Tag Archives: God

September 4, 2013 · 1:20 am

Must Think First

image“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus said.

What a relief, it is the Master!  Peter thought. Everyone on the boat thought it was a ghost they saw walking towards them on the water, but he knew better.  He knew it could only be Jesus.

“Lord, if that is you tell me to come out to you on the water.”

“Come!” Jesus said.

A chill ran through Peter’s spine.  Jesus was telling him to walk out to him on the water!   Peter was aware of the other disciples shocked silence as he swung his leg over the side of the rocking boat.

No problem!  He thought.  He was sure of all the disciples; he was the one with the deepest connection and the strongest bond!  He would even die for Jesus!

After all, hadn’t it been only his name Jesus had changed from Simon to Peter.  Solid-as-rock-Peter.  And hadn’t he been the one that correctly declared that Jesus was the Messiah, The Son of the Living God; when Jesus asked him who he thought Jesus was? Continue reading →

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August 31, 2013 · 1:29 am

Shine on!

imageWhen we look at the bright glistening ball in the sky at night, we forget that the moon is a huge hunk of grey rock that does not have a light of its own.  Its silvery glow comes from the sun’s brilliant rays reaching the face of the moon which then reflect off, giving us a nightlight in the sky.

There are some nights that the moon brightens up the whole landscape around us.  It is especially spectacular when there is snow on the ground.

Sometimes we only see a quarter-moon, a half-moon, a three-quarter moon, or that sliver some call God’s finger nail. Continue reading →

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August 28, 2013 · 7:38 pm

Seriously, Who’s Got the Biggest Problem?

I was not able to write a post yesterday as usual (Tuesday) because I had two days of a migraine. Brutal! Here is my Tuesday post. 🙂

I have friend I will call Sandy. I met her about thirteen years ago when a little dog I was fostering snuck out of my yard. Sandy had recently moved in next door and offered to help me find the dog. We have both long since moved from that neighborhood, but we stay in touch. I consider Sandy a good friend.

Sandy feels bad about herself much too often, even more so when she is depressed. She has dealt with mean criticism and ugly labels throughout her life. She has been ridiculed and called names.

The thing is that because Sandy’s parents were heavy alcohol drinkers, Sandy suffers some of the symptoms of from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

Continue reading →

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August 24, 2013 · 1:37 am

Living in a Warzone

I have never been one to watch too many fantasy movies but was encouraged to by the way “Waking the Dead,” a book by John Eldridge, uses these as analogies to help readers understand the struggle we all live under.

John Eldridge, does not encourage readers to watch fantasy movies. He encourages us to wake up to the understanding that spiritual war is all around us and gravely affects our everyday life.  The last thing the enemy wants from a Christ follower is success or to have anything good we attribute to God.  He wants to keep us in a struggle so that we are not living up to our God-given potential, but instead we are as frustrated, disappointed, depressed and discouraged as possible.

I rented the Hobbit.   Have you ever seen it?

As I watched it, I envisioned the dwarfs as the Israelites and Thorin as King David back in Old Testament times and King Jesus now and in the future.  There are numerous attacks by forces of evil.

The way the forces of evil are depicted in the movie, I can clearly imagine this is what the invisible spiritual warfare is like all around us, but the majority of us remain as unaware to it as Bilbo, though we are indeed deeply affected. Continue reading →

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August 21, 2013 · 12:19 am

True Love Never Fails

1st Corinthians 13:1-13

The Love Chapter

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If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Continue reading →

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August 13, 2013 · 12:49 am

What If Your Troubles Are Hidden Blessings

imageI found a beautiful song that helps everything make so much sense.  It is called “Blessings”  The music is absolutely lovely, but the words are priceless and speak miles and miles of wisdom.  I hope you get to listen to this song and that it will bless you as much as if has blessed me!  This person who wrote the lyrics, Laura Story, she gets it!  She was there. Her dream marriage came under fire as she and her husband battled for his health.*

As for me, I spent years angry at God for all the heartache and physical pain in my life. I felt cursed and I blamed Him for it.

In Matthew 17:20   Jesus said, “ I tell you, if you have faith as small as a tiny mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

This verse greatly frustrated me because I know Jesus doesn’t lie.

I had faith the size of coconuts,  yet the mountains weren’t moving.

And, everything–even ordinary things, just seemed impossible! Continue reading →

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August 12, 2013 · 11:35 am

Interesting Reblog from Beliefs of the Heart

I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Our Kids

July 23, 2013 — 629 Comments

Several years ago I met with a woman distraught by her son’s rejection of Christianity.heroes of the faith

She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I taught him to be like the ‘heroes of faith,’ with the faithfulness of Abraham, the goodness of Joseph, the pure heart of David, and the obedience of Esther.”

She wondered why he rejected Christianity.

I wondered why it took him so long.

Look at almost any Sunday school curriculum. You’ll find:

  • Abraham was faithful, and God made him the father of a nation. So be faithful like Abraham.
  • Joseph was a good little boy (unlike his “bad” brothers), and God made him Prime Minister of Egypt. So be good like Joseph.
  • David had a pure heart (unlike his brothers), and God made him King of Israel. So have a pure heart like David.
  • Esther was an obedient girl. God made her Queen of Persia and she saved God’s people. So be obedient like Esther.
  • Finally, if we fail to be good, Jesus will forgive us (a “P.S.” tacked onto the end).

What’s so bad about these Sunday school lessons?  Continue reading.

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August 12, 2013 · 1:28 am

God Redeems Blunders

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This small image carries an amazing amount of truth!  And it is too important not to share.

I found this image on Facebook

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August 10, 2013 · 11:54 pm

Shout Out to the Lord

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Let us all shout out and sing

Let bells of God’s majesty ring,

As we find comfort under His wing,

We worship our Lord and our glorious King.

As Darlene Zschech says in her song “Shout to the Lord”, there is non like Him!

Found image posted on Facebook

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian 2013 ©http://hiseyeisonthissparrow.com.

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August 9, 2013 · 12:40 am

Growing Pains

You know that feeling of resistance we naturally get when we are required to step outside our zone of comfort, to push further, strive harder and move past stagnation?

Much like when the momma bird pushes her young to the edge of the nest.  What is that youngling thinking?

“Momma’s off her rocker!”

“She’s trying to kill me!”

“How could she do this to me?”

That little one, paralyzed by fear, becomes frozen as momma gives the final shove.

Down, down it goes until finally it gets this crazy notion to flap its wings… flap, flap, flap… Continue reading →

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