Faces of Beauty 1 -all for Abba

When you love someone...

2012-01-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

When you love someone you'll do anything
You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain
You'll shoot the moon, put out the sun
When you love someone...

You'll deny the truth, believe a lie
There'll be times that you'll believe
That you can really fly
But your lonely nights have just begun
When you love someone...

When you love someone you'll feel it deep inside
And nothin' else can ever change your mind
When you want someone, when you need someone
When you love someone...

When you love someone, you'll sacrifice
You'd give it everything you got and
You won't think twice
You'd risk it all, no matter what may come
When you love someone

You'll shoot the moon, put out the sun
When you love someone...

*originally recorded by bryan adams for the motion picture ~ "Hope Floats"*

without a word...

2011-12-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

Treachery Behind the Scenes

They said again and again, "But Jesus is making trouble with
the people! He teaches all around Judea. He began in Galilee,
and now he is here!" Pilate heard this and asked if Jesus was
from Galilee. Pilate learned that Jesus was under Herod's
authority. Herod was in Jerusalem at that time, so Pilate
sent Jesus to him. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very happy.
Herod had heard all about Jesus. So he had wanted to meet
Jesus for a long time. Herod wanted to see a miracle. So he
hoped that Jesus would do a miracle. Herod asked Jesus many
questions, but Jesus said nothing. The leading priests and
teachers of the law were standing there. They were shouting
things against Jesus. Then Herod and his soldiers laughed at
Jesus. They made fun of Jesus by dressing him in clothes like
kings wear. Then Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate. In the
past, Pilate and Herod had always been enemies. But on that
day Herod and Pilate became friends.

-- Luke 23:5-12 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:

The trials of Jesus were a mockery. None of them was about justice.
The Sanhedrin was not supposed to meet secretly at night.
Pilate pronounced Jesus innocent,
yet kept the legal proceedings going for political expediency. Herod had no desire to do the right thing; he was determined to do the politically correct thing. This was nothing more than treachery.
Jesus was not treated fairly. He did not receive justice.
What was done to him was what God decried throughout the Old
Testament through the prophets -- there was no justice in the courts
and those with money and power misused their influence. Sinners and
traitors convicted Jesus. He was the innocent lamb led to slaughter.
He was the perfect sacrifice for all who are sinners ...
even for us and those who put him to death.

TODAY'S PRAYER:

Father, it breaks my heart to see your Son treated with such treachery.
While it angers me, it also helps me bear those times that I am treated
unfairly. I know that Jesus is with me in those times and that he more
than understands my emotions. Thank you for walking in our unfair and
often cruel world as one of us so that we can share eternity with you.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

*originally from www.heartlight.org*

God is the God of second chances...originally published in 2006

2011-12-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

he didn't mean to do it...
he really didn't.
if you'd asked him just yesterday, he'd have told you twice.
"i won't deny You, my Lord - i won't!"
and we would have believed him.

see, peter was all about passion. . .
passion to fish, passion to fight and passion to love.
a huge burly figure,
peter never did things in a small way.
when his Lord and Savior beckoned to him to come
he put his roughened feet into the salty water
and went without a thought.

how about you?
is there something you've done -
something so awful, that you'd give
anything just to make it right again?
ever want to give up your place in the pig's trough
and run home again?
did you ever feel like you had passed the 'point of no return' -
that you'd sinned too much - and that this time it felt like there
simply wasn't enough grace for your Father to forgive what you'd done?

peter did...
he knew what it meant to deny and to run away from the only One
who would never deny or give up on him...
and when all was said and done and peter heard the rooster crow,
"he went outside and wept bitterly".

but Jesus wasn't done with peter...
no matter what he had done,
Jesus was compassionately moved to reassure, reinstate
and remind peter, that He knew this fisherman's heart,
and loved him no less for what he had done.

today, our precious Jesus, offers us this same sin-defying Grace.
and it is this same question that every human being will inevitably
be given to answer for themselves:

do you love Me? He asks. . .
how could we not?

{Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will."
"Peter," Jesus replied, "the truth is, this very night, before the
rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
"No!" Peter insisted.
"Not even if I have to die with you!
I will never deny you!" }
*Matthew 26:31-35*

what she left behind...

2011-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

This obituary of a 79-year-old woman ran on August 16-17, 2008,
in the Vallejo, California, "Times-Herald."
It was placed there by one of the deceased's many daughters.

"Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7,
2008. She will be met in the afterlife by a host of family members.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely
shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of
her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very
few tears will be shed, and there will be no lamenting over her
passing.

Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will
remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling
times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her,
and perhaps we will think of those times, too. But I truly believe
at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never
had—a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I
hope she is finally at peace with herself.

As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of
a time of healing and learning to be a family again. There will be
no service, no prayers, and no closure for the family she spent a
lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see
to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their
goodbyes. So I say here for all of us,

GOOD BYE, MOM."

Help us all, dear Lord, to be the very best of ourselves that only You can make of us...
help us leave behind a legacy of Love.

original story from:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/201111/20111108_religiousjargon.html

can't You hear me, God?...

2011-10-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

some of the most painful questions my children have ever asked me are:

"how come when i pray and pray and nothing ever happens?"
"why isn't God helping me?"
"why isn't He listening to me?"

they're not the only ones who have wondered those very same things.

i've asked God those many times as well...
but this is what i've ultimately learned and passed onto my children, family and friends:

God never sleeps
He's never on vacation or on a coffee break
there is nothing too trivial or insignificant to bring to God in prayer.
if it matter to us, it matters to Him.

and though we are human beings with finite vision, God is not...
He is always working on and for His children...
for our own good and for the glory of His eternal Kingdom.

the truth is, we can't even see enough ahead to know what will happen in the next 5 minutes of our life, yet alone, all the secret and divine work that our Father is doing on our behalf.
that doesn't mean that He isn't working with all His power and might to heal and restore His children...
He is.

and yet again, as everything in my walk with Him seems to come down to just one vital question, i hear His tender voice in my heart:

"elaine, do you trust Me?
with your life and the lives of your children and loved ones?
do you trust Me with all the fears, hopes and dreams in your heart?"

and though trusting comes hard for me...He's helped me trust Him more,
bit by bit and day by day.
i've prayed often: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
*Mark 9:24*

i don't pretend to understand His timing or why He answers some prayers quickly and others have yet to come to pass,
but i believe i can trust in His ultimate plan for us all...

"“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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
*Jeremiah 29:11-14*

i just love that kid!

2011-10-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

(this is originally published at www.heartlight.org)

I Love that Kid!~by Rubel Shelly

I don't know Josh Ripley, but I love that kid! Let me tell you why.

Sixteen-year-old Josh is a junior at Andover (Minnesota) High School.
He was running a 5K race on Sept. 16 in a field of 261 competitors.
With the race less than half done, the 6-foot-5-inch runner heard a
scream and saw a runner he didn't know crumpled against a fence --
holding a profusely bleeding ankle.

The injured athlete was 5-foot-5-inch Mark Paulauskas, a freshman at
Lakeville South High. Here is Mark's account: "He just picked me up
without saying anything and started carrying me and trying to calm me
down. He said, 'It's going to be OK. I'm going to get you to your
coaches.' ... I think it's amazing."

Sure enough, with his own coach trying to figure out why Josh hadn't
passed the halfway mark, he spotted him. "I was wondering what was
going on, why was he so far back," said Scott Clark. "Then I see Josh.
He's got the kid in his arms."

Josh Ripley carried Mark about a quarter mile! He handed him off to his
coaches and family and then -- dead last in the field of runners now --
sped off to resume his race. He passed 50 kids to finish 211th out of
261 runners. No excuses. No disappointment. No explanation. He just
finished what he had started -- only to be asked by one teammate why he had fallen so far behind. "He just humbly says, 'Oh, I picked up a
kid,' " said sophomore Simeon Toronto. "And I'm like, 'Dude, you just
picked up a kid and carried him?' That's incredible!" Then added
Toronto: "It was just so typical Josh."

I love that kid!
And while most of the news reports I tracked down cited this as a
supreme example of sportsmanship and compassion among
athletes, I think they missed the real force at work in Josh's action.
The details make it pretty clear that it was the unfolding of a very
practical faith that Josh embraces.

He does volunteer work at Living Word Christian Center and -- by both
Mark and Josh's account -- prayed over Mark as he ran with him in his
arms. He prayed for Mark's pain to stop and for him to be all right. He
even asked Mark's permission before he started the prayer! And Josh
seemed honestly bemused by all the attention being paid to him later.
He insists he did "nothing special" -- but said he was just thankful
God let him be there for someone who needed help.

Mark's ankle needed 20 stitches to close the gash some runner's spikes
accidentally created. Blessedly, there were no damaged ligaments or
tendons. He should recover fully, after he gets out of a walking boot
and off his crutches.

Josh has reminded me again that there are wonderful people out there
who are always doing kind and good things with no expectation of being
noticed or rewarded. Great kids who aren't threatening teachers or
doing drugs. People whose faith is not a banner or excuse, but a daily
lived reality.

I just love that kid! Don't you? And I want to be more like him.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may
see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

a perfect prayer...

2011-10-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

(this prayer is found at www.heartlight.org)

this prayer perfectly expresses my heart...

O Lord God, I appeal to You in the name of Jesus to have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me for my weakness, hypocrisy, and sin.

Lord, please do not just forgive me, but strengthen me
and enable me to be a more sturdy and faithful disciple.

Have mercy on me in my time of confusion and need.
Heal my illnesses, mend my broken heart, and still the storms of my troubled mind.

Have mercy on me as I try to decide Your will for my life and as I try to discern the path You want me to take in the decisions I must make.

Have mercy on me as I seek to minister
and as I need Your strength, wisdom, and compassion to touch others.

Lord God,and Jesus my Master in whose name I pray, have mercy on me.

Amen.

We miss you, Elliot...

2011-09-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

12 years ago, my family began watching Law & Order: SVU...

my daughter, B. became Mariska Hargitay's greatest fan and we've been hooked ever since.

Watching a television program for that many years can alter your life.
You can come to care for the characters, actors and
the stories can open your eyes and touch your heart.

Christopher Meloni has done just that.

Last night was the premiere SVU episode for their 13th season and Christopher wasn't there.
For the first time in 12 years, Elliot Stabler was no more.

and we mourn him...
we truly do.

not just him, but his wife and children that we've come to know and care for.

It may seem silly to some, but we've been mourning the loss of him,
hurting because we never even got to say goodbye to the character and man that has been a part of our lives for a very long time...

We watched the premiere episode anyways and his absence seemed to take the sparkle out of Mariska Hargitay...

i know things can never stay the same, that change is a constant in this universe and that letting go is just a part of the lives we live...but it hurts just the same.

So, we say goodbye to our Elliot and pray that God will watch over and bless the man behind the character...

Thank you, Christopher ~
you've inspired us, made us laugh and made us cry...
but most of all, you've reminded us just how fragile and precious our humanity is.

We miss you deeply,

Elaine, Bronte' & Alexandra

When we RAGE...

2011-08-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

i call it "hulking".
there's a difference between rage and raging.
rage is something you feel
while raging is something you do.

rage comes from deep, intense pain.
first we feel the pain then we make a choice.

i love the Incredible Hulk as an example.
he has triggers,
moments before he hulks,
stepping stones that lead him to the worst of himself.

for those of us, and there are so many of us, who have
lived through trauma/abuse, if we don't deal with the pain
we can easily slip into the 'hulking'...
it almost feels effortless.
that's a great word for it, because it actually takes immense strength to stay
still with the pain and not let it move past the pain into full-blown rage.

'staying still with the pain'...
allowing ourselves to relive the past or experience the pain of what someone
has just done to us or to those we love, without acting on that pain in a angry/violent manner.

because rage comes from trauma, what we suffered through often made us feel powerless.
and when we 'hulk', we feel powerful...just the opposite of the overwhelming helplessness
we endured.
when i have chosen to rage in the past, i know personally that i experience a certain
fearlessness that feels wonderful in the moment.
i am unafraid.
i am powerful.
i can destroy anyone or anything in my path.

but it's a lie,
a myth,
an illusion
or delusion.

when i rage, i am not powerful....i am weak.
i am weak when i choose to lose control.
and the damage i wreak is beyond description.

here are some basic things i've learned over the course of the last 8 years...i pray you find them healing and helpful:

~the #1 reason i am a 'recovering' rager rather than a 'practicing' rager~

is GOD and GOD alone.
He is the only one that can truly change me from the inside out.
any success i've had so far, is directly attributed to our Father.
i praise Him for healing, renovating, and teaching me all about rage
and how to manage and heal it.

Father, i give all glory and praise to You...

~triggers - all ragers have them~

name calling, cursing, pointing, yelling, speaking after becoming angry, threatening, interrupting, sarcasm, staring/glaring, throwing things, aggressive touching, re-living our 'glory days' of former raging episodes, eye-rolling, criticizing and angry driving.
(taken from http://www.rage-anon.org/RA_What_to_do_right_now.htm)

~though i've often felt like a monster when i have raged, that doesn't make me a monster~

or someone beyond which cannot be saved, someone who is incapable of change.
i'm different now...new...healing...striving...and i am lovable not condemned.

~my 'complaint department' is open at all times for those i've wounded~

i don't make excuses or place blame on others if the blame is only mine to take.
i am responsible for any raging and damage i've done...i fully 'eat and own' any wrongs i've committed in anger.

~every day is a brand new start...a new beginning~

i'm grateful for God's forgiveness and His ability to give me another chance. i am responsible to make the most out of the time afforded to me.

~"no repentance - no relationship"~

a quote the Holy Spirit gave me.
it means that if i have wronged another or they have wronged me, unless there is true repentance there can be no true healing and therefore no relationship.
without sincere repentance, there is nothing to say and nothing left to do but pray and love them from 'afar'...
this is true for us all.

~there is always hope!!!~

regardless of past ragings/failures, there is always hope of healing and recovery...
noone can take that hope away!

"For surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off."
{Psalms 23:18}

God of deliverance...

2011-05-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

{a devotion from www.heartlight.org}

Dear Father, great and gentle one,

When I am utterly, unbearably crushed so that I despair of life
itself, when I feel as if I have received the sentence of death,
remind me that I am to rely not on myself but on you, the God who
raises the dead.

It is only you who can deliver from deadly peril. I have set my
hope on you. You deliver me again and again and again. How faithful
you are!

I pray for my many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the
world, that they will experience relief from suffering, deliverance
from peril, and comfort after grief and despair.

Grant bountiful blessings to your people, my God, in answer to
many prayers. Please receive this one and make it count among the
many others! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Spirit.

Jesus has taught to besiege you with constant prayer. Here we are
again, coming in his name. Amen.

a beautiful devotion from heartlight.org...

2011-04-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Reunion!

Jesus walked to the coffin and touched it. The men that were
carrying the coffin stopped. Jesus said to the dead son,
"Young man, I tell you, get up!" Then the son sat up and
began to talk. Jesus gave him to his mother.

-- Luke 7:14-15 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus speaks to the dead young man and makes him alive.
Then Luke says it so beautifully,
"And Jesus gave him back to his mother."
Despite death, Jesus brings reunion!
Despite the sorrow, Jesus brings back the joy.
This one event is a preview of our future in Christ.
One day, all those who are dead in Christ will hear his voice
and rise from the dead with immortal bodies and join Jesus.
Those believers who are still alive when Christ comes
will also be changed and go to be with the Lord forever (1 Cor. 15:51-53).
This event will be a day of great rejoicing as all Christians
will be reunited with each other and united with their Lord.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
Father, thank you for the promise of reunion
with those that I love who have died before me.
Thank you for their faith and Jesus' power over death that insures us reunion.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

true humility...

2011-04-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

"Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it.

If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them with his love.
He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord,
"To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at my word."
Stoop if you would climb to heaven.
Do we not say of Jesus, "He descended that he might ascend?" so must you.
You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards;
for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, and by them alone.
God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,"
with all its riches and treasures.
The whole exchequer of God shall be made over by deed of gift to the soul which
is humble enough to be able to receive it without growing proud because of it.
God blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for him to do.
If you do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe for you to have one.
If our heavenly Father were to let your unhumbled spirit win a victory in his holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim; so that you are kept low for your own safety.
When a man is sincerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a
grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him.
Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us to
deal efficiently with our fellow men.
True humility is a flower which will adorn any garden.
This is a sauce with which you may season every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case.
Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work or suffering,
the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess."

*written by Charles Spurgeon and originating from www.heartlight.org*

a devotion from C.H. Spurgeon...

2011-03-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

{dedicated to my 3 favorite people on the planet...my children...
i love you, R, B, and A, with all i am and all i ever hope to be!}

Tender Comfort...

"As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you"
(Isaiah 66:13).

"A mother's comfort! Ah, this is tenderness itself.
How she enters into her child's grief!
How she presses him to her bosom and tries to take
all his sorrow into her own heart!
He can tell her all, and she will sympathize as nobody else can.
Of all comforters the child loves best his mother, and even
full-grown men have found it so.

Does Jehovah condescend to act the mother's part?
This is goodness indeed.
We readily perceive how He is a father;
but will He be as a mother also?
Does not this invite us to holy familiarity, to unreserved confidence,
to sacred rest?
When God Himself becomes "the Comforter," no anguish can long abide.
Let us tell out our trouble, even though sobs and sighs should become
our readiest utterance.
He will not despise us for our tears; our mother did not.
He will consider our weakness as she did, and He will put away our faults,
only in a surer, safer way than our mother could do.
We will not try to bear our grief alone;
that would be unkind to one so gentle and so kind.
Let us begin the day with our loving God,
and wherefore should we not finish it in the same company,
since mothers weary not of their children?"

Once more...

2011-03-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

i am utterly amazed at how God brings everything full circle...

friends from my past seem to be re-surfacing and the joy of hearing from them again is such an unexpected blessing!

a relationship that had seemed to turn to dust just blossomed again, like wintered trees that find themselves in spring once more.

It's moments like this that keep me grateful and praising our Abba...He is so majestic!
always knowing what i need, knowing me more than i know myself - He is truly the best Father anyone could ever have...

i love You, dearest Abba...beyond words and beyond measure.

thank You, for bringing precious friends full-circle and back into my life...

this devotion means so much to me - i pray it moves you as well...

2010-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Rescue in Process: Hold On!,
by Rubel Shelly

Thirty-three Chilean miners are telling an unlikely story. After being
trapped half a mile underground for 69 wretched days, they were brought
to the surface one at a time in a cigar-shaped steel capsule that was
only slightly larger in diameter than a grown man's shoulders are wide.

In a rescue process that combined the efforts of the Chilean
government, NASA, a Pennsylvania drill company, and so many others, an
ahead-of-schedule operation brought the men out in a flawless rescue
operation. Each took the 15-minute journey to freedom from the longest
underground entrapment in history.

From the pre-commercialized reports that have emerged so far, it seems
clear that there was an early time of extreme fear and deep
discouragement. In the first 17 days, the men huddled in an area no
larger than 165 square feet. They had no contact with the outside and
knew nothing of what was being done above ground to rescue them.

Reports say that some of the younger men in the group threw themselves
on the ground and refused to get up. They appear to have resigned
themselves to death. Then the first bore hole penetrated their tiny
space, and hope soared. Bodies that had started eating muscle were
provided with food, and tainted mine water was replaced with pure
drinking water. Things improved dramatically.

But there was still a long wait to be endured. Even with good food and
water, what about the emotional health of the group?

The men organized to live. Everyone was assigned a job. Nobody was
allowed to isolate himself with his fears. One report of the experience
I read contained this sentence: "They functioned like a family -- a mix
of love, dependence, frustration. But there were never thoughts of
turning on each other."

As we wait, never doubt that heaven is furiously active on your behalf.

Then I thought this: What a microcosm of heaven, earth, and church! And
how much we could learn from the experience.

The "rescue work" we call salvation is going on above. No more than the
miners could know what was happening a half-mile above them, we cannot
know all God is doing for us in our times of weakness, failure, and
discouragement. We know of the cross in history, and we have the
promise we will never be forsaken.

The "holding-on work" we do as the church is our task while trapped in
the dark and threatening environment of a world where sin has done its
best to trap and destroy us. No, we can't climb out under our own
strength. We wait instead with all the patience we can muster, keep
hope alive, and trust the promise. Refusing to turn on each other, we
encourage one another daily to keep the faith.

As we wait, never doubt that heaven is furiously active on your behalf.

The beautiful words that Zechariah spoke over his son, John the
Baptizer, are as real for us today as they were then:

"For you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to
give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness
of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the
rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in
darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
path of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).

How much He loves us...Oh, what a Father He is!

2010-08-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

I cannot truly express how much the following text means to me...It's from a devotion by Charles Spurgeon and can be found at http://www.heartlight.org/.
I pray it blesses you as it has me...

MORNING:

"The mercy of God."
-- Psalms 52:8

Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With
gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up
their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the
matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his
mercy is like himself-it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy
is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great
lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and
raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.
It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved
mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the
sinner's part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel
been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the
doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a
cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. It is rich mercy. Some
things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a
cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding
wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for
your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is
manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are
double." There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one
mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is
abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being
exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever. It is
unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend,
mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with
thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be
the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the
joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.

EVENING:

"This sickness is not unto death."
-- John 11:4

From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here
is an "unto" within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond
which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not
to be the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord saith to
the waves of pain, "Hitherto shall ye go, but no further." His fixed
purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people.
Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the
heat.

1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive. The God of providence has
limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our
sicknesses; each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated,
each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each
sanctifying result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes
the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.

2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed,
and to the grace apportioned. Affliction comes not at haphazard-the
weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured. He who made
no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits
no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine
of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.

3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon
never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. "He doth not afflict
willingly, nor grieve the children of men." A mother's heart cries,
"Spare my child"; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious
God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we
are not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation,
that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the
bounds of our tribulation.

The Man Without Regrets...

2010-07-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

for my brave son...

2010-04-13T01:25:00.000-07:00

all i can think about is my son...

i miss and love you dearly, my mou.

i pray this is journey is every bit the adventure you yearn for and deserve!

i will always be here for you, my precious mou...

your mama-muu

what it really is...

2010-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

(this and other wonderful devotions may be found at http://www.heartlight.org/.)

Church Museums, by Steve Ridgell

I enjoy visiting museums and I like church buildings. I never realized
I could get them confused until a visit to Spain. I saw amazing church
buildings with incredible architecture. They were old, and their
history was incredible. There were monuments and artifacts from
centuries past. It was overwhelming. They were featured stops on the
city tours. So I began asking the guides about attendance today. Some
of them no longer had worship services. Some of them had small rooms
partitioned off for current members. In most of them, there were more
tourists during an average day than worshipers on a given Sunday.

There are a number of lessons to learn about why churches become
museums. Who was it that forgot their purpose? Who lost sight of the
mission? Who lost sight of Jesus? Did each new generation fail to make
their faith genuine and personal? Were they more concerned with church
buildings than building a church? Did the church building become the
church? These are valuable questions and worth asking.

But I want to say a word to any of you who may be thinking about Jesus
and church. Do not confuse the building with the church. Church is
people. It is community. It is family. A church may meet in a building
large or small. It may meet in homes. Or in a coffee shop. Or a school.
You may visit a church building… but you are invited to become part of
a church.

Church is a living organism, not a building.

So if you want to visit a church building, I can tell you where there
are amazing museums. But if you are interested in being part of a
living community as the family of God, then I can help you find that
also. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org. Or join our blog discussion at
http://www.hopeforlife.org/.

i know you can't, precious Ernzy...2/24/2006

2010-02-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

Ernzy...i don't know the words to say.
how i still cannot believe you are gone
how i try to plan for this day, but there is nothing to stop the onslaught of renewed grief
you are irreplacable, my precious Ernzy...and i will never stop missing you.
your smile and laugh
your love for the precious kiki's
your booming voice...

i just can't find the words this year, Ernzy, i keep tripping over my own thoughts,
can't type correctly.

i know i don't want to cry again, remember again, and the thought going over and over in my heart "it can't be...it just can't be!"
the same thought i had when Nattie first told me you were gone.
how can i have lost both you and Dad this way?

i feel you with me each and every day and i know i will see you again, when time drops away and there will be no such word as 'goodbye' ~ forever more...

i'm usually so careful about my wording and phrasing in my blog, but i'm just going to leave this here...raw, uncrafted and without polish.

i miss you, Ernzy, with a grief to fill oceans...

i
have and will
love
you
for
always, Ernzy.

if only you could come back to me...

come back to me, Ernzy.
please come back...

if...

2010-02-20T04:08:00.000-08:00

Sara: And if I were to go?

Harris: All I know is, on the day your plane was to leave, if I had the power, I would turn the winds around, I would roll in the fog, I would bring in storms, I would change the polarity of the earth so compasses couldn't work, so your plane couldn't take off.

(from L.A. Story - one of my very favorite films...)

the devotion for today...

2010-02-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
"I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."
-- Psalm 59:16

THOUGHT:
So many things in our lives can be stolen away by natural disasters, aging, and death.
Satan could be appropriately called "The Thief of Always."
But God is immovable and "unstealable"!
We can invest ourselves in him and know our spirits are secure in his care.
He is a fortress and a refuge.

PRAYER:
O Great Rock of my salvation, thank you for being unchangeable and faithful.
Thank you for being the source of security and future in a day of chaos and change.
Thank you for being God.
You are my God and in you I place my life, my hopes, and my future.
May you be glorified in me today.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

for her...

2009-12-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

i cannot believe she is gone...

we miss you already, brittany.

This is Faith...i praise God for this precious one!

2009-11-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

This is Faith...

This dog was born on Christmas Eve, 2002.

He was born with only two rear legs.

He of course could not walk when he was born.

Even his mother did not want him.
His first owner also did not think that he could survive and he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'.
But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him.
She became determined to teach and train him to walk by himself.
She named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement.
Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward
for him for standing up and jumping around.
Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk.
Amazingly, only after six months, like a miracle,
Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and jump to move forward.
After further training in snow, he could now walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now.
No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him.
He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and
has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows.
There is a book entitled 'With a Little Faith' being published about him.
He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things, so in order to feel better you just need to look at life from another direction. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking and help us be thankful for each beautiful day. Faith is continual demonstration of the strength and wonder of life .

A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this story circulating.

Ernzy...days like yours

2009-11-19T03:09:00.000-08:00

Ernzy, Ernzy, Ernzy...

today is your birthday and i miss you with every heartbeat...

days like yours ~ i miss you so acutely, so desperately.

you are so beautiful, did i ever tell you that??

so beautiful...

a dreamer, believer, soother, persuader, carpenter, comic, magician, musician, poet, adventurer, inventor, friend, son, my brother and a son of God.

you will always be this and so much more, precious Ernzy...

and we will see each other again...i promise.

i love you, Ernzy...

Happy Birthday.

dear Ma...

2009-11-17T02:17:00.000-08:00

it's your birthday today...actually i got it late this time...

that's never happened before and i'm so sorry, Ma!

though i'm so very flawed, i know that you see through all that, Ma, to the woman who will always be your little girl...

i will, did ya know?
i love you so very much and i've tried to tell you and show you all these many years gone by...

you mean the world to me and i couldn't imagine this world without you in it...

dear Ma,
my Ma...
thank you thank you thank you for everything you are and how important your life is to me and all those you've touched and blessed.

your life matters...you matter and i will always love you.

with all i am and all my love ~

Happy Birthday, Ma!!!

your Missy...

this devotion is just perfect...

2009-10-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

(this devotion and many others can be found at www.heartlight.org)

Dear Father,

worthy of my love and obedience,
May the thought of deceit or falsehood never enter into my relations with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let all of us speak the truth with our neighbors, since we are members of each other.
Don't let my anger turn into sin.
May I never let the sun go down on my wrath.
Don't let grudge-holding and unforgiveness on my part give the devil any opportunity.
Help me never to covet anything that belongs to someone else, but rather to work with my mind and my hands to get the things needed by myself and others.

In the name of Jesus who sacrificed himself for my sake.
Amen.

just for her...

2009-09-14T07:26:00.001-07:00

i want to just take a minute here and praise God for rescuing taylor swift last night...

i am grateful that beyonce put herself aside and made certain taylor received her moment 'in the sun'.

“They told me to stand by the side of the stage and I didn’t really know what was going to go down, but I thought it was so wonderful and gracious of her to do what she’s always done,” Swift said.

“She’s always been a great person before anything else.

Before the talented artist, the superstar, she’s always been a great person and I just, I thought I couldn’t love Beyoncé more tonight, then tonight happened and it was just wonderful.”

thank You, Father, for turning heartache into rejoicing...

noone does it quite like You, dearest Abba,

and i'm grateful for that too.

most of all...

2009-08-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

i feel:

young
alert
new
alive
delicate
awake
in awe
watched over
protected
cherished
held

i feel these things when i am sitting in the palm of my Father's hand...

i feel:

afraid
unsure
insufficient
dull
nervous
fragile
frail
selfish
untrue
cold
alone

i feel these things when i am using my own 'fuel' to live...
when i'm attempting to be the captain of this ship...trying to steer my own 'course'.
when i refuse to let our Abba Father be in control.
when i grow weary...
tired of waiting...
and possibly afraid of all my prayers being answered.

that last one is a powerful one...i can feel it resonate against the walls of my heart.

do i truly want my prayers answered?

i do want my Christian family reunited and rebound with the cords of God's love and salvation.
i do want us all to worship under the same roof again.
i do want the necessary surgery and subsequent healing to come to fruition...

do i still believe that God can and will fulfill His promises?
do i still believe that God can do the impossible?
do i still want Him to?

yes...i do.

truly...

2009-04-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

my son said a terrible thing to me last night...

took my breath away...

couldn't even talk after that...

i just sat quietly on the couch and cried...

he broke my heart.

lil b was in the kitchen when he said those things to me

and after he stopped talking, she wrote me a note

and told me how much she loves me and she was sorry for what he did,

and how he caused me so much pain.

i was grateful for her empathy and compassion.

and then this morning, just before my son left for school, he stood in the hallway and said very quietly,

"mom?"

i looked at him, then at my lap and said "yes?"

and he completely apologized and took back what he said, that he didn't mean it at all, and told me how truly sorry he was for saying those things and making me cry.

he was truly repentant...

i quietly told him that it was okay...

and suddenly, it was.

the softened heart of someone who's truly repentant is a beautiful thing to behold.

it's unmistakable,

undeniable,

it's the missing 'Balm of Gilead',

it's healing,

restoring,

life-altering

and heart-defining.

i've been denied forgiveness in the past

and though the experience was very painful,

it changed the way i see forgiveness...

forever.

so...

if you've wounded another, take the scary step forward

and in true repentance, "eat and own" what you have done.

we all make big mistakes at times and need big forgiveness.

if someone's wounded you, whether they ever apologize or not,

forgive as quickly and as thoroughly as you can.

it's the only way to be set free from the past ~

even if the past was just last night...

Amen and amen to this...i hate death!

2009-04-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
*1 Corinthians 15:25-26*

THOUGHT:
How many times have you stood over the grave of a recently departed friend or loved one?
When was the last time you tasted grief and separation from someone you dearly loved?
I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that the Bible identifies death as one of Jesus' enemies.
I am thankful that he hates death, and the damage and separation it causes, even more than I do.
I am filled with joy to know that death will be destroyed and immortality and life will be given to the children of God!

PRAYER:
Holy Father, please triumph with life and mercy in the lives of those I know who are wrestling with emotional, spiritual, and physical death.
Triumph in their lives through your power and your grace. I look forward to the day, dear Father, when death is no more.
Lord Jesus, I not only pray this in your name, but I ask you to speed this day.
Amen.
(this and other devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org/)

powerful reminder...

2009-03-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

(this and many other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org)

"Don't judge other people, and God will not judge you.

If you judge other people, you will be judged in the same way you judge them.

And the way you give to other people will be the way God gives to you."

Matthew 7:1-2 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:

As Matthew continues his presentation of Jesus' great teaching, he wants us to hear the Lord's words on how to live in our world. The previous verses have focused on how to deal with our concerns for provision and our desires for more things. In the next few verses, the focus will be on our treatment of others. Jesus doesn't want us to fault-find, gossip, or be cynical and harshly critical of those around us. He doesn't want us to assume that we know the motives of others' hearts. He wants us to be gracious to others as God has been gracious with us. However, if we choose to ignore his words, he warns that God will judge us with the same standard we use on others. Pretty sobering reminder to be gracious!

TODAY'S PRAYER:

Forgive me Father, for the times I have been less than kind about one of your children. I am sorry, because I know that you have so much more to be disappointed about in me than I do in others. Father, I want you to help me now, as I pray; please remove any bitter or critical spirit that infects my character. Through your Holy Spirit, form in me the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that show your presence and transformation in my life.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

how we look...

2009-03-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

i got the scripture above in my morning devotionals and it really struck home for me...

"how you look at other people..."

wow.

i'm a firm believer that there is good in everyone.

it's just harder to find in some of us.

in fact, i'd say that we all need more than a second look to see who the people around us really are on the inside...

the world we live in today, can be so incredibly cynical and dismissive.

we can be so cynical and dismissive

and we often are.

the teacher who snapped at your children...

the bank teller you've gone to for years, suddenly bites your head off...

the grocery clerk who's always friendly, sighs impatiently while you're digging for coupons...

the bus driver, your doctor, the mechanic, your roommate, your boss and the list goes on!

are they just a bunch of jerks or is there more to their stories?

do they need another look?

how do we look at them?

because the Word says how we look at someone is what makes us who we are...

we need to take a second, third and seventh look at those around us and ask ourselves,

"are we looking for the good in that person or just digging for dirt?"

someone once said "...perception is everything".

and in this case, i agree.

so...

how are you looking at the people around you today?

or to put it another way...

are you holding binoculars or a shovel?

for our Ernzy...

2009-02-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

My Mom put this in today's Spokesman Review...we miss you always, precious Ernzy...always.

a beautiful devotion from charles spurgeon and www.heartlight.org

2009-02-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

"The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power."

-- Nahum 1:3

Jehovah "is slow to anger."

When mercy comes into the world she drives winged steeds;

the axles of her chariot-wheels are red hot with speed;

but when wrath goes forth, it toils on with tardy footsteps, for God takes no pleasure in the sinner's death.

God's rod of mercy is ever in his hands outstretched;

his sword of justice is in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of love which bled for the sins of men.

"The Lord is slow to anger," because he is GREAT IN POWER.

He is truly great in power who hath power over himself.

When God's power doth restrain himself, then it is power indeed:

the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed.

A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action.

The weak mind is irritated at a little:

the strong mind bears it like a rock which moves not,

though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit.

God marks his enemies, and yet he stirs not himself, but holds in his anger.

If he were less divine than he is, he would long before this have sent forth the whole of his thunders,

and emptied the magazines of heaven;

he would long ere this have blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions,

and man would have been utterly destroyed; but the greatness of his power brings us mercy.

Dear reader, what is your state this evening?

Can you by humble faith look to Jesus, and say, "My substitute, thou art my rock, my trust"?

Then, beloved, be not afraid of God's power;

for by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you,

than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify those whom he loves.

Rather rejoice that he who is "great in power" is your Father and Friend.

another great devotion from www.heartlight.org

2009-02-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

LIVING IN HARMONY

Romans 12:16-21

Dear Father, God of the lowly,

Help me live in harmony with others -

without haughtiness, without conceit, willing to associate with the lowly.

Help me to repay no one evil for evil, but to take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.

As far as it depends on me, let me live peaceably with everyone.

Let me seek no revenge for myself, but leave it to your wrath, O God.

Help me, Father, not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good.

In the name and authority of Jesus I boldly come, asking these things according to his will.

Amen.

this is a great devotion from www.heartlight.org

2009-02-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

"You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, 'Don't kill any person.

And any person that kills will be judged.' But I tell you, don't be angry with another person.

Every person is your brother. If you are angry with other people, you will be judged.

And if you say bad things to another person, you will be judged by the Jewish council.

And if you call another person a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell."

-- Matthew 5:21-22 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:

As religious people, it is so easy for us to feel pious and righteous when we hear of all the horrible things done in our world that are ungodly.

"Thankfully I'm not one of them!" we can smugly think to ourselves.

Jesus shatters all of our smugness.

He tells us that he wants our righteousness to exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes.

He really means it.

The next several verses will drive this point home.

The character of heart described in the beatitudes is now demanded of disciples in our everyday lives.

There's no room for smugness when Jesus tells us that angry hatred, slanderous gossip, or shaming speech puts us in the same category as murderers.

His point?

Murder starts in the heart and works its way out.

These two actions are all part of the same continuum -- different by degree, not by kind.

TODAY'S PRAYER:

O Lord, purge from my heart all bitterness, hatred, and venomous anger.

Give me your Spirit of forgiveness and grace.

I want to be pure in heart and hold nothing against those you love.

Father, I don't want to poison my heart with the stains of Satan's tools of anger, judgmentalism, and disrespect.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

ever thine...

2009-02-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

for those of us who love someone and are loved in return -
measure for measure,
we can call ourselves blessed...

for those of us who love someone who does not love us back -
if we've truly given of ourselves,
we can live without regret...

and for those of us who love only ourselves -
in the end,
we are the lonely ones...

for myself,
i'd rather love with all my heart and be turned away -
than never take the risk at all...

happy valentine's day to us all.

dealing with distraction...

2009-01-15T13:23:00.001-08:00

sometimes my mind wanders...

even if i'm doing something really fulfilling, sometimes my mind will wander off a bit on a trail that is usually trivial and meaningless.

this only bothers me if it happens when i am supposed to be actively listening to someone else,

and during my devotions and prayer time with God.

if it happens during a time of crisis or great pain, that is only to be expected...

our emotions are constantly trying to survive the moment or moments,

so our thoughts and our emotions wander off to smaller rabbit trails.

but sometimes when i read my devotions and talk to our Abba, my mind will think of 20 other things i could be doing elsewhere.

stupid little things that aren't even slightly comparable to my time with the Lord.

and if i put those other things above my time with Him, i cause Him pain.

it is an insult to God...it hurts Him.

He was never meant to 'play second fiddle' in our hearts.

have you ever been talking with someone, really talking about something important in your life

and you can just tell the person across from you isn't listening?

they're nodding in all the right places but there is a bit of vacancy behind the eyes?

doesn't it hurt?

even just a little?

here's why...

if we are trying to communicate something near and dear to our hearts and our friend/partner/spouse/children aren't really 'tuning in', their behavior gives off a silent yet striking message:

i am more interested in what's going on in my life than what's happening in yours...

now to be fair, that is probably NOT the intention of the vacant listener across from you.

they are probably NOT trying to hurt or ignore you...

but regardless of intentions, it hurts anyway.

because we all want to be seen, to be heard...

when our God pays attention to us, He notices every itsy bitsy tiny detail and nuance.

He gives us His complete and undivided attention.

even the smallest prayer or concern matters a great deal to God.

He adores adoring you...

and that undivided and Holy attention from God sends us this unfailing message:

i love you enough to truly listen and care about whatever you're going through.

you matter to Me.

I value your thoughts and struggles.

I value you...

dearest Abba,

please help me to discipline my thought-life to the point of really actively listening and responding to those around me.

help me to set aside my own wandering thoughts long enough to truly listen to You and others that You've placed in my life.

help me to give my full attention to You the way You do for me.

i never want to put You in 2ND or 3RD place in my heart and thought-life.

You are truly worthy to be my chief priority and i never want to hurt You, my Father...

with all i am and all i want to be,

Your laineyrose

this is a small devotion taken from www.heartlight.org...i praise Abba for this site!

2009-01-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

VERSE:

"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 104:33-34~

THOUGHT:

Do you sing in the shower?

What words are on your lips?

Singing is such a wonderful gift!

First, it is a gift from God to us, to help us express our joy, excitement, sorrow, and victory.

Second, it is a gift from us to God, to help us communicate our respect, appreciation, love, and

confidence in God.

So let's sing, praising God for what he has done, proclaiming what he will do, and sharing what he is

currently doing in our lives!

PRAYER:

O God, Father in heaven, even your name is holy.

Please exert your will over my heart, and the hearts of those in our world, so they more closely reflect

your holy character.

I trust you, dear LORD, for the food I need each day.

I ask you, Holy Father, to forgive me as I release my bitterness and anger which I have held against those

who have wounded me ~

I will need your help to do this.

Empower me, O God, to resist the temptations and deceptions of the Evil One.

Please make my life a glorious witness to your grace.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

when we walk away from God...

2008-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

it is so very easy to walk away from God.
it takes just a moment.
all we have to do is close the door in our hearts, turn our backs and walk away.
most believers have walked away at one point or another...
i believe the most prevalent reason is that we became disappointed, disillusioned and eventually, bitter.

the most painful times in my walk with Abba Father have occurred when i cry out desperately for a particular prayer to be answered and though reassured i am asking in accordance with His Will, and reassured by my closest friends that God can do anything...that nothing is impossible for God ~

He says no.

just like that.
not "NEVER"
but no for now...
or sometimes He says "soon" (which as Abba knows, is incredibly frustrating to hear!)

perhaps we're in a failing marriage and have decided to stay committed, our feet rooted to the floor of our home, determined to hold on and wait for God to refresh and rejuvenate our relationship.
we won't run away.
until...
the pain keeps building and building and building and in our pain, from the gaping wound we call our marriage, when we fall, gasping for breath, in anger we refuse the hand God extends to pull us back up.
maybe because we know God will give us the ability to endure and endure some more.
and we become tired of the pain, we become frustrated and then the words we thought we would never say,
bubble to the surface:

NO MORE!

we feel we can't and don't want to hold on...
we are tired of praying for the same thing when nothing seems to change.
and we know that our Abba Father is going to say, "hold on..."
and those are the words we can no longer bear to hear.
we all wonder why God says no or nothing at all, during real times of crisis.
we wonder where He is,
did He take a vacation?
or is He there but just doesn't care enough about our pain to help us?
and in our pain and bitterness over our desperate, (seemingly) unanswered prayers,
we walk away from the Father who doesn't seem to care enough to help us in the worst times of our lives.
so we close the door.
we say it's over
maybe we say "screw you!"
and just like that,
it's over.
and we walk away...

(i love that line in "Bruce Almighty" where he yells at God and tells Him that He could fix all of his problems in 5 minutes...
i think i've actually said that to God before!)

on some level, we know that going back to God means more pain, more trials and we don't want to willingly suffer anymore.
and honestly, that's the truth.
that to be a Christian means there will be suffering for His sake...because we've chosen to "drink from the same cup" as Jesus did...
the cup of sorrow and sacrifice...
it means facing rejection from the world and ferocious persecution from satan.
it means bearing our own crosses so that we can follow in the precious footsteps of Jesus.

loving and talking and spending time with our Abba Father is so priceless yet it is so costly at the same time.
our walk with Him, eschewing the world and satan, staying close to His side, following His Word
and making ourselves vulnerable and accessible to Jesus and the Holy Spirit ~
just plain sucks sometimes.

it hurts.

the very moment we ask Jesus into our hearts and lives, to be our Lord and Savior,
is just like painting a red bulls eye on our front and back.
we are instantly a target for satan and his legions of demoniac followers.
he hates us beyond anything we can imagine and it is his sole aim to destroy us all.
to make sure we stay very far away from God.
to make us incapable of hoping anymore...of believing anymore.
we are prey, to put it plainly.
and until we all go Home, that never changes...

so, okay, following after God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, can really suck sometimes...it can feel as if we're dying in the moment and as if He doesn't hear us or care enough about us to truly help us when we cry out in desperation.

but can i tell you something else?
whatever pain we endure here, is truly not even comparable to the pain and suffering Jesus endured on the Cross for us.
so great is His undying Love...
loving God, staying by His side, keeping our little hand in His is also the only reason worth living for.
i love my children beyond description or explanation, and my Ma and Dad and my sisters, my lil petey, ttt, shawnzy, my god-children and jeff.
i love them above any others on this planet.
but...
here's the difference between loving them all and loving God:

i can't survive without God...
don't mistake me, i have lost so many loved ones and there have been times i could barely get my feet out of bed and i just didn't want to go on living without that person...
but our Abba Father gave me the will and the strength to go on living without them...
He saved me.
(especially after ernzy's death, when i truly wasn't 'making it' at all).
i can live without my loved ones, though i pray that won't happen any time soon or at all...

but i simply cannot live without God.
i wouldn't even want to try...
He is the only One who makes sense out of my life.
He is the reason i go on.
He makes it possible for me to love and care for all the people in my life.
He gives me hope for tomorrow
and peace for today.

i cannot live without God.

so, my dear nomadic friends,
if you have walked away from God, i know you feel a void that can only be filled by Him.
i know you miss Him.
you miss the closeness you had with Him on a daily basis.
i know it.
i know it because every time i've given up on Him, the emptiness i felt was vast and endless.
and you know that you will never have peace again until you return to Him.

no matter if you have attempted to fill yourself up with things or people that the world deems "happiness"...
no matter if you've convinced yourself that living without Him is the right choice.
you know it is not.

come back, dearest friends, come back...
though you may feel as if it's too late or you've done too much damage to yourselves and others ~
it's not too late.

start the new year on Holy footing...
choose Him, for you know He has chosen you.
we can technically survive without God,
but then again, that's not really living, is it?

God
loves
you...

the only question left is,
do you love Him?

at long last...

2008-12-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

yesterday morning i woke up crying.
i had the worst dream about one of my daughters...
she was in a fire, badly burned and was dying because of it.
she knew she was dying and she tried to make it easier for me.
even though it hurt her, she smiled at me and said:
"it's okay, momma, we'll see each other again in Heaven."

i woke up sobbing and was so glad it wasn't real
that i had to stumble down the hall to see her precious little face...
i could barely talk through my tears as i tried to explain i'd had a bad dream.

i just hugged her and told her over and over how much i loved her,
how much she meant to me...

the sad truth is

because we live, we also must die...
and though i understand with my mind that death is just a part of the cycle of life,
i've begun to hate death.
i hate it.
i hate loss.
i really do.

i hate the parting that comes between us all, in the moment we pass away from this world.
i hate the staggering pain.
the complete enormity of it all.
of being left behind.
of struggling beneath the agony just to get out of bed and keep going...

if you asked me what i look forward to most in Heaven,
(outside of spending eternity with my Abba Father, Brother Jesus and the precious Holy Spirit)
my answer is always the same:

Death will be no more.
no more loss.
the word "goodbye" will no longer be a part of our vocabulary,
and i will never again be left behind grieving for the people i've lost,
for stolen moments,
stolen years.

can you imagine a world without pain...without loss?
that is what awaits each child of God.
no more grief
no more sorrow
no more tears...

to know for once and for all,
that Life has won over Death,
that Good has won over Evil
that our precious Father has triumphed over Satan,
and the Holy War is over at long last.
and when Jesus returns, He'll say the most precious words:

let's go Home...

i love it.
i really do.

To set the captives free...

2008-11-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

last night i had the privilege of seeing the film Braveheart again...

i saw it last in 1998, fell in love with it and purchased it, but felt i couldn't watch it again because of the absolute heartache and suffering.

until last night...

when all my children were gone for the weekend,

and the house was peaceful and silent,

i watched it again.

William Ross Wallace is one of my heroes.
he lived, fought and bled for Scotland.
and more than that - for the belief that all men should be free...
that belief cost him his life...and gave Scotland theirs.

it seems freedom can only come with a price.
usually that price is the blood and sacrifice of all a person holds dear.
even as i write this, our men and women are dying right now to keep us free.
to keep our children and their children and their children ~ free.
the freedoms i can never imagine living without...

i cannot write the words to show how deeply grateful i am to each soldier, each soldier's wife or husband, each soldiers mother and father, for the freedoms i have right now...

for every wife or husband who learns their spouse will never come home again ~

thank you thank you thank you.

for every child who will grow to adulthood without their parent by their side ~

thank you thank you thank you.

for every mother and father who will never hold their child-soldier again ~

thank you thank you thank you.

you are all my 'braveheart'...
and though i have never deserved these freedoms i sit upon, i will never forget you...
i write your names upon my heart and these words upon my life.

there is another Braveheart.
He is the truest soldier i have ever known.
He has no medals.
no unmarked grave.
no flowers on Veteran's Day.
no flag upon His chest.
no government to stand beside
and His heroism is often overlooked and unsung...

this soldier is the Son of God.
He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
He bled and died upon the belief that all men should be free.
all of us.
each man, woman and child.
irrespective of country and home.

His life, His death, was each moment, for our freedom.
undeserved though we all remain
of His priceless mercy and love,
He came to "set the captives free",
to purchase our freedom at any cost to Himself.
every word from His lips, every drop from His blood
was given for you and me.

that freedom is for us all.
His life for ours.
and all we have to do is say one small word ~

yes.
yes.
yes.

what will you say to the King of Kings?
to the greatest soldier of all time?
each of us must decide.

i say yes to the greatest Braveheart i will ever know...
i say yes for freedom.
for my life,
for my children,
and for their children's freedom.

thank You, Jesus,

for Your unfathomable Love,

Your incalculable sacrifice,

and for freeing us from sin and eternal darkness...

thank You
thank You

thank You...

"To say to the captives, 'Come out,'

and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'..."

~Isaiah 49:9~

"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death."
~Luke 1:49~

Everything about You...

2008-11-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

i love You so very much, my Father...

i love Your:

kindness

mercy

strength

patience

perserverance

grace and graciousness

healing

restoration

renewal

silence

power

protection

nurturing
serenity

peace

acceptance

hope

understanding

gentility

constant availability

creations ~ especially my lil petey and Your glorious rain!

forgiveness

and unconditional Love in this very conditional world...

every single moment i'm alive is a gift from You and You alone.

my children, my greatest blessing, are directly from Your heart to mine.

and though i am a pauper in this world, i am a princess in Yours...

the Home You call Your own will one day be mine as well.

so, Father?

love

You

and more than that,

love

everything

about

You...

after all, what child could ever ask for more?

When dreams die...

2008-11-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

so many of us have experienced those life-changing moments when we realize a dream is about to die...

specifically, when the dream of our marriages die.
when the only seeming certainty is a pending divorce decree and the complete upheaval it brings with it.

what we once thought was our life is forever altered and the absolute shock and trauma of it can be staggering.

how do you let go of a dream that can never come true?

the only answer i've found to that question is God...

He is the only One who has everything we need to survive the death of a dream.

healing, restoration, protection, counsel, refreshment, encouragement, unconditional love and acceptance and most of all ~

hope.

our Abba Father gives us hope to carry on, to pick up the pieces of the broken pictures of our lives.
He gives us hope not only of healing and restoration, but the ability to still believe in Love...

that it exists.
that others have it.
that it takes faith to see it
and work to keep it.

that Love alone, is possible.

that 'this too shall pass'
that the pain gets less
that hope does 'spring anew'
that life hasn't passed you by
there's more and more.
that the children will heal as well...given time.
that trusting someone doesn't always end in grief...in sorrow.

Love is possible.

did you know?
do you believe it?
are you hurting?
are you learning the painful lesson of letting go?
that we don't always get what we want because we don't always know what we need?
that your divorce doesn't define you?
that life can shine most beautifully when it comes after death?
that this isn't the end of your story, just the closing of a chapter?

Love is possible.

whereever you are today, please know that each day, each moment is a brand new beginning.
you can start again.
you can be the proverbial Phoenix that rises from the ashes.
you can be the blossoming of Spring.
you can be whole.
you can be new.
you can truly live again,
but most of all...
you can love again.

because

Love
is
possible...

Happy Birthday Ernzy...

2008-11-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Ernzy.

i love and miss you, ernzy...

no matter how much time passes by, i love and miss you just the same.

i want to pick up the phone and sing you Happy Birthday like i have done for years, and hear your voice just once more.

i wish you were here, ernzy...

i wish i could hug you and tell you how much you truly mean to me.

i wish i could have taken all of your pain away.

Christmas Eve is coming soon, ernzy...

did you know that your absence has changed everything?

that Thanksgiving and especially Christmas Eve, are forever different because you are no longer here?

mom and dad brought you flowers and balloons for your birthday, ernzy...

we celebrate your life even more especially because you aren't here to share it with us.

Happy Birthday, precious ernzy...

we celebrate you.

Happy Birthday Ma...

2008-11-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, precious Ma...

you are so very precious to all of those around you.

your life is a blessing, Ma.

i'm blessed to know and love you.

i know your birthday is hard without your little boy...

i know you ache for him.

but your life is truly worth celebrating

because you are more than a survivor,

you are a champion.

you're my personal hero, Ma...

i'm proud of who you are and how much you love your family and friends.

your random acts of kindness and thoughtfulness mean the world

to the ones you bless.

i am one of those, Ma.

thank you just for being who you are...

and Happy, Happy Birthday to you!

your life shines upon us all...

so alone...

2008-11-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

"Then all of Jesus' followers left him and ran away."
Mark 14:50

KEY THOUGHT:

For me, this is one of the saddest verses in all the Bible.
Jesus is completely left alone by those whom he had loved, trained, warned, and prepared.
The Son of God will now face the pent-up fury of those who have hated him.
He will bear unspeakable brutality and have no one to stand with him in his time of agony.
He will die alone.
Because he has faced abandonment, we can rest assured that he knows how we feel when we are abandoned, betrayed, and abused.
However, because Jesus died alone, he has promised us we would never be abandoned.
He promises to be with us every step of the way.

TODAY'S PRAYER:

Father, in those times that I feel most alone and abandoned, please help me remember Jesus
and realize that he not only knows those feelings of abandonment,
but he also has promised to never abandon me.
Thank you for this assurance based on such a costly sacrifice.
In Jesus' name I thank you.
Amen.

(this and other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org.)

thank You...

2008-11-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

thank You, my Abba Father,

for all You are and all You've done...

Your beauty is everywhere.

Your grace covers me each day.

Your Love lifts me from my daily troubles and enfolds me in the safety of Your arms.

i live for You, my Abba...

everything beautiful in my life is because of You and You alone.

all the Glory and credit belongs to You.

thank You for my children, Father...they truly fill my heart with light and i will love them for always and always.

thank You for my lil Petey...he brings me joy, companionship and i love him so.

thank You for Ma & Dad, J, my sisters and friends...they are simply precious and irreplaceable.

i don't have an eloquent speech prepared or a beautified prayer...just these 3 words:

"thank You, Father"

and knowing You, dearest Abba, that is enough...

i was blessed last night...

2008-11-02T09:05:00.001-08:00

last night i had the rare opportunity of re-connecting with someone that has always been dear to me...

we were able to spend a good chunk of time getting to know a part of what has happened in each of our lives over the last 20 or so years.

he is a wonderful person, friend, brother, son and man ~
and i am blessed to have him, once again, in my life.

he earnestly cares for his family and friends and in general, he loves people.
he 'walks unafraid' in this life and it's truly refreshing to know someone like this.

because tomorrow is not promised to any of us, i do my best to live fully in the moment, to give myself wholly to right now.

and right now i am just grateful to my Abba Father for the extra joy i have in my heart.

so...

J, thank you for who you are and for the delight last night was...i am blessed to know and care about you.

and as always, Father, thank You for all You are and do in my life...
i am proud and blessed beyond measure to always be Your laineyrose.

Things Jesus Might Say!

2008-10-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

What would Jesus say when the Dow swings nearly 1,000 points in one day?

I'm not sure, but this is my take on it...

"You know I love you.

Your value has not changed one bit, no matter what's happened to your market accounts.

The downturn in the market can remind you of something I have often said:

'This world is not your home.'

Not long ago people would store up their treasures in barns where moth and rust could destroy.

Your investments are a little more high-tech, but not so much different in some ways.

You're not worried about moths or rust, you're worried about uncertainty and sudden downswings

you cannot control.

Like the scriptures say, cast all your anxieties on me because I love you.

Maybe that means something more to you today than ever before.

If so, that's a good thing!"

As the market goes up and down, always know that my love for you never changes.

In other words, let my love be the most important factor in your mindset and attitude,

not what Fox News or CNN is reporting.

My love will bring comfort to your soul.

I know you're stressed-out.

Faithful people have faced terrible circumstances many times over the years.

Just keep your eyes focused on me and my Father's will.

"Most financial analysts are exactly right when they say 'focus on the long term.'

This is a principle my Father's Word has been teaching for generations.

Much tragedy occurs when people make rash decisions, when they get carried away with 'short-term crisis.

'I've seen people take harsh measures and make terrible decisions because they could only seethe moment.

Focus on all the promises for eternity.

That will make huge difference today!

Let the current market crisis help you re-frame your thinking with respect to the future.

My Father wants us to look past the short term and focus on a more distant horizon.

And that horizon depends wholly on His will.

The future depends on the Father's love and plans, not on the Dow Jones.

No matter what happens today or tomorrow, His plans are to give you a hope and a future

of calling on His name and finding Him.

"There are so many things I could say, many things I have already said in The Word.

Go there and spend more time with me.

What if the biggest gain you make in the midst of all these market losses is a new walk with me and my Father? That would be wonderful, huh?!

Just think of how much better off you'll be, no matter what happens with your portfolio.

But let me say this: I think you'll be fine.

I hope your financial security makes a rebound.

Over the years much good has been done in this world by prospered people who have gotten

their priorities in order.

Perhaps my father is preparing you for the greatest opportunities of your life.

I hope so."In the meantime, don't ever forget this:

I love you no matter what.And no matter what occurs today or tomorrow, your value will never change."

~this devotion by Danny Sims and other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org~

A Little Spunk Needed? ~ by Rob Frazier

2008-10-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

"I was walking through the Atlanta airport, CNN blaring in the background,

headlines screaming from the news stands stocked with magazines

covered with glum faces, all the news is bad, bad, bad.

You can't help but worry and wonder what the future will hold, what your retirement will be like,

what will be left over when all the dust settles.

Then I saw her.

She was about 8 years old and a darling little girl.

She was with her mother and father and older brother.

She was also on crutches.

Her legs barely made a ripple in her little jeans, obviously withered and weak from some

chromosome that came unraveled while she was being knitted in the womb.

She was happy, and swung her legs in a strong rhythmic motion with her crutches to keep pace

with her parents and brother.

She was in every way a typical 8 year-old except for her withered extremities.

I thought that no matter where the stock market ends up, or how the economy falls or rises,

she will still be crippled.

She will grow up in a world where a pair of shorts will be a cause for people to stare.

She'll feel left out as other kids run and play at school, and she will struggle to find a formal dress for the Homecoming dance that will accommodate her braced legs and crutches.

It's too early to fold, and we're made of better stuff!

No matter if my 401(k) recovers or not, she will always -- always -- be crippled.

Her parents may lose their job, I might lose mine, but she will never lose her infirmity.

We may all weather this storm with nothing more than a few fallen limbs in the yard, but her limbs

will never be whole.

It made me a little angry that we have been focused on what we lost, not what we have.

I remember Sam Walton, after the 1987 crash, when he said that even after watching Wal-Mart stock fall by a third, he still had the same number of shirts on the shelves as he did the day before.

That is the kind of thinking, the kind of investing, and the kind of courage we need now.

The losses are paper losses.

The value is still there in the companies the stocks represent.

If we will each keep our head in this mess, we'll work through this.

That really is what the little girl does.

She marches through the airport like she had every right to be there, withered legs and all.

No sympathy, no melancholy, just the spirit and spunk to deal with the hand she was dealt.

We need to take a deep breath and get ready to play the game.

It's too early to fold, and we're made of better stuff ~

the same kind of stuff of which that little girl is made."

~this and other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org~

when all others have gone...

2008-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

in the last 5 years, i have lost almost everyone i've ever loved...

one day here, the next just gone.

i've prayed, fasted, believed and hoped for miracles...yet not one has returned to both Abba and me.

i've made huge mistakes and asked for a forgiveness that i did not deserve.

i've stumbled and fallen and it has been God alone who has saved me from the great abyss.

what i've learned in this time, in the 'valley of God' is this:

God will never leave or forsake me

i cannot earn or ever deserve, His Love, Grace and Forgiveness

He is with me at all times, in all places

though i have been forsaken by those i've loved, He would never do the same to me

He would never do the same to you

i have to hold on despite seeming like a ridiculous, modern-day noah

and most of all...

nothing is impossible with God ~ absolutely nothing.

dearest Abba,

save and forgive me from my terrible foolishness, huge mistakes and the doubts that assail me daily...

i am nothing without You, my King of Kings.

i have no future without you...my only future is You.

You are the only One that makes my life make sense...

with all the love i possess ~ Your most unworthy daughter,

Your laineyrose

"I will"

2008-10-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

"And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." ~Jeremiah 15:21~

Note the glorious personality of the promise.

I will, I will.

The Lord Jehovah himself interposes to deliver and redeem his people.

He pledges himself personally to rescue them.

His own arm shall do it, that he may have the glory.

Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord.

Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficiency.

Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding?

Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm.

Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and know that the Lord reigneth.

Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means and causes.

The Lord says nothing of friends and helpers:

he undertakes the work alone, and feels no need of human arms to aid him.

Vain are all our lookings around to companions and relatives;

they are broken reeds if we lean upon them-often unwilling when able, and unable when they are willing.

Since the promise comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon him;

and when we do so, our expectation never fails us.

Who are the wicked that we should fear them?

The Lord will utterly consume them;they are to be pitied rather than feared.

As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to those who have no God to fly to, for when the Lord

is on our side, whom shall we fear?

If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be alarmed, but if we hold fast our integrity,

the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our good.

When the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a morsel which he could not digest;

and when the world devours the church, it is glad to be rid of it again.

In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us possess our souls.

~Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org.~

my lil love...

2008-09-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

my lil mini-doxie, petey, is the love of my life...

he is my best friend and i love him beyond thought or measure.

a week ago yesterday i had to bring him into pet ER clinic for a small infection.

i thought i was losing him and was absolutely devastated...

the antibiotics were finished yesterday and then last night he swallowed a small portion of sport's tape from my girls' bedroom floor.

the tape can hurt his digestive track and cause an infection...

they wanted me to bring in petey but i can't afford it -

(it cost me $244.00 to take him to the pet ER clinic last sunday)

if he starts the 'v' word or the 'd' word (sorry, i hate both of those words) he has to be seen immediately.

he has to be watched carefully for the next week...

now i will be afraid of losing him for another week and after speaking to the nurse over the phone,

i just cried and cried.

even if you don't know me, could you please say a prayer for petey?

i've lost too many people to lose my precious lil friend as well...

thank you for listening and for any prayers you offer up on me and petey's behalf...

may God bless you all,

laineyrose

i love this devotion...

2008-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Stressed Out,
by Patrick D. Odum

"So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."
(Matthew 6:31-34 TNIV)

Please pardon me if I seem a little stressed out.
I really can't help it.
After all, I apparently live in the most stressful city in America.
Yes, Chicago was recently named in an article by "Forbes Magazine" as the most stressful place
in the United States to live.
Forbes based their evaluation on several factors, including air quality, unemployment rate, the cost of housing
and gas, and population density.
Chicago scored high enough in all these categories to push our lovely city past New York, Detroit, Los Angeles,
and San Francisco and claim the title of "Most Stressful Place in America."
Whoo-hoo! We're number one.
Actually, it could have been worse.
The "Forbes" article based its conclusions in part on the fact that gas in Chicago costs "a nickel under four dollars." Those were the days.
Funny thing, though.
I've lived in Chicago for seventeen years and, aside from a little high blood pressure, I'm in pretty good health.
You'd think all that time living in the most stressful city in America would have taken more of a toll.
In fact, I know lots of people who live in other places who seem to have at least as much stress in their
lives as I do, if not more.
And I'm sure there are places in other parts of the world that make Chicago look about as stressful as a quiet tropical island.
Though we use it to refer to almost anything that makes us worried or anxious,
the word stress originally described "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change."
In other words, stress is the general symptoms we feel when things don't go as we planned.
It's what happens to us when we're forced to adjust on the fly.
If that's what stress is, then I think we're left with an inescapable conclusion.
We can't avoid stress.
I know, I know.
You're welcome.
Look, I'm with you;
I think I might enjoy a life in which the only stress I had was deciding whether to have crab or steak for dinner.
I've come to the conclusion, however, that God hasn't seen fit to give me that life.
I'm pretty sure that isn't your life, either.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that's no one's life.
If stress is the body's response to any demand for change, then short of having absolute and complete control of your life, and the lives of those around you, stress is inescapable.
Stuff will happen to you that you hadn't planned for.
Stuff will happen to you that you might have planned for, but sooner than you planned.
Stuff will happen to you that you planned for, and you'll find that your plans don't cover it.
Or if it's not you this week, it will be someone you love, and that person's stress will cause you stress.
We might as well stop being surprised when unexpected things happen.
We might as well recognize the stress we feel for what it is:
a biological reaction to the upsetting of our apple carts.
Be it a lane closure or a foreclosure, the birth of a baby or the death of a parent, starting a new job
or getting fired, marriage problems or dating problems.
Something happens that demands change, or adaptation, or fight, or flight, and our bodies amp up
the energy level and take stock of options.
Not just in Chicago, or even especially in Chicago.
Anywhere.
Everywhere.
Jesus suggests that we focus our energies on seeking God.
I think a lot of what we call stress is really worry, and what we usually worry about are the things
we can't do much else about.
It's funny how we are, really;
we worry most about what we can do the least about.
Somehow, though, we seem to be under the impression that by obsessing over it and fretting about it,
lying awake all night turning it over in our heads, and driving everyone we know crazy endlessly retelling
and rehashing it, we can somehow solve it.
That's why we don't like it that Jesus seems dismissive of the things that stress us.
"Don't worry," he says, and being wired the way we are it's little wonder that our knee-jerk response
is something along the lines of, "Yeah, right."
But don't tune him out, because what he suggests is that worry is a theological problem.
We worry, he claims, because the God we believe in isn't powerful enough or loving enough or concerned enough
to watch over us.
Thankfully, he reminds us that the God we're supposed to believe in is our "heavenly Father,"
and that he cares for his children.
Jesus suggests that we learn some life lessons from the birds and the grass.
Neither are strong in the area of strategic, long-range planning.
Yet, by and large, God cares for them.
The birds seem to have all they need to eat.
The grass is clothed in flowers as bright as the finery of a king.
They go about their business, they do what they do and live their lives, and God cares for them.
"Are you not much more valuable to God?"
Jesus asks us – who are made in his image, shaped by his hands, animated by his breath.
"Don't you think your Father in heaven will care for you at least that well?"
Worry, Jesus says, is the response of pagans to a world that's out of their control.
The response of believers is faith in a God who knows exactly what we need and is happy to provide it.
The response of believers is prayer: to give thanks for his care in the past and ask for it
to continue in the present and future.
Instead of worry, Jesus suggests that we focus our energies on seeking God:
his reign over our hearts and lives, his righteousness lived out in what we do and say.
It's kind of a nice way, I think, of telling us to just try to do what God says and be the people he made us to be, and leave the planning to him.
That's scary, for some us.
For all of us, to an extent.
Then again, there's something attractive about it, too.
To live with joy and expectation and trust, instead of anxiety, worry, and gloom?
We can.
We have every reason to live that way.
Leave worry to those who don't know our Father in heaven.
That's not for us.
The God we know cares for the birds and the grass and loves us even more.
So much, in fact, that he didn't even withhold his Son from us.
Trust his power and love, seek his presence and his will above everything else, and you'll be ready
to deal with any kind of stress life may have in store for you.
Why, you could even live in Chicago.

(c) 2008 Patrick D. Odum
~this and other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org~

who do you say that I am?

2008-09-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

VERSE:

"But what about you?" he asked.

"Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

~Luke 9:20~

THOUGHT:

A lot of people have their opinions about Jesus’ identity.

The real issue, however, is what you believe about Jesus.

What you decide about God’s Son means everything for you and for those you influence.

So listen to Jesus' question to his disciples as if he is asking it of you: "Who do you say I am?"

I pray that your answer is the same as Peter’s:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus, who is my Lord, Savior, friend, and older brother in your family.

I praise you for sending him to reveal yourself to us and I thank you for your love demonstrated by him on the Cross.

I do believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the only Savior who can bring freedom, pardon, cleansing, and complete salvation.

Thank you!

In Jesus' mighty name I pray.

Amen.

~this and other devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org~

freedom...

2008-09-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to
everyone, to win as many as possible."
~1 Corinthians 9:19~

THOUGHT:
Grace frees us from the law of sin and death.

But, our freedom is not to be used for rebellion or for self-gratification.

Instead, we are to use our freedom redemptively, just as Jesus did

(cf. Philippians 2:5-11).

We can voluntarily limit that freedom to help others still caught in bondage

to sin and false ideas about God.

We can use the freedom of the Spirit to be transformed to be like
Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Let’s use our freedom to rejoice and to bless.

PRAYER:
Thank you, great and mighty LORD, for setting me free by your grace.

I know, dear Father, that this gift was given to me at great cost ~

the humiliating torture, death, and burial of your Son, Jesus Christ.

So use me, dear Father, to bless others who have not
yet found their deliverance and freedom in Jesus.

I pray this in the name of my Savior, Jesus.

Amen.

~this and other devotions can be found at: www.heartlight.org~

just thank You...

2008-09-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

dearest Father,

though i am undeserving and unworthy for even an ounce of Your Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness,
i am so grateful to You for not giving up on me...

thank You for loving me, my Abba.
thank You for forgiving me.
thank You for taking pity on me.

thank You for the people You put in my path...

my mom and dad
my children
my petey - my friend
my sisters
jay, one of my best friends
cindyluwho
lauren
nat
lydia
all the sms drivers
all the nurses
all my doctors

all the wonderful receptionists
all the radiologists
everyone at my dentist office - (they are kind, understanding and knowledgable about the liver disease too)
all the kind and funny people at Yoke's - (we will miss you, jeannette!)
my patient and understanding pharmacists
all the friendly and helpful people i've talked with at avista, city of airway and qwest...
and more besides.

i know they are in my path because of You, Father.
help me to be just as big a blessing to them as they have been to me...

i don't deserve You, my Father...but that doesn't change how very much i need You and want to reflect who You are to the world around me.

so, Abba, thank You

and this one's for You...

"I Need You More"

I need You more
More than yesterday
I need You Lord
More than words can say
I need You more
Than ever before
I need You Lord

I need You Lord
More than the air I breathe
More than the song I sing
More than the next heartbeat
More than anything
And Lord as time goes by
I'll be by Your side
Cause I never want to go back
To my old life
I need You Lord

~Lindell Cooley~

freely given...

2008-09-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin."
~Psalms 32:5~

David's grief for sin was bitter.
Its effects were visible upon his outward frame: "his bones waxed old";
"his moisture was turned into the drought of summer."
No remedy could he find, until he made a full confession before the throne of the heavenly grace.
He tells us that for a time he kept silence, and his heart became more and more filled with grief:
like a mountain tarn whose outlet is blocked up, his soul was swollen with torrents of sorrow.
He fashioned excuses;
he endeavoured to divert his thoughts, but it was all to no purpose;
like a festering sore his anguish gathered, and as he would not use the lancet of confession,
his spirit was full of torment, and knew no rest.
At last it came to this, that he must return unto his God in humble penitence, or die outright;
so he hastened to the mercy-seat, and there unrolled the volume of his iniquities before the

all-seeing One, acknowledging all the evil of his ways in language such as you read in the fifty-first and

other penitential Psalms.
Having done this, a work so simple and yet so difficult to pride, he received at once the token of divine forgiveness; the bones which had been broken were made to rejoice, and he came forth from his closet

to sing the blessedness of the man whose transgression is forgiven.
See the value of a grace-wrought confession of sin!
It is to be prized above all price, for in every case where there is a genuine, gracious confession,

mercy is freely given, not because the repentance and confession deserve mercy, but for Christ's sake.
Blessed be God, there is always healing for the broken heart;
the fountain is ever flowing to cleanse us from our sins.
Truly, O Lord, thou art a God "ready to pardon!"
Therefore will we acknowledge our iniquities.

~Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org.~

great storms...

2008-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

"There were also with him other little ships."

~Mark 4:36~

Jesus was the Lord High Admiral of the sea that night, and his presence preserved the whole convoy.

It is well to sail with Jesus, even though it be in a little ship.

When we sail in Christ's company, we may not make sure of fair weather, for great storms may toss

the vessel which carries the Lord himself, and we must not expect to find the sea less boisterous

around our little boat.

If we go with Jesus we must be content to fare as he fares;

and when the waves are rough to him, they will be rough to us.

It is by tempest and tossing that we shall come to land, as he did before us.

When the storm swept over Galilee's dark lake all faces gathered blackness, and all hearts dreaded shipwreck.

When all creature help was useless, the slumbering Saviour arose, and with a word, transformed the

riot of the tempest into the deep quiet of a calm;

then were the little vessels at rest as well as that which carried the Lord.

Jesus is the star of the sea;

and though there be sorrow upon the sea, when Jesus is on it there is joy too.

May our hearts make Jesus their anchor, their rudder, their lighthouse, their life-boat, and their harbour.

His Church is the Admiral's flagship, let us attend her movements, and cheer her officers with our presence.

He himself is the great attraction;

let us follow ever in his wake, mark his signals, steer by his chart, and never fear while he is within hail.

Not one ship in the convoy shall suffer wreck;

the great Commodore will steer every barge's safety to the desired haven.

By faith we will slip our cable for another day's cruise, and sail forth with Jesus into a sea of tribulation.

Winds and waves will not spare us, but they all obey him;

and, therefore, whatever squalls may occur without, faith shall feel a blessed calm within.

He is ever in the centre of the weather-beaten company: let us rejoice in him.

His vessel has reached the haven, and so shall ours.

~Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org.~

not forsaken...

2008-09-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

VERSE:

"He answered me, "The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great;

the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.

They say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land;

the LORD does not see.'"

~Ezekiel 9:9~

THOUGHT:

In times of evil and adversity, God's people can lose sight of the Father's "great and precious promises."

God has faithfully kept these promises through the ages.

This past faithfulness is our reminder that we can trust his promise of the salvation we willfully

experience with him one day.

Even in our darkest night, God has not forsaken us.

He sees and knows what we do and how we feel.

Quite often, however, the LORD is watching to see how we will live in tough times.

He wants us to show that we will be faithful during these times.

He wants us to see that he can be trusted and that he still is at work in our world and in our lives.

So let's be faithful, trusting that the God who preserved Israel and brought through Israel the

promised Messiah will also preserve and bless us!

PRAYER:

In my times of darkest struggle or of loftiest joy, dear LORD,

please help me to be found faithful to you and to your will.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

enjoy many other devotions at www.heartlight.org

Complete Joy!

2008-09-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands

and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

My command is this:

Love each other as I have loved you."

~John 15:10-12 NIV~

"You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.'

The bride belongs to the bridegroom.

The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice.

That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

He must become greater;

I must become less."

~John 3:28-30~

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love,

if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete

by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than

yourselves."

~Philippians 2:1-3~

I have known exceptionally joyful times.

These include holidays, vacations, special family events, and occasional seasons of worship.

These joyful events involved spiritual highs, intellectual breakthroughs, and once in a lifetime experiences. However, there have been only a few times when I could say that I have truly experienced complete joy:

my wedding day, the birth of my children, the rebirth of my children, and recently when our son was married.

He has known his wife most of her life.

We have known her family since before any of us had children.

They have prayed and prepared and waited and planned.

Their decision to become husband and wife is the answer to numberless prayers, and the fulfillment of lifelong dreams.

What created this completely joyful weekend?

Everyone involved was like-minded.

The only concern of everyone involved was that the weekend would be what the bride and groom wanted it to be. From the flower lady to the flower girl, from the caterer to the videographer, and from the mothers to the brothers and sister, all attention was given to the bride and the groom.

Egos were shelved.

Whatever it took to make it possible for the couple to live their dream is all anyone wanted.

It was their day.

It was their wedding.

It was their time.

Joy is His promise to us!

Sacrifices were made.

Family and friends traveled long distances, went to great expense, and were willing to give whatever

was needed to make the day special.

God was present.

He was present in the ceremony.

He was present in the gift giving.

He was present in the discussions.

He was present in the relationships.

He was present in the promises made by the bride and the groom.

Love was obvious.

You could see it in the eyes of the bride and the groom.

You could see it in the eyes of the parents as they reflected on how swiftly the years have flown.

You could hear it in the verbal expressions of love, respect, and appreciation shared by the friends

and family members.

You could feel it simply by being present.

We experienced complete joy.

You can too, and it may not necessarily involve a wedding.

When we surrender our wills to His, get rid of our egos, sacrifice for the good of others,

welcome God's presence into our lives, and express our love to one another the Scriptures promise

that our joy can be complete.

You can experience it today by giving your life to Him completely.

Joy is His promise to us.

It is time.

The world needs to see it.

Let the joy be complete!

enjoy many other devotions from www.heartlight.org

spend our strength in Love...

2008-09-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?"

~Job 38:16~

Some things in nature must remain a mystery to the most intelligent and enterprising investigators.

Human knowledge has bounds beyond which it cannot pass.

Universal knowledge is for God alone.

If this be so in the things which are seen and temporal, I may rest assured that it is even more so

in matters spiritual and eternal.

Why, then, have I been torturing my brain with speculations as to destiny and will, fixed fate, and human responsibility?

These deep and dark truths I am no more able to comprehend than to find out the depth which coucheth

beneath, from which old ocean draws her watery stores.

Why am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's providence's, the motive of his actions,

the design of his visitations?

Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and hold the universe in my palm?

yet these are as a drop of a bucket compared with the Lord my God.

Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love.

What I cannot gain by intellect I can possess by affection, and let that suffice me.

I cannot penetrate the heart of the sea, but I can enjoy the healthful breezes which sweep over its bosom,

and I can sail over its blue waves with propitious winds.

If I could enter the springs of the sea, the feat would serve no useful purpose either to myself or to others,

it would not save the sinking bark, or give back the drowned mariner to his weeping wife and children;

neither would my solving deep mysteries avail me a single whit, for the least love to God, and the simplest act

of obedience to him, are better than the profoundest knowledge.

My Lord, I leave the infinite to thee, and pray thee to put far from me such a love for the tree of knowledge

as might keep me from the tree of life.

(Other Sturgeon devotions can be found at www.heartlight.org)

He sees right through...it's a good thing!

2008-08-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

But Jesus knew that these men were really trying to trick him.
Jesus said, "Why are you trying to catch me saying something wrong?
Bring me a silver coin. Let me see it."
They gave Jesus a coin and Jesus asked,
"Whose picture is on the coin?
And whose name is written on it?"
They answered, "It is Caesar's picture and Caesar's name."
~Mark 12:15-16 (ERV)~

KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus' opponents could not play games or trick him.
He knew their hearts.
He knew what was inside people.
He still does!
Rather than trying to play games with Jesus or pretend we are something we are not,why not be honest.
He came so we could be honest with him and with God.
When we are weak, let's be honest about our weakness and vulnerability.
When we are weary, let's go to him for rest.
When we are grief-stricken and sad, let's go to him for comfort.
When we are confused, let's be honest about our confusion and ask for his wisdom and discernment.
When we are angry, let's confess our anger and its source to him.
Jesus knows us.
Let's be honest and come to him for grace and not try to pretend we are something we are not.
Our games may not be based upon the same kind of deceit that his opponents used to try to trick him,
but deceit, dishonesty, and pretension are still tools Satan uses to keep our hearts away from the Savior.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
O LORD God, please forgive me.
I confess to you that I have sometimes tried to be something in your presence that I am not.
Even though I believe you know me through and through, I still sometimes fear bringing you
the darker sides of my personality and the most deeply wounded parts of my heart.
Please cure me of my pretension and deliver me from deception.
I want to be honest as well as reverent in your presence, dear God, my Abba Father.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

to the Cross...

2008-08-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

"Sing, O barren."

~Isaiah 54:1~

Though we have brought forth some fruit unto Christ, and have a joyful hope that we are

"plants of his own right hand planting,"

yet there are times when we feel very barren.

Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droops.

We are like flowers in the hot sun, requiring the refreshing shower.

In such a condition what are we to do?

The text is addressed to us in just such a state.

"Sing, O barren, break forth and cry aloud."

But what can I sing about?

I cannot talk about the present, and even the past looks full of barrenness.

Ah! I can sing of Jesus Christ.

I can talk of visits which the Redeemer has aforetimes paid to me;

or if not of these, I can magnify the great love wherewith he loved his people when

he came from the heights of heaven for their redemption.

I will go to the cross again.

Come, my soul, heavy laden thou wast once, and thou didst lose thy burden there.

Go to Calvary again.

Perhaps that very cross which gave thee life may give thee fruitfulness.

What is my barrenness?

It is the platform for his fruit-creating power.

What is my desolation?

It is the black setting for the sapphire of his everlasting love.

I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding,

I will tell him that I am still his child, and in confidence in his faithful heart, even I,

the barren one, will sing and cry aloud.

Sing, believer, for it will cheer thine own heart, and the hearts of other desolate ones.

Sing on, for now that thou art really ashamed of being barren, thou wilt be fruitful soon;

now that God makes thee loath to be without fruit he will soon cover thee with clusters.

The experience of our barrenness is painful, but the Lord's visitations are delightful.

A sense of our own poverty drives us to Christ, and that is where we need to be,

for in him is our fruit found.

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

His child...

2008-08-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."

~Acts 8:37~

These words may answer your scruples, devout reader, concerning the ordinances.

Perhaps you say, "I should be afraid to be baptized;

it is such a solemn thing to avow myself to be dead with Christ, and buried with him.

I should not feel at liberty to come to the Master's table;

I should be afraid of eating and drinking damnation unto myself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Ah! poor trembler, Jesus has given you liberty, be not afraid.

If a stranger came to your house, he would stand at the door, or wait in the hall;

he would not dream of intruding unbidden into your parlour-he is not at home:

but your child makes himself very free about the house;

and so is it with the child of God.

A stranger may not intrude where a child may venture.

When the Holy Ghost has given you to feel the spirit of adoption, you may come

to Christian ordinances without fear.

The same rule holds good of the Christian's inward privileges.

You think, poor seeker, that you are not allowed to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;

if you are permitted to get inside Christ's door, or sit at the bottom of his table, you will be well content.

Ah! but you shall not have less privileges than the very greatest.

God makes no difference in his love to his children.

A child is a child to him;

he will not make him a hired servant;

but he shall feast upon the fatted calf, and shall have the music and the dancing as much

as if he had never gone astray.

When Jesus comes into the heart, he issues a general licence to be glad in the Lord.

No chains are worn in the court of King Jesus.

Our admission into full privileges may be gradual, but it is sure.

Perhaps our reader is saying, "I wish I could enjoy the promises, and walk at liberty in my Lord's commands."

"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."

Loose the chains of thy neck, O captive daughter, for Jesus makes thee free.

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

His victory for us...

2008-08-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

"The breaker is come up before them."
~Micah 2:13~

Inasmuch as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would have been had he never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way.
Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior.
Not only has Christ travelled the road, but he has slain thine enemies.
Dost thou dread sin?
He has nailed it to his cross.
Dost thou fear death?
He has been the death of Death.

Art thou afraid of hell?

He has barred it against the advent of any of his children;

they shall never see the gulf of perdition.

Whatever foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome.

There are lions, but their teeth are broken;

there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted;

there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable;

there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire.

The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted;

the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point.

God has taken away in the person of Christ all the power that anything can have to hurt us.

Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously along your journey,

for all your enemies are conquered beforehand.

What shall you do but march on to take the prey?

They are beaten, they are vanquished;

all you have to do is to divide the spoil.

You shall, it is true, often engage in combat;

but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe.

His head is broken;

he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for his malicious design.

Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond all count.

"Proclaim aloud the Saviour's fame, Who bears the Breaker's wond'rous name;

Sweet name; and it becomes him well, Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell."

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

hard words to hear...

2008-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

"If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn,

or the field, be consumed therewith;

he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution."

~Exodus 22:6~

But what restitution can he make who casts abroad the fire-brands of error, or the coals of lasciviousness, and sets men's souls on a blaze with the fire of hell?

The guilt is beyond estimate, and the result is irretrievable.

If such an offender be forgiven, what grief it will cause him in the retrospect, since he cannot undo the mischief which he has done!

An ill example may kindle a flame which years of amended character cannot quench.

To burn the food of man is bad enough, but how much worse to destroy the soul!

It may be useful to us to reflect how far we may have been guilty in the past, and to enquire whether,

even in the present, there may not be evil in us which has a tendency to bring damage to the souls of

our relatives, friends, or neighbours.

The fire of strife is a terrible evil when it breaks out in a Christian church.

Where converts were multiplied, and God was glorified, jealousy and envy do the devil's work most effectually. Where the golden grain was being housed, to reward the toil of the great Boaz, the fire of enmity comes in and leaves little else but smoke and a heap of blackness.

Woe unto those by whom offences come.

May they never come through us, for although we cannot make restitution, we shall certainly be the

chief sufferers if we are the chief offenders.

Those who feed the fire deserve just censure, but he who first kindles it is most to blame.

Discord usually takes first hold upon the thorns;

it is nurtured among the hypocrites and base professors in the church, and away it goes among

the righteous, blown by the winds of hell, and no one knows where it may end.

O thou Lord and giver of peace, make us peacemakers, and never let us aid and abet the men of strife, or even unintentionally cause the least division among thy people.

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

more & more of Jesus...

2008-08-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

"The unsearchable riches of Christ."

~Ephesians 3:8~

My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words.

They are unsearchable!

You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Saviour than you think him to be

when your thoughts are at the greatest.

My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress.

My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them.

Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus.

When you put the crown on his head, you will only crown him with silver when he deserves gold.

My Master has riches of happiness to bestow upon you now.

He can make you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still waters.

There is no music like the music of his pipe, when he is the Shepherd and you are the sheep,

and you lie down at his feet.

There is no love like his, neither earth nor heaven can match it.

To know Christ and to be found in him-

oh! this is life, this is joy, this is marrow and fatness,

wine on the lees well refined.

My Master does not treat his servants churlishly; he gives to them as a king giveth to a king;

he gives them two heavens-

a heaven below in serving him here, and a heaven above in delighting in him forever.

His unsearchable riches will be best known in eternity.

He will give you on the way to heaven all you need;

your place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks, your bread shall be given you, and your waters shall be sure; but it is there, THERE, where you shall hear the song of them that triumph,

the shout of them that feast, and shall have a face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One.

The unsearchable riches of Christ!

This is the tune for the minstrels of earth, and the song for the harpers of heaven.

Lord, teach us more and more of Jesus, and we will tell out the good news to others.

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

nearer to Him...

2008-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love."

~Song of Solomon 5:8~

Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus, he is sick for his Lord.

Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are in a state of nearness to Christ;

for when they are away from him they lose their peace.

The nearer to him, the nearer to the perfect calm of heaven;

the nearer to him, the fuller the heart is,

not only of peace, but of life, and vigour, and joy, for these all depend on constant intercourse with Jesus.

What the sun is to the day, what the moon is to the night, what the dew is to the flower, such is Jesus Christ to us.

What bread is to the hungry, clothing to the naked, the shadow of a great rock to the traveller in a weary land, such is Jesus Christ to us;

and, therefore, if we are not consciously one with him, little marvel if our spirit cries in the words of the Song,

"I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, tell him that I am sick of love."

This earnest longing after Jesus has a blessing attending it:

"Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness";

and therefore, supremely blessed are they who thirst after the Righteous One.

Blessed is that hunger, since it comes from God:

if I may not have the full-blown blessedness of being filled, I would seek the same blessedness in its sweet bud-pining in emptiness and eagerness till I am filled with Christ.

If I may not feed on Jesus, it shall be next door to heaven to hunger and thirst after him.

There is a hallowedness about that hunger, since it sparkles among the beatitudes of our Lord.

But the blessing involves a promise.

Such hungry ones "shall be filled" with what they are desiring.

If Christ thus causes us to long after himself, he will certainly satisfy those longings;

and when he does come to us, as come he will, oh, how sweet it will be!

(Other Charles Spurgeon's devotions can be found at http://www.heartlight.org)

the Great Physician...

2008-08-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

"This sickness is not unto death."

John 11:4

From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness.

Here is an "unto" within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go.

Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimatum of his sickness.

In all sickness, the Lord saith to the waves of pain, "Hitherto shall ye go, but no further."

His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people.

Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.

1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive.

The God of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses;

each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestined, each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result eternally purposed.

Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.

2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed, and to the grace apportioned.

Affliction comes not at haphazard-the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured.

He who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in

measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls.

We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.

3. The limit is tenderly appointed.

The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary.

"He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men."

A mother's heart cries, "Spare my child";

but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God.

When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit.

The thought is full of consolation, that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed

the bounds of our tribulation.

~this devotion is written by Charles Spurgeon and can be found at www.heartlight.org~

His mercy...

2008-08-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

"The mercy of God."

Psalms 52:8

Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord.

It is tender mercy.

With gentle, loving touch, he heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.

He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it.

It is great mercy.

There is nothing little in God;

his mercy is like himself-it is infinite.

You cannot measure it.

His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time,

and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the

great heaven of the great God.

It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice.

There was no right on the sinner's part to the kind consideration of the Most High;

had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom,

and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

It is rich mercy.

Somethings are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits;

a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds;

a heavenly bandage to your broken bones;

a royal chariot for your weary feet;

a bosom of love for your trembling heart.

It is manifold mercy.

As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are double."

There is no single mercy.

You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies.

It is abounding mercy.

Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted;

it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever.

It is unfailing mercy.

It will never leave thee.

If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding;

with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking;

with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance;

and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.

~this devotion is written by Charles Spurgeon and can be found at www.heartlight.org~

Have Mercy on Me!

2008-08-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

{this devotion is originally from www.heartlight.org}
"Then they came to the town of Jericho.
Jesus was leaving that town with his followers and many other people.
A blind man named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road.
This man was always begging for money.
The blind man heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by.
The blind man shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, please help me!"
~Mark 10:46-47 (ERV)~

KEY THOUGHT:
So often we let pride and social convention keep us from asking from God what we most need from Him
and what He is often most willing to give us ~
mercy.
Let's not be shamed into silence.
When we realize we need mercy, grace, and forgiveness, let's not be shy about humbly asking for it
from our generous and loving Father.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
O Father, without Your mercy and grace I would surely fail to find my way into Your holy presence.
Thank You for lavishing Your gifts of grace and the Holy Spirit upon me.
Let me never forget Your mercy, love, and grace.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.

precious, precious Father...

2008-07-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

my Father, my Dad, my Daddy...

how many times have i felt utterly alone in the struggles i face day to day?

how many times have i called on Your name and You have saved me?

how can i ever thank You completely for all You have done in my heart and life?

You are literally my Everything.

my All in All.

"Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

~Isaiah 25:9~

"O Lord, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done marvelous things,

things planned long ago."

~Isaiah 25:1~

these words seem so inadequate but they are all i have:

thank You, thank You, thank You...

for all of time, my Father,

i will thank You...

when we cannot see...

2008-07-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

The View from a Troubled Heart,
by Bill Sherrill

"O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!"
(Deuteronomy 32:29 KJV).
"And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich."
(Ruth 3:10).
"So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses"
(Job 42:12).

Have you ever had the feeling that no matter what you tried to do nothing ever seemed to turn out alright?
Most of us have felt that at one time or another.
Some continually feel this way because life has been so difficult for them...

Jeremiah was distressed because the righteous seemed to suffer and the wicked prospered (Jeremiah 12:1).
Job, in his terrible trials, forgot all the good he had enjoyed and became so focused on his tragedies that he wished to have never been born.
The prophet Elijah cried out that he would be better off dead since he was hunted by his enemies and "I,only I am left."
To which the LORD replied, "I have 7,000 left who have not bowed their knees to Baal" (1 Kings 19:18).
The truth is, that until these "considered their latter end" of God's work, they could not make any sense of the affairs of their lives.
It is not possible to see, from our limited viewpoint, just what God has in store for us or how He will use us in His service.
Through God's providence they found joy!

One of the best told and most beautiful stories found in the Bible is about just such a situation...

An Israelite wife and mother, Naomi left her homeland with her husband and two sons because there was a great famine in their land.
After arriving in a foreign land, her husband died and left her with the two sons. After a time, the sons married and then they also died without children.
Naomi had heard that her homeland was once again reaping harvests so she determined to return to a place where she had kin. After her two daughters-in-law had traveled with her for a distance, she implored them to return to their own houses in the hope that they, being young, might find other husbands and raise families.
When they pleaded with her to let them continue with her, in the accumulation of misery that had befallen her,
Naomi said "My life is much too sad for you to share, because the LORD has been against me!" (Ruth 1:13).
"The LORD has been against me!"
How bitter Naomi must have felt! After all, nothing of value in her entire life remained; she was old and alone. But that for which she could never have dreamed was in the making. One of the young women who were her daughters-in-law refused to leave her and under her direction married the wealthy and kind Boaz.
And beyond any one's wildest dreams, Naomi's faithful daughter-in-law became one of three foreign women in the line which produced the Lord Jesus the Christ!
Through God's providence, Naomi and Ruth found joy in the present world and have gone down in history as two of the most famous women of all time!

Perhaps we -- like King David, Job, Elijah, and Naomi -- need to wait to see the "latter end"
before we assume that the LORD is unfair.

When we look back at our lives from the Eternal Kingdom, I suspect we might just find a few things of real glory in the life which seemed so empty.I guess "hind sight" will always be clearer than our present view.
Perhaps that is one of the most important reasons to trust in God's providence.
God didn't make anyone who is not important in His eyes
--no matter how it may look at the moment from our own point of view!---------

(c) 2008 Bill Sherrill
this article is originally from www.heartlight.org

forgiveness...

2008-07-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Forgiveness?,

by Ron Rose

{this devotion can be found at http://www.heartlight.org}

She came in complaining about my sermons always being about forgiveness and grace ...

I needed to come down harder on the sinners and in her words, "nail them."

After her rant, I asked, "So, you've got forgiveness and grace all worked out in your own life?"

"Well, Ron, there are some things you can't turn loose of, things that don't deserve grace, or forgiveness.

That's just the way it is. I know it's that way in my family."

She leaned over my desk and revealed a heart hardened by resentment and bitterness,

"No, forgiveness is not an option. I've been hurt too much."

The grudge was too embedded.

And her spiritual life was powerless and trapped in the wilderness.

Lack of forgiveness had turned in a critical, spirit of judgment.

She wanted me to make everyone else as miserable as she was ...

as long as she was in charge, of course.

A year later she left the church ... looking for harder preaching.

On the other side of her story is Reginald Denny.

Remember him?

Forgiveness doesn't make sense!

Years ago, Reginald Denny drove his truck into the riots of South Central Los Angeles

and the video cameras captured every detail of two men smashing his truck window with a brick,

hauling him from the cab and beating him with a broken bottle and kicking him until the side of his face was caved in.

Then at the trial, in spite of protests from his own lawyers, Denny walked over to the

mothers of the two defendants, hugged them and told them he forgave them.

The mothers responded with hugs and tears.

How could he do that?

One commentator stated, "Well you know, Denny did suffer some brain damage."

Forgiveness doesn't make sense:

sometimes it just seems like nothing is more important than hanging on to the grudge ...

sometimes "turning loose" is nothing but a slogan.

But, then God steps in and a miracle happens ... Turning loose becomes an experience.

Don't forget three basics:

1. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you condone what was done.

2. Forgiveness doesn't depend on the other person's apology ... it's the experience of finding inner peace.

3. Forgiveness is a gift for you ... by offering it, your life is no longer controlled by what someone else has done.

The weight of hurt and resentment and bitterness are released and you are finally free.

God has forgiven ... so what are you going to do?

His promises...and waiting on Him

2008-07-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

MORNING:
"Tell me I pray thee wherein thy great strength lies."
-- Judges 16:6

Where lies the secret strength of faith?
It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is-
an emanation of divine grace,an overflowing of the great heart of God;
and faith says, "My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace;
therefore it is quite certain his Word will be fulfilled."
Then faith thinks, "Who gave this promise?"
It considers not so much its greatness, as, "Who is the author of it?"
She remembers that it is God who cannot lie-God omnipotent, God immutable; and
therefore concludes that the promise must be fulfilled; and forward she advances in this firm conviction.
She remembers, why the promise was given,-namely, for God's glory,
and she feels perfectly sure that God's glory is safe, that he will never stain his own escutcheon,
nor mar the lustre of his own crown;
and therefore the promise must and will stand.
Then faith also considers the amazing work of Christ as being a clear proof of the Father's intention
to fulfil his word.
"He that spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Moreover faith looks back upon the past,for her battles have strengthened her, and her victories have given her courage.
She remembers that God never has failed her;
nay, that whenever did once fail any of his children.
She recollected times of great peril, when deliverance came; hours of awful need,
when as her day her strength was found, and she cries,
"No, I never will be led to think that he can change and leave his servant now.
Hitherto the Lord hath helped me, and he will help me still."
Thus faith views each promise in its connection with the promise-giver, and,
because she does so, can with assurance say,
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!"

EVENING:

"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day."
-- Psalms 25:5

When the believer has begun with trembling feet to walk in the way of the Lord,
he asks to be still led onward like a little child upheld by its parent's helping hand,
and he craves to be further instructed in the alphabet of truth.
Experimental teaching is the burden of this prayer.
David knew much, but he felt his ignorance, and desired to be still in the Lord's school:
four times over in two verses he applies for a scholarship in the college of grace.
It were well for many professors if instead of following their own devices, and
cutting out new paths of thought for themselves, they would enquire for the good old ways
of God's own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give them sanctified understandings
and teachable spirits.
"For thou art the God of my salvation."
The Three-One Jehovah is the Author and Perfecter of salvation to his people.
Reader, is he the God of your salvation? Do you find in the Father's election, in the Son's atonement,
and in the Spirit's quickening, all the grounds of your eternal hopes?
If so, you may use this as an argument for obtaining further blessings;
if the Lord has ordained to save you, surely he will not refuse to instruct you in his ways.
It is a happy thing when we can address the Lord with the confidence which David here manifests,
it gives us great power in prayer, and comfort in trial.
"On thee do I wait all the day."
Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that
we shall not wait in vain.
It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy,
in trust all the days of our life.
Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding.
We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously
he once waited for us...

"God~joined"

2008-07-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

"God has joined those two people together. So no person should separate them."
~Mark 10:9

KEY THOUGHT:

God has the power to make two people one.
Marriage is not about a wedding, but about a man and a woman entering into a covenant relationship
with God.
God is the greater party in the covenant.
The man and the woman give their highest allegiance and commitment to God when they marry.
There will be times when their spouse will unfortunately disappoint them or let them down.
But, God wants them to remember that their highest priority is not treating their spouse as he
or she deserves, but as God would have them be treated.
Honoring God in the way they treat each other is the key to marriage as God sees it.
God wants husbands and wives to understand that breaking a marriage apart is an offense
against God --
he is the one who makes couples one and the one with whom they enter into covenant relationship.
God hates covenants made with him to be broken.

TODAY'S PRAYER:

O God, please give your people a deeper appreciation of what it means to enter into covenant with you when they marry.
Help me, O God, to be a covenant-keeper and a person who encourages others to be loyal to you and the covenants they make with you.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

trusting You, dear Abba...

2008-06-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

i don't really know how to say this...

i am afraid.

there, i guess that's the best way.

i am afraid that i won't live to see my children's high school graduations.

i am afraid of the moment they move out and i am left behind with my Petey and all the silence.

i am afraid of the moment i will lose my Mom.

i am afraid that my 'family' will never again be reunited.

i am afraid that when i cry out to God, in a very critical moment, that He won't save me...

and that last fear is the most important one:

my Abba Father always asks me:

Elaine, do you trust Me?

i don't...not always...He knows the truth of it.

and that particular question of His is so very loaded...

do you trust Me, Elaine? . . .

to be in control of how and when you die from this liver disease?

to love and care for you when your children move out and onward?

to be your surrogate "Ma" when she eventually passes?

to reunite all those in repentance as I have foretold?

to save you, My little girl, when you call on My Name?

i sit here, as tears fall down my cheeks, and i pray:

dearest Father, i so want to trust in You completely ~

please save me from my unbelief!

You are my refuge and my strength...

i put my tiny hand in Your Omnipotent one

as i put my trust in You...

"if i should lose it all dear Lord, and still have You,

then in the end, i've not lost a thing..."

e.e.e.

His artistry...

2008-06-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

this is a recent pic from my front porch...and all of this sky is from God's own 'paintbrush'!

amazing, isn't it?