Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Realizing the Invisible
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| Wednesday, May 28, 2008 |
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I am just learning so much lately I don't think I can even write it all down!
Have you ever just looked around at everything in your life and gawked at all the connections?
That's how I feel right now. I know that I will either make this WAY too long or forget to write something and have to post it in the next day or 2... OK, I'm babbling now... sorry.
Where to begin....? "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.":)}
And what would that be?
I guess I should start with a verse that really came alive for me... It has been on my mind a lot lately..
Ephesians 6:
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
I had a meeting with the youth leader and my dd a few weeks back. He spoke about the armor of God and allowed her to heft his broadsword that he kept in his office. I have heard the above verse for years, and I have been known to go days without opening my Bible- I know- BAD... but I justified it, after all, the first century church didn't have its own copies of most of scripture, I have a good memory and verses pop up in my head when I need them. I felt justified. I made sure that all the other elements of my battle gear were in place.
HEY_ but the WORD said TAKE the sword of the Spirit- how can I fight without even picking it up?
I was not defenseless before the enemy, but I have come to realize that although I may keep alive in this battle by just using the defensive garments, I will not be slaying any Dragons without my weapon. Nor will I be defending anyone with weaker faith, or walking very far with the gospel shoes. Instead I sit holding the shield of faith over my head and not actually engaging in the fray.
What good is a soldier with no weapon? Sure, they can be a medic, and that is needed, but in a spiritual War there can be no conscientious objectors, for we are NOT battling flesh and blood but pure EVIL. None of us should stand in the middle of the clashing armies without participation.
I treated with indifference the countless lives lost and tortures endured just so I could possess such a treasured tome. The Words of Life had been dropped in my lap and I refused to use them! |
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Raccoons and The Devil
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Last year, we had raccoons living underneath our house.. this is what I learned through that:)
God is so cool!
Thursday, April 17, 2008, 09:45 AM CST [ General]
I started writing this a few days ago, but or some reason, I was unable to complete it because this website wouldn't come up for me- It's because I accidentally put a comma in the web address link where there should be a period! DOH!
Anyway....
We have raccoons living under our house. Raccoons are cute, and sound very nice with their twittering calls. I didn't mind them being here when I first found out about them.....
I figured, what will it hurt?- they can live here underneath us and no one will need to know they are there. The calls turned into noises in my ears. They scared the kids. The dog started whining and howling at the vents in our floor. I had to go through some red tape to get someone to come out and trap them. They caught one on Monday night.We continued to hear the squeaky sounds- they had babies. But Momma has not been caught yet-( they cry fior a few minutes and then abruptly stop every few hours during the day and night) so that must have been Daddy. Our cats have flea allergies and now the fleas are coming back...
When I walked in the door the other day, I could SMELL them.... I wonder if I will ever get rid of the stink....
and I thought it was so cool to have them here at first.
How many times do we invite unsavory guests into our hearts and homes and churches, thinking that they don't matter? Our prideful thoughts, gossip, entertaining deceitfullness, using insults thinking we are clever, and forgetting to forgive our brothers and sisters.....
There are holes in our armor when we act unrighteously, tell lies, fight with others in the Body, forget that our salvation doesn't come from our good deeds, leave our Bibles to collect dust, choose to put our faith in ourselves, and tell all about the great sale at that store, but never say a word about how our Savior splurged and got us all tickets to Heaven.
We think these are little things... but they can be dangerous to our hearts, families and churches, damaging our witness for Christ.
Sins can be attractive, and seem harmless- if they weren't we wouldn't do them!
How did our raccoons get in? There was a hole in the skirting of our manufactured home, and it was unprotected, like a hole in the armor of God, some facet of the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, shoes of the Gospel of peace, or shield of fath was not intact.
The sins can multiply like our raccoons did.
Our families can become insecure, just because one sin, not dealt with opens up the door to more.
One day, without even knowing it has happened, you might notice that your attitude stinks!
Other people may notice it too......
Letting the little things in leaves you open to attack.
We should have called for help earlier..... Lesson in godly relationships!
Call someone to help you who has experience in a discipling relationship!
Sometimes, sins won't go away, simply because the sinner who harbors them doesn't want to cut off all access( as in the case of addiction). But once the culprit is discoved, the access must be denied in order to be rid of the resident completely. |
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Adoption
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I have known a few families with adopted children, and it always strikes me how they take on the mannerisms and even facial expressions of their parents.
This even happens when the parents and children are of diferent races. My friend S. who is white, and his daughters A. and N. who are black Brittish East Indian, are fun to watch together. S is a real joker- kind of like Hawkeye on M.A.S.H., but with a cleaner mind. A can mimmic her daddy with precision. She can walk like him, make faces he makes and even has his jocularity down pat.
Another caucasian couple I know, whose children are Korean is the same way. When G. talks to her mother, B, I can see B's character reflected clearly in G.'s manner.
When I was looking for material for this blog ( most things God has been telling me lately are of a more personal nature), the Lord kept bringing to mind the red-winged blackbirds I have been seeing at the roadside.
Take a look at this link, to learn a bit more and hear their calls:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/spring/RedwingDictionary.html
(I'll admit, it isn't the prettiest song, but it has its own charm)
THE COOL THING ABOUT RED-WINGED-BLACKBIRDS IS...
different populations and subspecies of Red-winged Blackbirds vary markedly in size and proportions. An experiment was conducted that moved nestlings between populations and found that the chicks grew up to resemble their foster parents.
It reminds me of our adoption as God's children. He promises that we will become more and more like His begotten Son. How does it feel to be chosen to be princes and princesses of the King of the Universe? We are being brought up in a Royal Household. bearing the image of Christ to the world. It is not a result of our striving that we become like Him. Oh no, He is the Author and the FINISHER of our faith, who will bring his work to completion in us.
Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified Bible)
2Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.(A)
1 Corinthians 1:
27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Romans 4:
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
N, (one of the twins) when speaking about her adoption into the Royal Family, expressed her joy in this way:
" Mom and Daddy only get to be adopted once, but I get to be adopted TWICE!" |
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Lessons in Trust
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Friday, February 22, 2008, 09:48 AM CST [ General]
My Dear brother and his wife got me the movie "One Night With the King" for Christmas. It's a great movie. The movie people did take some creative lisence and change a few things, but all in all, I loved it every time I saw it. Last night, we watched it again, and I discovered something new. The story begins with Xerxes inviting his Queen Vashti to his banquet ( presumably to show her off to a bunch of drunk guys who had been feasting for the 7th day in a row) which she refused. This angered the king and he denounced her as queen.
In the end, The king is asked to go to Esther's banquet- not once, but twice!
Esther's relationship with him somehow softened and humbled him to the point where he would do that because he loved her.
Another Lesson:
Last Wednesday, I was at church and was blessed to hear Pastor Todd speak.There were so many messages within his sermon that I think I could spend a week relating all of them!
He told a story about a family that had a housefire. Everyone got out safely except the 5 year old son, who was still in the second story bedroom. The child was crying and rubbing his eyes, calling his father. The father could see him, but he knew that going back into the house was not a good idea. He called to his son, and told him to jump.
"But Daddy, I can't see you!" the boy cried.
The Father answered " Yes, son, but I can see you. Jump!"
The boy jumped and his father caught him.
Pastor Todd said " Can't you hear your Father saying to you.' Jump! I'll catch you!'?"
The main theme of this night was trust, and prayer for even the little things.
It is a comfort to know that even when we don't see God in a situation, He still sees us.
What will we loose if we trust Him?
What will we gain?
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Last New Year's Hopes- answered Prayers!!!
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Last year, this was my hope and prayer for 2009, and I have to say that for the most part, it is accomplished . Big AMEN!!!!!!!!
Some is in process, but then, I didn't really ask for things that would have an ending, did I? I can see this when I look back at this post:)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 09:16 PM CST [ General]
Looking back over last year, i have to say that it was a good one overall. I saw many changes and a lot o personal and spiritual growth for me and for my family.
What would I want this year.....? This come to me in the middle of our midweek service tonight and i knew I was being told to write it in my blog.
I want knitting.
I 'd ask God for a closer knit family and a tighter knit marriage. I actually taught myself to knit out of a desire to know God in a more intimate way.
I know it sounds funny:) Let me explain....
Psalm 139:13 (New International Version)
says:
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I wanted to enjoy and better understand the creative process of God's design of the human body.
For those of you who don't knit- it is mostly just pulling yarn through a series of loops with the aid of two sticks. There are really only 2 stitches and everything else is a variation on those.
What does a knitter do..... Well, she knows how she wants the finished product to look. She either uses a pattern or she has an ability to foresee the end result of her work. She uses imagination to make something beautiful. She takes something without much form and makes it into something that has a purpose. It may be something like a dishcloth, or something very complex like a doily or a goth style sweater.
I want to see God continuing His work in and through me.
I want to be knit together closer with my husband and for us to be worked even- into God's plan for us. When a multicolored pattern is knit, it is done in one of two ways. There is one way, called stranding ( sometimes referred to as "fair Isle") in which the different colors are carried along together on the backside of the fabric, making the end result strong and warm, but sometimes that can get caught on things, like fingers and toes. it is also not as pretty on the inside, and sometimes it gets in the way, like too many cooks spoiling the broth. Sometimes it is good to have this kind of a knit and sometimes it might be better if it were simpler.
That's when the situation calls for intarsia knitting. In this kind of knitting, the yarns are twisted around each other as one is dropped and the other is picked up to form stitches in the new color. The fabric ends up being only one layer thick, and can be reversible so that the inside or backside is just as nice as the outside. Each strand appears only to do it's own job and does not interfere with the rest, yet it is still wrapped together, so that the different color sections stay together without gaps.
And when something is knit, the colors don't mingle, but the next row is pulled through the first row. it is a picture to me that we have to open ourselves up in order to let in new growth, and to provide support to the new yarn that is being added. I hope this year to open my home and my heart more. I pray that the growth this year will be in relationships with many people.
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Unswered Prayers- or Silence
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Saturday, February 2, 2008, 11:48 AM CST [ General]
I would love to be able to say that all my prayers were affirmed....
But that isn't the case.
Did you ever feel like God left town and left you no forwarding address?
Like your prayers were bouncing off the ceiling?
Like He wasn't listening for some reason?
This has happened before, and it isn't the end of the world, just a time of trial. God is still out there, He is still listening, and He does still care. We cannot trust our feelings, because they do not always point to reality.
I tried to get this song on Project Playlist, but all they had was a 30 second clip:)
Joy Williams has a good song about just this very thing.....
\ Joy Williams \ Silence
Are you listening
To anything that I say
'Cause I been praying
How many prayers can I pray
I'm still waiting
Maybe You'll show up today
I know You're here, but I can't feel You
And if You're speaking, I can't hear You
How much londer will this last
Chorus:So okay Answer me with silence
It's okay if You don't say a word
You're testing me to trust You'll be faithful in this quiet
So okay
Answer me
With silence
Why do I question
Your intentions for me
When Your affection
Is a proven legacy
Oh Father, Father
Turn my fears into peace
I know Your love will never leave
I know You want what's best for me
You're testing me to trust You'll be faithful in this quiet
Oh, it's okay
If You answer me with silence
And it's okay if You don't say a word
You're testing me to trust You'll be faithful in this quiet
So okay
Answer me
With silence
So..... what actually happened?
1>> Well, Dh got hired on at Wal-Mart.
With his disability, this will support us just fine- answered prayer!!!
2>> We have a medication that will help cure the health
problem I was hoping to get rid of- answered prayer!!!
3>>> The rest didn't really happen, if for no other reson than that I was discouraged because of the Lord's percieved silence.........
But then, you never really realize how much you rely on something until you find that it seems to have disappeared..... Maybe we were closer than I thought we were to the very things I had been hoping and praying for. Have you ever prayed for something that you didn't know you already had? |
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Thursday, January 8, 2009 - What is Truth?
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This is the Romans 8:28 promise at work.
NIV:
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.
NASV: 28And we know that [a]God causes (A)all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are (B)called according to His purpose.
Amplified Bible : 28We are assured and know that [[a]God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.
It's ALL GOOD!!!!!!
In my homeschool group, we are going through the book of 1 Timothy.I am reading chapter 5 this week.
God has been teaching me a lot about how to relate to other people, especially close relatives. Relationships are being mended and I have been able to share God's truth with a lot of people.
There are some people out there though that do not believe there is any real truth.Saying there is no absolute truth, is in itself an absolute statement:)
So what is TRUTH?
Pilate asked that question 2000 years ago, but didn't even wait for an answer, while THE TRUTH stood before him, to be destroyed at his command, only to resurrect 3 days later, proving that you can't make truth disappear, and you can't keep a good man down:)
Can there be 2 opposite truths that are both right? If you claim to have $100 in the bank, but you have never deposited the money and your bank says you do not have it, you cannot both be right. The money is either there, or it is not there. You can claim that the sky is green, but that will not make it green for you!
The notion that something can be true for one person but not true for someone else is a complex one, that is best answered by this website I found today...
For more interesting thoughts, logic and quotes on truth, visit
www.whatistruth.org
That is where I found this poem:
Dark Reflection
Lived a good life I thought:
Kind to my mates
And few were my hates;
Worked hard
Never dropped my guard.
Lived a good life I thought:
Slept about
Spaced out,
Enjoyed my money
Wife, kids, milk and honey.
Lived a good life I thought:
Stamped on heads to climb the ladder -
Did it really matter?
Ouch! - found just one judge and jury
And my selfish life brought fury.
Lived a good life I thought:
But now I'm in the abyss
Screams and the torturer's hiss,
Life's riches in the drain
Replaced by unearthly pain.
Lived a good life I thought:
Pity I found God just too late,
I'd be in heaven now if I'd made Jesus my mate;
And as I scream about my mistake in hell
I write a burning letter to tell...
Living a good life is so far from the truth.
© msl 1998
Are you a good person?
TAKE THE TEST!!!!
http://www.goodpersontest.com/
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About Me
Well, I'm a Mom, a Medical Assistant, a knitter, kite flyer, nature lover...Around here we have special needs, ( Asperger's, ADHD, Bi-polar) a few animal pals, some tattoos and a homeschool. It's our 6th year. This is my 16th year of marriage to a Mr. Visionary who happens to be a walking miracle.
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