’m sure to be faking it.

Help me, Father, to “do my best, fill my mind and help me to meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Help me put into practice what I have learned..” (Phillipians 4:8- The Message)

Exercise...

Exercise….

This time of year we hear a lot about exercise. There are dozens of infomercials about exercise equipment that will supposedly make exercise easier or more effective.

There are commercials for pills to swallow or concoctions to drink….

But the bottom line is, exercise is work. It takes on purpose, disciplined activity. Strenuous activity. No pain, no gain. (….or should I say loss?)

In my morning quiet time reading from The Message I came across this passage….


“Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus.
Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God--no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.” (1 Timothy 4:6-8)

Like staying clear of those machines that make promises as big as the price tags on them, I am instructed to be wise about my spirituality.

I can’t buy something and sit it in a room of my house and my body automatically be in better physical shape.

Neither can I buy a Bible, or a case of them….and automatically be in better spiritual condition.

Going to a church building won’t do it.

Only exercising the muscles of my heart and mind with the Word of God will make my spiritual condition more vibrant and healthy.

Exercise daily. In His Word.

And don’t wait till January 1st. Begin right now. This minute.

Don’t make a goal that is unattainable. Don’t set yourself up to fail.

One verse that conveys a message of truth from Him is better than reading several chapters.

Read, ask Him to speak to you thru the printed page.

And expect to hear Him….He is faithful.

What?!?.....

What??!!…

I don’t worship angels, don’t assume that they are at my beck and call. (they aren’t)

But this week, I’ve found myself thinking about their roles in the story of Christmas.

The messenger sent to Mary.
The messenger sent to Joseph.

And, the messengers sent to the shepherds.

Imagine having been an angelic being in the Presence of The Triune God and being sent to humans to announce The Word of that God would become one of them. God Himself would become human….

To save them from their fallen human condition.

“WHAT?!?”

“You? The God of the universe, Creator of it all…going to that planet and becoming a ….

….a human?”

And they were sent to announce and smooth the way.



Peter writes that angels ‘desired to look into’ the very things that he was reporting in the letter he was penning. (1Peter 1:12)

Angels were interested in the gospel message.

Angels have no Savior.

We, however, do.

Thank You Lord Jesus. (….sure am glad I’m not an angel)

Mary, did you know?....

Mary, did you know?

Again at Christmas time, I find myself trying to put myself in Mary’s place. Young, common, the future settled… Or so she thought.

Her life was planned out. Her future had been decided. She would be married to Joseph and live happily ever after.

Then…………

"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”(Luke 1:30-31)

I wonder, how much courage did it take to announce the news the angel brought to her?
I wonder ,who did she tell first?
I wonder, how long did she wait to tell it?

Did she wait until she was sure she really was with child? Or did she immediately believe, and without reservation, share the angel’s news right away?

How precious that God made sure that Joseph had no unanswered questions. Joseph wasn’t asked just to take Mary’s word for it. What a comfort it must have been to Mary for Joseph to share in the divine revelation of the coming Messiah she carried.

I bet they compared notes about what their angel looked and sounded like, was it the same one, or different…

Mary had her world turned upside down. Yet, she didn’t go into a tailspin. Incredible

(God knew not to pick someone like me, I’d have definitely gone into a tailspin…)

I think Mary probably shed plenty tears, wondering about what lay ahead, hearing the whispers, feeling the stares. But there was no turning back. She did nothing but go forward in trust.

I was once young and certainly common. At one time, I too thought my future was settled. It sure has taken some turns I didn’t expect.

How thankful I am that God continues to reassure me with His Presence.

Mary didn’t know her life would turn out like it did.

But she knew her Child was The Messiah.

None of us can know what our life will turn out like.

But we can know Him, Who was the Christ Child.

He is the great I AM. And He has my future.

Eternally

Watch out...

*•♫♪♪♫•*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪* “You better watch out !”….*•♫♪♪♫••*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪*

That lyric is heard a lot in homes with children this time of year.

I’ve used it many times when my boys were little.

I‘ve sung *•♫♪♫•*“…Santa Clause is coming, to town.”*•♫♪♫•*many many times as a reminder to ‘be good’, and not that I’m pleased that I did it, sometimes I sang it as a threat.

Today I would change the lyrics!

*•♫♪♫•* “You better watch out….Jesus Christ is coming, again.” *•♫♪♫•*

That isn’t a threat, it’s a promise from scripture that you can be sure of.

Whether you are ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’.

Whether you’ve been ‘bad’ or ‘good’.


He sees you.

He knows.

And He is coming.


Surer than Santa Clause….

Offering...

Offering…

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service..” (Romans 12:1)

I don’t think there is one of us that would jump to say our body is ‘holy’.

But the ‘therefore’ of verse 1 refers back to the preceding 11 chapters of Paul’s message in the book of Romans.

Paul wrote those chapters explaining about the situation of all humans, our ruined condition….and God’s rescue.

We often jump right to the ‘duty’, right to what we should ‘offer’….and never really come to understand the doctrine taught…. that HE is the one that makes our bodies holy.

Nothing I can ever do or not do will make me holy. Not one single thing or a hundred things….

If God places me in His Son, I am holy….


Not because of things I eliminate…
Not because of words I don’t say anymore or places I don’t go anymore…..
Not because of any kind of behavior modification.

The “therefore” of verse 1 is a first step…a first choice to finding God’s will and walking in it……….walking behind His Son Jesus, Whom we follow.

Choosing to do that is really the only thing we have to offer God. He created every single thing that is a reality to you and I. Nothing of that is really mine, I have nothing He has not provided.

The paper (money) that we lay in the offering plate is just a tool that WE have devised to USE what HE has given us in the first place.

The only value it has to Him is the attitude of our hearts when we offer it back to Him. We either offer it freely and with joy, or out of meaningless duty.

Is our money all we offer Him?

During this season of Christmas, we hear songs about the wise men bringing gifts to the infant Jesus.

I’m sure those valuable gifts came in handy to two poor parents, displaced from their homes, separated from family and support systems. The gift was valueable, and the gift was used.

But I wonder what a big smile it brought to God’s heart to have these ‘wise men’ travel such distance, just to meet Immanuel, “God With Us”.

The priority was to find The Promised One. The offerings were the least of it I think…the true gifts they brought were within. The worship of the newly born King of Kings.

What do you understand about what He has given you?

“The One who is highly honored lives forever. His name is holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. But I also live with anyone who turns away from his sins. I live with anyone who is not proud. I give new life to him. I give it to anyone who turns away from his sins. (Isa. 57:15)


What do you bring Him this morning?

A little of your money?

An hour or two of your time?


“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…. a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”(Ps. 51:17)

Living sacrifices…..

I am a living sacrifice. Are you?

Like me, do you have a tendancy to squirm around on the altar? Like me, do you regularly climb off?


This morning, I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing, Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due…Oh Lord, I bring an offering to You.

Favored...

Favored…

Mary was highly favored. She was chosen to be the birth mother of deity. Probably in her teens, an angel appeared to her to give her the incredible news.

I haven’t seen an angel (that I know of…).

But I’ve been given some incredible news.

“….He hath made me accepted..” (Eph.1:6 KJV, personalized by me)

Both ‘highly favored’ and ‘accepted’ are translated from the same original word ‘charitoo’.


I am highly favored.

Mary received the Seed of God into herself.

I have received the Spirit of God into myself. I am not His mother, He is my Father. I do not share my human condition with Him, He shares His perfect holiness with me.



“When I believed, he marked me with a seal. The seal is the Holy Spirit that He promised.”(2Timothy 1:14 personalized by me)

“ The Spirit marks me as God's own…”(Eph. 1:14 personalized by me)

“ He has given me the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes me sure of what is still to come…”(2Cor. 5:5 personalized by me)


I’m not a god, and I’m certainly not God. I’m not an angel, and I’m not perfect.

But I am a child of The Most High God.

I will “ Guard the truth of the good news that I was trusted with. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in me…”(2Tim. 1:14 personalized by me)


“I know the One I have believed in. I am sure He is able to take care of what I have given Him. I can trust Him with it until the day He returns as judge. I will follow what I heard as the pattern of true teaching. Follow it with faith and love because I belong to Christ Jesus.”(2 Tim. 1:12-14 personalized by me)

I am highly favored.

Hallelujah.

Lyrics...

Lyrics…
“….while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wandering love…”

Another beautiful Christmas carol…angels hovering over the Christ child. The Holy One Himself, dressed in human infant flesh.

Angels are not at our disposal. They can be, and are, sent by God to minister to us, but only to serve His purposes and carry out His will. Certainly not ours.

I’ve had reason to look at some facts about angels this past week. I’m really glad I’m not an angel.

Angels obviously can choose poorly. “ …. the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home….”(Jude 1:6)

“God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He put them in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them.” (2Peter 2:4)

But there is no offer of redemption to them. Satan and his rebellious group were cast out. There is no Savior to angels.

Jesus stepped out of His deity within the Godhead, not to become an angel. He didn’t enter into the angelic realm, angels can’t reproduce. There are no baby angels.

But God’s created humanity procreates, and He chose to birth Himself into our race, become like us, to live the perfect life that we forfeited in The Garden incident.

He lived the perfect life that I can not, because of the sin nature passed on to me from my ancestors. He shares in my heritage thru His mother’s blood, formed in her womb, birthed from her body.

All humans ”…. have bodies made out of flesh and blood. So Jesus became human like them in order to die for them. By doing that, he could destroy the one who rules over the kingdom of death. I'm talking about the devil. Jesus could set people free who were afraid of death. All their lives they were held as slaves by that fear. It is certainly Abraham's children that he helps. He doesn't help angels. So he had to be made like his brothers in every way.”(Hebrews. 2:14-17)

I wonder if angels die. I wonder why it is that in scripture, when they manifest themselves, they are always portrayed as men, never female, and why we always see feminine figurines or pictures. I wonder what things they ‘long to look into’ (1 Peter 1:12) I wonder what they will be judged about, and what it will be like to judge them…because “ Don't you know that we will judge angels?” 1Cor.6:3)

I wonder lots…..we aren’t told lots. Just enough to make me really glad I’m not an angel. ….I know, I know…. you all already knew I’m not one…)

Wish list, calmness...

I wish to be calm.

Listening to the well known Christmas carole, “Silent Night” makes me wish to always be calm.
Oh, I like a little excitement sometimes. (…never, ever, however, drama !!)



There is just nothing that will ever replace a calm heart. Nothing compares to a rest filled spirit.

I’ve been occupied today with a word study about ‘rest’.

God has made it possible for me to be calm….He has provided the possibility of rest.

For me, and for all believers. For you if you choose to receive it…



I sit at His feet, and know calmness.

“…all is calm…”

I feast on His recorded Word and get new glimpses of His majesty.

“…glory streams, from heaven afar…”

I revel in His love for me, His forever outstretched Hand, even in the face of my sin and imperfection.

“…with the dawn of redeeming grace…”



“Christ, my Savior, is born…”

Wishes, discernment....

I wish to be more discerning.

I want to recognize right from wrong. Immediately.
I want to recognize good from bad. Instantly.
I want to recognize the vital from the trivial. Consistently.

I want to have my conscience trained.
I want my senses to be alert.
I want my mind clear and focused.
I want my body responding to my spirit and not my flesh.

I want my spiritual eyes to be keen.
I want my spiritual taste to be for truth.
I want to distinguish what is pleasing and what is provoking to my Creator.

I want to recognize what is helpful, and what is hurtful to my body, my spirit, my soul.
I want to recognize temptation before it gets to me, long before I become trapped or involved.
I want to use scripture as it is intended by God, not to suit my own purposes.

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar……. you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.”(Ps. 139:1-4)

“…. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me…. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:13,14)


I live in a body of flesh. But I am a spiritual being and I have a soul.

Personal sin is not just offensive to God, it is hurtful to me. What is displeasing to Him is even more so because of the effect it has on me, His creation.

My sin hurts Him….and me.

Even if I don’t discern it at the moment.

I wish to be more and more discerning.

Wish Lists....

This is the time of year we hear a lot about wishes. Children have long lists, often very expensive ones.

I begin my wish list tonight.

It will NOT be a regret list.

It won’t be a list of things I wish I hadn’t done or said.

A wish is a desire. What is it that I really desire?

The words recorded in Psalm 37:4 have long been a very personal message to me…… “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

The message in that verse is not a matter of how to get what you want.

It isn’t about kissing up to God so He’ll give us everything on our wish list.

It IS, however, about the desire of our hearts being met.

How? Where from ?

Certainly not the North Pole or the fancies of department stores.

The wishes of my heart will never be realized by anything I can do. I can’t buy it, you can’t furnish it.

I wish to know Him better than I know Him now. Not so He will give me anything.

But because He already has.

He has given me life eternal......I wish to know Him as never before.

Thankful #22...

I am thankful I am becoming perfect.

"Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus.

I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal……… There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals…..I've warned you of them many times…….Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven!
I'm waiting the arrival of my Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform my earthy body into a glorious body like His own.

He'll make me beautiful and whole….. with the same powerful skill by which He is putting everything as it should be, under and around Him.” (Phillipians 3:13-21 The Message)

I was not a perfect child. I was, however, easily disciplined.
I was not a perfect teenager. I was, however, seldom rebellious.
I was not a perfect young adult. I was, however, responsible and dependable.

I am not a perfect daughter. I do, however, honor my father and mother.
I am not a perfect sister. I do, however, respect them as equals.
I am not a perfect wife. I am, however, completely committed.
I am not a perfect mother. I am, however, devoted and prayerful.
I am not a perfect friend. I am, however, trustworthy and truthful.

I am not a perfect hairdresser. I do, however, do my best.
I am not a perfect business owner. I am, however, honest and fair.
I am not a perfect citizen. I am, however, law abiding.

I don't always do all of the above.
I don’t always do the right thing.
I don’t always say the right thing.
I don’t always act in the right way.
I don’t always have the right attitude.

My body is not perfect.
My skin is not perfect.
My hair is not perfect.

But I am being perfected…..not by my effort alone, but by the only perfect One Who ever walked in flesh, as I do.

“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.” (Hebrews. 10:14 The Message)

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Only let us live up to what we have already attained....

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Php.3:12-21NIV)


Me?.....Perfect?

Not yet……

But He is.

“ As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (Ps. 18:30-32)


"His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of Him who called me by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given me His very great and precious promises, so that through them I may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.."(2Peter 1:3-4 personalized by me)

Hallelujah.

Thanksgiving indeed.

Thankful #21....

I am thankful for hearing.
My ears have always been very sensitive to sound. So sensitive, in fact, that some sounds are painful.

My man doesn’t hear like I do. He hears low sounds easily, more easily than I do really…but the higher pitched sounds…like my female voice…he doesn’t hear it well at all... (…..or so he says :-) ........)

I’m thankful to hear music. I love all kinds.
I’m thankful to hear the sounds of nature. I love all kinds of that too.

I’m thankful to hear my man breathing next to me at night. I don’t love that every night….but I’m still thankful.

I am thankful that I can hear. But I’m more thankful that God can.

I'm thankful that He does....thankful that He has never been hard of hearing, nor will He ever be.

He will hear every single thing I say to Him.

Always.

Thankful #20

I am thankful for hunger.

…..Not the kind that comes from an empty stomach.

I am thankful that I have a hunger for knowing what God has said, what He has done, and what His will is.

I am thankful that the hunger is met with understanding another layer of truth.

I am thankful that the hunger returns, only to be met with understanding yet another layer of truth.

I am thankful for the written Word of God, the book we call Bible, a source of feeding my hunger.

Jesus said, “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”(Matt.5:6)
The Message says it like this…."You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink is the best meal you'll ever eat.”


I’m sad that so many people have no hunger for Him. Some have just accepted their unrighteous condition and don’t have an appetite for right-ness at all.

So many people have never been empty. They are stuffed and running over with themselves. They fill themselves up with spiritual junk food and top it off with a big ME-pie.

Like it or not, admit it or not…we are spiritual beings. There is a spirit within us that will be fed. And when we don’t on purpose feed it the right thing, it will graze on all the junk food it can find, and there is plenty of it in our culture.

I am so thankful to be aware of what I am really hungry for. I am so thankful to know what it is to have that hunger fully satisfied.

When you find what you are really hungry for, nothing else will ever satisfy you again.

“ I am the bread of life.”(John 6:48)


You are hungry for God. Whether you know it or not, or admit it or not. You are.

And nothing else will ever fill you like He will.

Thankful #19....

I am thankful for community.

We are getting ready to go to a community Thanksgiving service.

As I count my blessings, I count it a great blessing to live in a community that gathers together each year, regardless of political differences, racial differences, and even religious differences…

….no matter what the sign on the door of your church building says….once a year, we gather to thank God for His blessings to our community…

…. we join together planning and preparing for the coming year…

….purposing to meet as many of the needs as can be met of those among us and those who may need help as they pass thru….



Webster says community is “a society of people, having common rights and privileges, or common interests, civil, political or ecclesiastical; or living under the same laws”.

We often get bogged down in denominating ourselves, separating ourselves into groups, categorizing ourselves…

Our enemy loves that. It helps his purposes.

I am thankful to be part of a community where Jehovah Nissi still is the banner above us.


“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: He said, "Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation….”(Ex. 17:15-16)

Thankful #18...

I am thankful for indoor plumbing.

I remember as a little girl, spending the night with my great great grandmother and her ‘old maid’ daughter.

I don’t recall if the house had electricity or not, I didn’t notice that. But I sure did notice the absence of a bathroom. The little country church just up the road where they attended services didn’t have one either.

I remember the trails that led to both of them. I remember the smell. And I remember looking over into that hole….uuugggghhh. Wish I could forget that !

I am thankful that when I ‘need to go’, I have only a few steps indoors to be in the appropriate place, no stench, and no horrendous sights.

I am thankful that I don’t have one of those ‘chamber pots’ under my bed, and I have never had to empty one of them.

I am indeed thankful for indoor plumbing. And it just amazes me that the men of this house will walk past two of them to go outside …..

Thankful #17...

I am thankful for blow dryers.

I have been working behind a styling chair for 38+ years. When I started, there were no blow dryers. There were hood dryers. For home use, if we had the fancy one, it folded into a hard case. The not so nice one had a plastic bonnet that stretch fitted over your head.

My first blow dryer looked nothing like the ones I use today. And believe me, it didn’t work like mine does today either !

My niece is now in beauty school. Every day that I work, when she gets out of school, she comes to the salon and helps me for the rest of my day. I look forward to her arrival because she always has a tale to tell about her day. And I love hearing them.

She did her first roller set the other day. She told me about her client, and about how well her technique was in getting the rollers in. And she said ‘It was fun!’

If roller sets come back…I’m going home. Just so you know…..

I am thankful for blow dryers.

And I am thankful that most women prefer them !!!

Thankful #16...

I am thankful for being satisfied.

I think back on how hard I have worked for some “thing”.

I worked hard for the dining room table that still sits across the room from me. I bought is at Plum Fun Discount Furniture so many years ago I can’t recall…it is solid oak. The chairs are beginning to show a lot of wear, the tabletop needs resurfacing yet again, and one of the claw feet has some chew marks from a puppy the boys brought in long ago.

I worked hard for the sofa I am sitting on, (the same one I spent a few sleepless hours on last night….!!) It is very heavy, wonderful fabric, very well made. It it the best piece of living room furniture we have owned…much better than the three cheap sofas we have had.

I am thankful for the camper that sits outside under it’s own shelter. I worked hard to pay for it and the camper barn that it sits under. It is not as fancy a camper as the ones they make now, it doesn’t have as many slides as they make them with now, but does have one. It is much nicer than the camper my parents had when I was young, and certainly better than the tent we camped with when our boys were little. Definitely not a needed item…

I am thankful for king sized maple bedroom suit in our bedroom, I worked hard for it. It provides me with more sleeping space than I had when we slept on a full sized bed. Kerry Pinkham has some long legs…..

We never had a matched bedroom suit until I bought this one. When they began to unload it, he said he thought they’d brought the wrong one, this was a really fancy one.

No…it was right.

He asked how much I’d paid for it and I advised him that if he wanted to be able to sleep when he laid down on it, he probably shouldn’t know. It was an expensive purchase for us, especially at that time. But I worked hard, and I paid for it.

All of those things were expensive. They aren’t the finest things in the world, but they are much finer than what we once had, but certainly they are not necessary.

We could eat sitting on the floor. Many do. Dirt floors in fact.

We could sleep on the floor. Many do.

We don’t need a little house to pull around behind the vehicle I have. That little house is more shelter than a large number of people enjoy.

These are examples of things I have become satisfied with. Regrettably, there were many things I worked hard for that didn’t satisfy for long. Much of my work has been for things that I no longer even have….things that I became dissatisfied with, and discarded.

I am thankful to have come to the place in my life where I am satisfied more easily.

Oh don’t get me wrong, I often still have the desires for the new, the better, more of , the latest…(for those of you who know me well, you’ll know my weakness for a nice handbag.)


I heard it once said that happiness is not having what you want…it is wanting what you have. I have learned how true that is.

Solomon, who was the wisest of men, wrote this…“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? (Ecc. 5:10-11)

The quest for having what will make you happy is a lie. You can’t earn it, create it, or buy it. There is only One Source of life and true happiness. Only He can give and provide what He alone created.


“ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…”(Eccc. 2:24-26)


“ Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this..”(Ps: 37:4-5)

Thankful #15...

I am thankful for my simple way of life.

Things tend to start getting really complicated this time of year. Holiday plans overlap. People get over extended both in time and energy. Sometimes even financially…

I have determined that I will not get caught up in it or stressed about it.


Starting right now........

Thankful #14....

11-15-11
I am thankful for Bible Study Fellowship.

You may have heard about BSF. Maybe not. The organization has been around since the 1950s and there are classes literally around the world…over a thousand of them.

There is no ‘church’ affiliation, no denominational name tag associated with it…( there ARE name tags….everyone wears one with their name displayed big enough for everyone to see it and use it.)

Daily questions give a place to start for individual personal Bible study. When classes meet once a week, there is a time for small groups to discuss the insights gained from that personal time in God‘s Word.

Challenging lectures bring more information and application to what everyone has studied personally the week before, having privately sat at the foot of our Lord, Bible in hand, prayerfully and expectantly listening for the teaching and guidance of His Holy Spirit within.

Study notes given out after the lecture provide even more teaching and application as well as the questions for the upcoming week.

I’ve been churched since before I have memory. I knew how to read. I knew and purchased all the various resources …. commentaries, dictionaries, etc.

This method of study is so very different.

I’ve learned so much.

“ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…(Heb.1:1-2)

I have the help He promised….“.. the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)


The most important thing I’ve learned in my years of BSF is that God does indeed speak to every single person thru His written Word by the power of His Holy Spirit.

He speaks to me. I don’t have to have the right commentary. I have a very personal Teacher.

Thankful #13...

I am thankful for immediate answers.

More often than not, waiting is involved. I’m better at waiting than I was at one time, but I’m not any better at liking the wait.

I like immediate service, immediate responses…and I like immediate answers to my prayers.

More often than not, I have to wait for all of them.

But, occasionally I get an immediate answer, and I must admit…it is usually quite startling when I do. God has such a sense of humor sometimes…. Here is my latest immediate answer…

Do not fret.

Trust in the LORD and do good

Delight yourself in the LORD

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land
(select verses from Psalm 37)

When frustrated and disturbed, (that sounds better than mad as a wet hen…) I think of all sorts of ways to respond…(that sounds better than retaliate)

And when I ask God to show me how to walk thru it, He needs only to remind me of what I already know. Hence the latest message from Psalm 37.…

Fretting is useless.

I am responsible for my choices, either to do good….or not so good.

Handling it in my own human manner is just telling Him that I don’t trust Him to take care of it.

Taking charge and setting everyone straight is not committing my way to Him, but committing to my own agenda.

Waiting is the smart thing to do because I don’t see the big picture nor do I know other people’s heart.

What something ‘looks like’ is not always what it is. God will have His way ultimately…He just sometimes has a purpose for it taking longer than it ‘looks like’ it should take.

My temper and imagination will only lead to my own wrong thoughts and behavior.
I have a choice. I can continue to look at my wrong thoughts and consider them…or I can on purpose turn FROM them and choose life instead of death.

I can believe that God WILL keep His promises, that He IS KEEPING His promises even now, and especially when I don’t see nor understand the mechanics of His ways.

Thankful #12...

Today I am thank for grandchildren.

I remember eleven years ago today getting a call that my first would be arriving within hours.

The time was a bit early, but circumstances demanded an early delivery...so we headed off to the hospital and got there just in time to see our son hovering over a tiny little baby girl in a hospital nursery. Chesley was here, healthy, and precious.

She was our first experience as far as grand children went…and our first experience at little girls. They are indeed different than the two little boys born to us. Their grandfather had no daughters, and had no sisters. Boy was he in for surprises !

What a joy it is to be a grandparent. Grandchildren are just that. Grand children. Grand indeed.

What a legacy born to us.

“Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children…”(Prov. 17:6)

What a responsibility.

“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..”(Prov. 13:22)

We can’t eat cake and ice-cream with our firstborn grand-daughter on this, her birthday. We are geographically separated. (…another reason to be thankful for technology !! )

But we will never be separated in heart.

How we love you Chesley. Happy birthday sweetie…

Thankful #11....

I am thankful for rest.

Rest, as in going to bed and actually sleeping all night.
And rest, as in sleeping late!!

Rest, as in sitting with coffee for as long as you want.
Rest, as in reading whatever you want, and for however long you want.

Rest as in no agenda, no demands on my time or energy.

All of those things and a list of dozens more define what we think of as rest.

But here is where REAL rest comes from…. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest….”(the words of Jesus, Matthew 11:28 emphasis mine)

When I find myself so very weary, often it is not a weariness that can be recuperated from by a good night’s sleep. It is weariness that is a result of getting out from under the yoke with Jesus, pulling the weight of my life in my own strength. When I do that, it doesn’t take long for me to wear myself out.


“ Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.' If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Ex. 33:12-14)

Moses was called by God to shepherd His people out of bondage, thru a wilderness, to a promised place.

Moses knew the landscapes and the dangers. He knew the Egyptians, and he knew the life of a nomad shepherd. He had his hands full…but he was never asked to do it in his own ability.

I’m certainly not Moses. but I’m called by God to be a beacon of His Light, leading people out of bondage, pointing the way to His promised land.

And if you wear The Name of Jesus Christ….you too are called. Jesus Himself said, “….go and make disciples …and teach them…”(Matt. 28:20)

Like Moses, I am not left to my own ability. I don’t have the cloud guiding me by day and fire by night, I have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God within.



If Moses couldn’t do it alone, who am I to think I can…..

Thankful #10

I am thankful for today.

Thankful that it is over.

Thankful that all todays aren’t like this one was…


And I’m thankful for the encouragement and hope from God’s Word about days like today….

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”(Hebrews 3:13-14)

“…as long as it is today….:”

That includes this day.

Encourage one another. And if there’s nobody encouraging you...for those who share in Christ, He provides encouragement Himself. He comes in The Person of The Holy Spirit to encourage.

I am thankful for today, and thankful for the Comforter Who helped me get thru it.

Thankfullness #9...

I am thankful for my man.

I am thankful for all the nonsense, the wisecracks, all the picking and teasing… There are very few hours that pass that he does not in some way acknowledge my worth to him…certainly never a day of the last 37+ years.

I am thankful for the morals that he has, the standards by which he endeavors to live, and the integrity that he strives to maintain.

I am thankful that he has never lorded himself over me, but has instead always had a servant heart. Not only does he think he’s not above any task, he considers that I am…and steps in to perform them instead.

I am thankful for the genuine concern he has for other people, the strong convictions about right and wrong, fairness, justice…

And I am thankful for the compassionate heart that has not become hard and calloused over the years, in spite of seeing and experiencing so much of human sinfulness and suffering.

He is a mighty man of God, my knight in shining armor.

Thankfullness #8....

I am thankful for seasons.

I love them all and my favorite one is usually whichever one we are in at the moment. (…unless I’m cold…I don’t like to be cold, but it takes more and more to make me be cold these days !!..)

When it is springtime, I enjoy watching the leaves sprout and the flowers begin to bloom, the birds building nests and laying eggs.

When it is summer, I love our garden, working the soil, enjoying fresh vegetables on our dinner table. I love a freshly mown lawn, the scent of honeysuckle in the evening air, and dips in the lake or swimming pool.

When it is fall, as it is now, I love watching the leaves change colors before my eyes. I love the smell, the warmth and the crackling sound of a fire as I sit on the patio by our chiminea sipping a cup of coffee.

When it is winter, I love the way snowflakes fall so silently and cover creation with a blanket of white that looks so incredibly serene and peaceful. I love the curling of the smoke coming from our chimney, the patterns of frost on the windshield, and the way it shimmers from the roofs of the houses.


I would tire of any one of the seasons. You would too.


God was wise to give us change in the seasons. We get bored so easily….an opportunity for the enemy to lead us into disobedience and rebellion.



“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

...I know that everything God does will endure forever…” (Ecc. 3 select verses)



Seasons don’t last.

The leaves bud and grow, they become lush and green, then change into brilliant colors, eventually falling to the ground to decay. They don’t last…

But they come back..

My life has seen many seasons. I’ve been thru lots of phases and experienced lots of growing pains. Certainly not suffered like some have, and certainly not from any merit of my own.

I’m nearing the autumn of an average life. Winter will come, this body will become dormant. And die.

And I will enter an eternal season with our Creator, with a glorified body, walking on the streets of glory.



“....Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God! Hour by hour I place my days in Your hand, safe from those who pursue me…….warm me, Your servant, with a smile; save me because You love me. (Ps. 31:14-16)



I love life. I love the seasons. And I love the God Who gave them both….



“ Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all:

He changes the seasons and guides history,
He raises up kings and also brings them down,
He provides both intelligence and discernment,
He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark--light spills out of Him!

God of all my ancestors, all thanks! all praise! (Daniel 2:20-23)

Thankfullness #7.....

I am thankful for children.

I love babies. They are so very small and helpless. A tiny little human being is such a wonder !

I love toddlers. They are so curious, constantly learning, absorbing new information all the time.

I love adolescents. They are so awkward, ready to explore the world while still loving to be coddled.

I love teenagers. They are so sure of themselves, so confident in their own wisdom and ability.

I love adult children best…..

One day they see how tiny they still are in the grand scheme of things.
They see how small a human being is, yet how incredibly important.
They begin to see how much they don’t know….. and admit it.
They begin to embrace the wisdom of other rather than claiming they don’t need it.
They embrace the awkwardness of living in this world where we have no control except of personal choice.


They begin to see the older generation thru different eyes, seeing beyond surface and circumstance. They begin to see the frailty and weakness that was there all along and appreciating the battle we refused to stop fighting.


I loved my sons when they were in the womb, never having seen them or known them.
I loved the infants that nuzzled at my breast.
I loved the toddlers who hid under the bed and spilled their milk.
I loved the adolescents,so happy yet utterly miserable, fighting to mature yet stay babies.
I loved the teenagers who were so sure they were smarter than me.


I love the adult sons who now see my efforts instead of my mistakes.
I love the adult sons who are willing to share themselves freely with their parents.
I love the adult sons recognize the passing of time, and understand that it is limited.
I love the adult sons whose desire is to fill our needs as fully as their needs were filled.
I love the adult sons who ask what I think, and genuinely value my input.



“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”(Psa. 127:3)


I am thankful for the two sons we are blessed with. I am thankful to know they will always be there for us as we grow older and older. My heart rests in knowing they will care for us when we can not.


I am thankful that our two sons acknowledge our Creator God, and thankful that He will guide them into all truth, one step at a time….. Just as He did with their father and I. He will make them into mighty men of God as they walk in His truth.


“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”(3John 1:4)


“Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.
The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.
May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!
My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,..”(Pro. 23:22-26)




Lord, help me listen as an adult child to my own words. Help me to continue to make my father and mother glad, may I be a blessing to them, a reward from You, an arrow in their hand, contending with any enemy, may I bring them joy as I walk in Your truth, may I never despise but always delight in them and value their wisdom.

Thankfullness #6

11-7-2011
I am thankful for color.

Especially this time of year.

I just drove to town and back and the colors of the leaves are just stunning.

My sweet man can explain to you just exactly how that happens and why. He loves to understand the ‘how’ behind God’s design. (..when he can..) Understanding the ‘how’ doesn’t change the wonder and awe of it for either of us. God is such a creative Creator ! Leaves change colors because of a certain activitiy that is going on within them.

Not that I care really, certainly not like my man does. I just know that God did it and I love it.

"…He changes times and seasons….. (Daniel 2:20)

In every season, there is evidence of His majesty.

Stop and look with wonder at His creation. Do it on purpose. Today. Right now.
Oh let us not loose the ‘Wow!’ of it !!

“…… turn from…. worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them…….He has not left Himself without testimony:…”(Acts 14:15)

He is God !! And He designed all that is reality to us !! Not me, not you, no human…. If you disagree, answer a few of the questions He asked Job.


"Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come? Have you ever shown the sun where to rise?”

“ What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?”

“Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons?”

“Do you know the laws of the heavens?…. tip over the water jars of the heavens…?”
(Job 38 select verses)

He is God.


"Think about this. Wrap your minds around it. This is serious business……….

I am GOD…

The only God you've had or ever will have-- incomparable, irreplaceable--

From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be. All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul, I'll do exactly what I set out to do,..”(Isa. 46:8-10 The Message)




Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great;

You are clothed with splendor and majesty.…
You stretch out the heavens like a tent …
You make the clouds Your chariot…….
You set the earth on its foundations….

You make grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—
The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night….

How many are Your works, O LORD!
In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever…


I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the LORD.
(Psalm 104 select verses)

Hallelujah.

Thankfullness #5

11-6-11
I am thankful for technology.

I know technology has brought a lot of undesirable stuff into the inner sanctuary of our home, but the devil intends to bring his evil into every realm., and he uses every means and every angle….in every generation and every culture. We are wise to learn his standard operating procedures and learn to recognize them immediately, shutting him down before he gets his stinky foot in the door.

Sure, there is a lot of porn on the internet. But there are thousands of excellent sources for Chrisitians to learn and grow or be entertained.

Sure, email and Facebook etc. remove the face to face, up-close-and-personal ways of relating to others. But there are thousands of friendships that are born and grow from the cyber world of social networking. Hundreds of friends and relatives are re-connected and communicating on a regular basis, sharing their lives thru words and photographs or videos.


There are lots of negatives to the social technology of today. (….I seem to remember the same said of television and satellite recievers…) Some things are most certainly of an evil nature, but the way to block out evil is not to do away with television or internet. Instead, we must choose to use them wisely and in obedience to how God created us to live.

There’s a way to navigate away from bad web-sites, and there’s a channel changer and off switch on the television. We again get to choose, use it….for good or for evil.

“………… God created humankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes." (Ecc. 7:29)

Humans are capable of making a mess of pretty much anything. And there is a very real spiritual realm that will help us do just that.

“….here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”(Ecc. 12:13,14)

That includes what you do in your cyber-world.


I was almost finished with this reflection last night when the computer sitting across my lap began to sway and I realized that I’d just experienced an earthquake. For the next several minutes, I visited in cyberspace with people from miles away and from people close by, who had also felt the earth move and heard it groaning. Instantly, before the television news had anything to report, I heard from my friends all over Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas about the event.

A few weeks ago, my son and his family experienced an earthquake in New Jersey. In moments I knew about it, heard them share their experience, and knew they were ok. Cell phone and video call technology….

Another reason to be thankful for technology !

Thankfullness #4

I am thankful for music .

I don’t remember the time that I did not sing. I grew up singing alto at church. I sang at many a wedding and funeral. I sang in talent shows, in the school choir….I sang along with records, 8 tracks, and transistor radios.

Glen Campbell was young and handsome, Rod Stewart was old and kinda weird…but I sang along with them both. I imagined myself as Connie Francis and Karen Carpenter…..

I am thankful now that I was neither one.

I can hardly remember when I couldn’t play the piano, even though I’ve never been an accomplished pianist.

My mother had an upright piano that her daddy bought her before she married and left home. It was hers, so it was ours, and it took up a big part of our living room for many years.

Somewhere along the way, she taught me to read the lines and spaces of music out of a church hymn book. The first song I learned to play was “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”.

He’s still the best Friend I have.

I thank Him this morning for how music ministers to my soul in ways that nothing else can.
I thank Him this morning for the love of music in both my husband and sons.

And I ask Him to use the love of music that He has placed within each of us for our good and His glory and honor.

After all, it was His idea……..

Thankfullness #3....

I am thankful for joy.

I almost said laughter, but laughter is not always something pleasant. Laughter can indicate derision or ridicule. Laughter can even hide pain.

There is no mistaking joy.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)


Joy can be present even in the most difficult moments.

I’ve known people suffering, fighting for life…and witnessed joy. I think of my own hours of childbirth…certainly no laughter, but filled with joy.

Only God can bring joy out of circumstances that are unpleasant at best.

“….Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit…..” (Isa. 61:3The Message)

Only God can redeem. And He can even redeem anxiousness, sorrow, and hurt, bringing about joy.

“ When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul. “(Ps. 94:19)

“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your Presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right Hand.”(Ps. 16:11)


“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The LORD is the strength of His people…”(Ps. 28:7,8)

Thank You Lord for the joy You have brought to my heart and life.....the joy of my family, my friends, my home, Your marvelous creation all around me… Thank you for simple pleasures of life and the capacity You have given me to find joy in them.

Thankfullness #2

11-3-11
I am thankful for being ‘churched’.

There was instilled in me a very strong sense of right and wrong, a recognition and submission to authority, and a knowledge of Biblical information and teaching.

For some time, I resented such tight boundaries, so many restrictions…and of the fear of not staying within the boundaries.

Now, I am so very thankful for those restrictions. Those boundaries kept me safe. Those restrictions prevented me from ever having the opportunity to make some bad choices….and that saved me a lot of heartache.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”(Ps. 111:10)

Fear was the beginning of any wisdom I now have.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”(John 8:26)

I now enjoy freedom. Now, I am not as apt to choose poorly, I am just a bit wiser than I was. Not as wise as I hope to become. It is a journey.

I’m definitely not there yet…..

Thankfullness...

11-1-11
I am challenging myself to post one thing I am thankful for as my status every day until Thanksgiving. Want to join me? Today I am thankful that I have a clearer understanding and more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ than I have had in the past, and thankful to know His love in a very real way.

11-2-11
I am thankful for the promises of scripture. Promises from a holy God who can not lie and will never forget nor fail.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I can be sure that what God asks is always and only good. Whatever He asks, whatever difficulty I face, no matter what it ‘looks’ like….God’s plan for me is good.

I am thankful that He doesn’t take my failure as an out for Himself.

It is me who has the desire to quit, never ever Him. No matter how often I stumble or even fall flat on my face…He is willing and anxious to raise me up and continue forward.

(….there’s that song in my head again…. ‘movin’ on up….’…)

Movin' on.....

Movin’ on… I recall a theme song about movin’ on… “ movin’ on up, to the east side…”....

We said goodbye tonight. Some dear folks are movin’ on.

They have been used by God in our lives, touched our hearts. They have often challenged us, served us, loved us, occasionally even failed us.

As have we them.

There comes a time for all of us to ‘move on’. It is discerning the ‘when’ of it that is difficult.

Location may change, but the mission however, never ever changes.

“….Jesus came to them and said….go and make disciples…. baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…. teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The disciples and apostles of Jesus certainly knew about movin’ on. They did plenty of it. Sometimes by choice, sometimes out of necessity. But whatever the case, their intent was to inform and convince every person they met that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected, explaining the profound impact of that truth to all who would believe and participate.


Tonight, we heard these words….“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”(2Timothy 4:7)

May we all someday be able to say with Paul that we fought a good fight… that we might finish our individual life’s race… that we too might keep the faith.

These past years, this man and his family have plowed some ground, planted some seeds, fought some weeds, and harvested some fruit.

May God continue to use him in mighty ways as he and his family continue to serve Him, seeking His Face…..in another place.

“The Lord be with your spirit Shawn Bailey. Grace be with you and your family.” (2Timothy 4:22 personalized by me)