an ASS out of U and ME

‎"The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him... Death and life are in the power of the tongue.." (Prov 18:17-21)

Ppl hear stuff from close friends or ppl they trust in their life, and they make assumptions as to truth and character.. often times forgetting that there is another side to everything, and while what they assume is sometimes correct, it is very often not.. 

This verse says that someone tells their side whether in their pain or their jealousy or their excitement.. but when the other person involved is given the opportunity to share their side and the "why" of what happened.. the truth can take a very about-face turn. Even ppl we love and trust and respect can get it wrong.. sometimes for selfish motives, sometimes lying to themselves as much as everyone else, sometimes meaning well... but still wrong.

My challenge for the coming year is for ppl to go to ppl and seek out the truth, to seek God for right discernment, and then the wisdom and strength to deal with everyone involved with justice and with love.. not just for their besties.. but for the whole of their circle of family, friends, and community. Keeping in mind that sometimes community involves ppl we don't like... and that doing justly when we are dealing with our enemies, sharpens our character and brings good things back around to those we love.

Love your enemies.. Godly love is disciplining those we love.. do what's right.. not in arrogance or abrasiveness.. but with gentleness, self-control, and humility.

Talk to ppl...

And stop making an ASS out of U and ME ♥

--------------------

Some ppl don't tell their side.. for lots of reasons.. too painful, too exhausted, not given opportunity, to protect other ppl involved, whatever... and truth becomes a lie, gossip, a power play, or just plain meanness... words carry alot of weight... as does silence.. don't judge ppl, until you talk to them about whatever it is that is tempting you to judge them.

Considering not just the side of those you like.. but both sides.

Tick Story

I think someone stole my tick story... lol. About ten years ago, I was one of the bloggers on a very popular Christian Website.. one of the topics of discussion in the Marriage and Family section was asking for stories of young children walking in on mom and dad at inopportune moments.. 

I shared a story of such an incident when one of my kids was about three. One night several years back as young parents, we looked up in our dimly lit room, and noticed a little someone standing there. In utter panic as we tried to remain cool and calm.. my husband was asked, "What are you doing?"

Our kiddo had an aversion to ticks, so without missing a beat my husband responded, "I'm checking mom for ticks." Which was met with a cringe coupled with great approval, as they turned and went back to bed. And the incident was never mentioned again. The story got a great number of hits on the blog, and comments from ppl who found it brilliant, lol.

Recently, someone released a country song titled, "I'd like to check you for Ticks." A long shot I'm sure, but I think it's kinda funny to imagine that I helped to inspire the writers of that song, hahaha =)

Raising Adult Children

Thoughts with a Friend about Raising Adult Children...

~ There's alot to be said for anonymity when picking ppl's brains for advice 

~ Altho, you are much like me and we tend to think out loud a little more than ppl are comfortable with.. hence our solid friendship.. and our rejection by certain others who gloss over truth in sensitive matters to the detriment of everyone involved. Truth finds it's way out.. when ppl bury it, it always finds it's way out. Sometimes it emerges in unpleasant ways, but often times when it comes to the surface it sets the stage to clean some things up and restore healty relationships.

~ Ppl have to choose whether to blow up and selfishly stomp away.. or open their eyes that other ppl have feelings too and not everyone is wired to live in denial.. ignoring the elephant in the room so everyone can choose their poison (the tensions that make them comfortable and to hell with everyone elses feelings).

~ But sometimes as parents.. quite often.. we have to truly measure the line of what we can stomach from our adult children... and that involves letting them go find the life they are looking for in their own home outside of the one they grew up in.. they gotta fly, no matter how messy and risky they choose to do it.. rips ur heart out as a parent.. but it's just life.

~ the main thing is to make sure that they understand that you love them and the door to your home is always open for them and anyone they are married to, who can enter it and be respectful.

~ They don't have to agree with you on everything.. but they can come over for a couple hours and keep the peace long enough for our children and grandchildren to love on family for a bit.. if that's too hard then, then I question their definition of love and family...

~ love is able to sacrifice a couple hours of the spotlight in someone's life, so they can nurture family relationships.. if you love someone, you can hold your tongue and talk about the weather for a while and then go on your merry way when you walk out that door.

~ When ppl live very different lives... it requires a good deal of commitment to come together and resolve to enjoy a few hours of peace and fun together. Don't discuss touchy issues, chances are everyone knows how everyone feels already.. keep the conversation on positive memories and current humor.. when someone challenges the peace.. just don't touch it... don't pick it up.. resist the obvious temptation to have the last word.. take control of the moment and change the subject.. be the guide.. seek the Spirit of God to lead you thru that minefield... it sux.. but it's the life of parents with adult kids 

~ But when there is blatant disrespect or an aggressive challenge to disrupt the peace demanding your approval of things you cannot approve of with a clear conscience before God.. you might need to be ready to ask them to leave. Always politely, yet with a sternness so they know you are serious. And you need to stick to it. Let them go home.. let them sulk and blame you and everyone that disagrees with them. It's sooo painful, but sometimes you need to give them that time to themselves to make some decisions as to what they are willing to live with, how much of their relationship with their parents are they willing to give up... and what is it that is so great that it would ask them to disrespect the ppl that love them dearly and who they will love and need always (even tho they think they can live without them, they would be wrong). Kids and parents will always need some connection/relationship.. it changes year by year, it looks and smells and tastes differently as we all change and grow older... but children will only ever have one mother and one father, and parents will only ever have the children God blessed their heart with.

~ I know how much you love your daughter.. and your wife and family.. no one gets the perfect life.. we've all gotta decide what we truly do not want to lose, and what we are willing to live with to hold onto it.. and we have to give other ppl room to do the same.. and then trust God to keep up with the shattered pieces of broken dreams. He has a way of bringing them back together in ways we never imagined. Sometimes it's not the dream we wanted or envisioned, but when we try to glimpse God in it and his plans and purpose to bless us and our children, he causes us to gain a new love for something that seemed so foreign in the beginning. Love to you, and your family. This is tough stuff to walk through, there are no easy answers or even final resolutions... it's often a day by day thing, and can be exhausting, but I am trusting God to keep you and your loved ones in his perfect will. Hugs Mister =)

Super Powers in the Making

So many friends have been down with the flu.. bleh, love and hugs and prayers for a speedy recovery <3

Made me think of when my kids were little and got sick. I would tell them about how our bodies form specific antibodies to fight off such things and that once we fight a certain sickness, our blood is changed and we gain a super power of sorts that will fight off that sickness every time it tries to attack us again. It helped them to understand that God truly brings good things from every negative thing we must face in life. 

Just the other day, sis was sick, and made the comment that she wished her body would hurry up with the antibodies so this crud would hurry up and pass, lol. It was an important lesson in understanding that sometimes God says wait when he answers our prayers because he is doing something that will affect our future for a greater good, an equipping, a change within us physically or spiritually or emotionally. 

It sux being sick!
But thank God that he is at work, fighting for us, and changing us to be stronger as we find our feet again and continue forward <3

Zodiac Signs

Talking astrology with a friend.. 

~ don't like horoscopes cuz I feel like they are a spiritual force that tries to control and manipulate.. but basic signage stuff seems more like personality traits to me.. idk why it's so accurate but ppl really do reflect their signs, christian or not. Thing to remember is that God can change any habit or personality trait in anyone, and has all authority over such things. So don't ever feel like a sign locks you or someone else into being a certain way. Even tho some of it is accurate much of it is gray. I consider signs sometimes, never horoscopes, but I always ask God about it all.

~ Christians use something called Simple, Scorner, Fool to determine personality traits. (As well as Treasure Tree Traits of Otter, Lab, Beaver, and Lion).

~ one other thing is that astro signs tend to take away a persons individuality and how special and unique they are. Like if someone breaks up with you, they may hook up with another Leo or Cancer or whatever you are, thinking you are replaceable based on character traits. But they would be wrong. There is only one AMAZON WOMAN that we all know and love. There is a side of this stuff that holds some truth, tho slightly, but there is a side that can become easily twisted and is very negative. I am glad you are just keeping it silliness and fun.. no other Leo will ever replace your beautiful face!

~ Think of it like colors.. you might be blue. And that would mean that you can be cool and jazzie and one of my very favorite colors ever. But you would be so much more than just a blob on the color wheel boxed in between green and purple. God or Life or your own stubborn self might just add a little yellow to who you are so you can move a little closer to yellow and see what that would be like. You could add any color you choose from the wheel to move freely throughout the spectrum... tho still not losing the core of who you are. Just be sure that you don't let such things limit you and define you..

~ oh, and don't let it color how you view other ppl in your life. No one wants to be boxed in, judged, or limited by a label.

~ Here's another random thought for those who like to explore the rabbit holes of life a little deeper.. and because I am an Aquarius and tend to get lost in random thought... but what if it's not about the dates at all, but more about the season you are born in. Maybe it's the social temperament/environment you are born into that affects and shapes aspects of your personality. Like the fun loving, life of the party Sagittarius born during Christmas, the peak of fesitive holidays and celebration. Or the Leo born during the height of the summer, strutting her stuff on the beach and turning heads. Or the Aquarius, born during the height of the winter when everyone is aloof and out of touch as they buckle under ice and freezing temps. This whole thing of astrology could just be motivated by the social climate we are born into, that shapes our psyche as to why we were born and how we measure it to what's happening in our lives every year when we celebrate our birth and meditate on that thought. It would be interesting to compare the personality traits and signs of ppl who live on the opposite side of the world or who celebrate a very different cycle of holidays/cultures...

~ Keeping in mind that even if that is the case.. and it is the season we are born into that is one of many factors that contribute to how our personality is wired.. we must remember that it is God who determines when we are born, into what season, and the intricate talents and giftings that he equips us with to accomplish all purpose for which we were fashioned. As well as where he sends us into this world, which side of the planet, what family, what community.. he fashions every fiber of our being and then places us in this life with absolute precision to succeed in our calling.. just as intimately as he placed his own son in a tiny box of straw in a manger ♥

~ He really does fight for us, gives us every advantage, favors us beyond our flaws.. the rest is up to us.

suhs-pihhhh-shuss

I'm suspicious of most everything that appears picture perfect.. cuz that's just not the reality of life in this world.. it wasn't when Jesus walked the earth, and it isn't real even in the most holy looking churches and holy sounding ppl. I wanna see the bandaids, and the scars, and the ugly that has dried up and died like a scab. That's what's real. That's someone whose been in the battle and won ♥
... anything else is plastic and mirrors and masks.

Filthy Rags

~ The biggest stumbling block of effectively living out holiness is the offense we entertain at those who we consider less holy than ourselves.

~ That was the whole point of I Cor 13... defining love not as religion does or after the traditions of men, rather defining love as Christ demonstrated it and continues to demonstrate it. Not separating yourself from ppl, but separating yourself from their sin. Not seeing their lack of faith in the Christian God as something that makes them less than you, but seeing a hurting soul that you wanna share the goodness and blessings of God with. 

So often we boast within our own hearts to ourselves about our own holiness and how far we have come and our testimony of all that God has done for us and fashioned us to become... and our prosperity blinds us from seeing just how filthy our righteousness remains in Truth.

The only thing that separates us from that person that we consider less holy than ourselves is the KNOWLEDGE of the love of Christ.

We have heard and believed, and they have either not heard or not been convinced to believe it yet. It is not about how clean and groomed we can get our lives, nothing we do or say matters if we do not LOVE AS GOD LOVES... seeing others eye to eye, on our level, playing on the same field, just trying to understand how to win this game.

The knowledge that winning only comes through Christ as coach, captain, and quarterback is our holiness, and all the rest is trimming. God says to seek to be holy, to seek to be perfect, and yet he says that none is perfect save (except) ONE.. and that is Jesus Christ. We all fall short, it is only by grace.

Not to judge one another, but to check ourselves.

What attitude is truly permeating our heart when we encounter, minister to and even serve those who are without Christ, ruled by the world, offensive and full of hate toward us and our God... until we see ourselves in their pain and ugliness, we fail. They are us, and we are them, save for the knowledge of the love of Jesus for us all. And our ideas of our own holiness are only gonna hinder them from ever seeing who Christ truly is.

We all too often demand that ppl be like us, rather than encourage them to be like Christ. We can change that, we can get it right. Praying that God gives us revelation of his definition of love ♥

The Gradual Drift

~ You can be holy all day long.. but until you get desperate.. you will never truly know how gritty and real and in your face Jesus is... 

Get Your Hands Dirty, Get Messy, He did.

~ That's not a license to sin... that's a challenge to stop holding life at arms length while holding your nose as tho you are above it... life happens, now get in there and live it, get some paper towels and clean up the vomit, yours and everyone God guides your steps to encounter. Serving involves the yucky stuff more so than the spotlight. And holiness is not about a clean reputation...

God said they would talk trash about you just like they did him.
So get over it.

~ "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ...We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was ...we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6)

~ "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ ...who is the head of all rule and authority. ...And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind..."
(2 Colossians 2)

Not all that calls itself Christian is...
And not all who claim you are to obey your church leaders, are right...
Jesus first and all that he said and taught..
Family...
Then the Church.

Anything that is contrary to all that Jesus said and did and taught, is a fraud and not even on the list of Godly authority, trumped and a doctrine/tradition of devils. Ppl have relied on others to tell them what God says for so long, that they never read their Bibles and Ask God for themselves about how to walk this thing out.

The gradual drift has moved us so far from the mark.
Time to get out the compass and consult the captain and get this thing back on course ♥

~ 

Had a vision years ago of a heard of sheep, confused and dazed and meandering... the shepherd called and one by one the sheep looked up, each one hearing and rushing to follow the shepherds lead.. as they heard and responded to the shepherd one by one, personally, not biting and following those around them... they became a flock, moving as one, unified and heading in the right direction.. the meadow, food, drink, content, a force.

The church will never be a flock until we begin to hear and obey and move as the shepherd calls us.. we must hear one by one, in order to become one.

LIFE: a sword through your heart

"God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
(Luke 1:26-28)

Heard this story a million times in light of all the understandable warm fuzzies it stirs up for the Christmas Celebration.. but something occurred to me that I found quite wonderful this morning.

God sent a message to Mary, a greeting, to assure her of her calling and to encourage her heart in what she was about to face. He revealed himself to her as Emmanuel, GOD WITH US. That is what Christ coming to earth was about. He became one of us, to walk this hell on earth out beside us, to lead us along in finding our way out of the darkness.. the road that man detoured onto that was never God's plan or will.. 

God speaks the same encouragement to us today. He sent a message by his Word and he speaks through his Spirit as well, wanting us to always remember that HE IS WITH US... assuring us of our calling as part of his family, with purpose and an important, significant existence, that man will never value as God does... encouraging us to hold on despite the hell we are about to face, the hatred, rejection, and sense of loneliness as we continue forward against the grain of this world, ppl we know, ppl we don't, ppl who appreciate what we give, but who will never appreciate us as followers of Christ... encouraging us to love despite it all just like the example he set.

Mary's role of birthing and raising Christ was a "sword through her heart".. she was a pregnant engaged woman which was such a stigma at the time that she would have been stoned. She was made to flee, faced the uncertainty and accusations of others around her that knew the numbers didn't add up for her due date and wedding... she faced shame, loneliness, fear.. all those things we feel that are foreign to God and to the two dimensional ppl we read about in the Bible. But it was all real, as real as whatever your situation is that is causing you to understand those exact same feelings of emptiness and loneliness and depression...

The difference is that Mary believed God's message. Scripture says she wondered and was unsure of much of what happened as it happened, but she PONDERED IT IN HER HEART. That means she put it on the the back burner and waited for God to bring understanding in his timing.. trusted God no matter how much sense and sadness and threat of death surrounded her and her baby and her family. It was a scary walk that she was asked to walk, and yet, she walked it all the way to the grave. And so must we. She cried, she was tempted to doubt, she questioned, and hurt and pleaded with God for understanding and help... but each time, she resolved to trust him, and to continue in her calling as best she could. 

God sent us a message, a greeting, today in this moment...
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Life is a warzone thru the darkness.. but you are favored, covered with grace no matter how messy you walk it, the favorite in his eyes, the one he walks beside carrying a big stick, a cross, a ship that will get you to the other side and out of this dark place. There are many reasons to be afraid.. he gets that, he was tempted to fear as well, he was fully man as much as fully God.. that's why he constantly reminds us.. DO NOT BE AFRAID... that's not a rebuke, it's direction to check yourself and to choose courage, to remember that you are not alone even tho it feels like you are. 

THE LORD IS WITH YOU.

remember that this Christmas season and thru the coming year. Write it down somewhere and ponder it in your heart when life gets ugly and makes no sense. 

Hugs to You <3

Do you?...

[Jesus said,] "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25)

believing.. that's the key.
Do you believe him?
not based on all the things that you feel are unsure and unreliable, but based on the person of Jesus as God and Spirit and Supernatural. Talk to him out loud about it. See what he says in action and deed. Then decide if you...

believe ♥

A Fraction of a Cent

"Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it in full." 
(John 10:7 and 9-10)

This life is only a blink of our full lives... a fraction of a cent of all the treasure that God has planned for us... we can choose to die for eternity in poverty with that fraction being our eternal legacy.. or we can choose to live forever rich in good things, precious relationships, and the love of God.

----------

No matter how much we acquire in this life, money, popularity, power, success... it spends like a fraction of a cent in eternity.

Into The Darkness

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

This is so great.. cuz that light is within you when you invite Christ to rule and reign over you.. it is warm and intimate and filling. Ppl can blind you or throw you in a hole, but you will not be lost in the darkness cuz he knows exactly where you are.. and he fights for you. He knows where you are at all times, who you are, your deepest pain and greatest joy.. cuz he is that light that remains in the core of your being.. walking this hell out beside you and telling hell "only this far.. and only for the good of my child and every life she touches."

Life is good.. God is real.. Walk in Faith, in Hope, and in Love...
Even when you must walk into the Darkness ♥

You're Gonna Be Okay

Especially as someone called by his name, a Christian...

Life is seldom what you hoped for or expected.. cuz it involves ppl and ppl are complicated and messy.. yeah the yuck trips us up and leaves us with wounds and scars no one on this earth will ever understand or be able to fully relate to.. we walk with a limp, so far from perfect, but always seeking to be better ppl and making changes daily, ever so slightly, but always with a made-up mind to move forward... let Christ walk it out beside you, hear him, consider his advice and words, receive his mercy and know that you're gonna be okay.. life has a way of working out.. when we trust him to lead us along in what is right.

You are loved, hang in there and just breathe ♥

So Blatantly Obvious

~ "I don't want to talk about you
like you're not in the room.
Wanna look right at you,
Wanna sing right to you..."

~ I will never fit any where in this world, not even in religious circles. But Jesus will forever fit nicely into my heart and rule and reign over it. He knows my story, he brought me through it and helped me write it, and I will forever seek to live it out to the end as he dictates and no one else.

~ Everyone keeps talking about this great end time revival like we can orchestrate the thing that will satisfy the hunger that is raging in the hearts of so many today.. ppl keep looking for a program or a technique or a Barna statistic to bring revelation.. but I just think God has something so much greater in mind.. something beyond the polished, neat and clean chess board we tend to set on the table as well meaning ppl of faith.. 

what if God?...

what if he doesn't plan on doing something eccentric and earth-shaking?

what if he does something so very simple and common and blatantly obvious that we totally missed it, looked right past it, thought it small and insignificant and not enough and too messy?...

wouldn't that be just like God?

to shake the world and rattle all things into alignment by simply gently speaking truth on a typical day in the life...
♥

Early Morning Wake Up Calls

So I talked to God at bedtime last night... praying a special prayer of protection for two of my kiddos and their friends attending a house show last night... was a great show I hear... but the phone still rang at 5am, which is never a good thing.

My other son was broke down in a nearby city after working all night til 3:00am... and needed to be 50 miles from there to work a second 8 hr shift... so we hit the road to check his car and give him a lift... then one of his friends is picking him up when he is off cuz he is gonna have to have his car towed... craziness. But everyone is safe and sound, tho there is still some stress to deal with... I have much to be thankful for, the grace of God is felt so strongly in my life these days... I am blessed ♥

"...He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have children..." (Isaiah 40:11) He gave me this passage when I became a mom to comfort me for having lost my mom as a child. It leaves such a void in a woman's life that few can relate to, but God has filled it with such tenderness and mercy. He taught me and empowered me to be the mother I never had.

God answers prayer... and he keeps his promises... making a way thru difficult times when there seems to be no way. God loves you and is with you too, Trust in him ♥

wasted

a wasted life.. 

not so when you gave all.. what ppl do with your commitment of love and sacrifice is on them. 

Do it.. take the chance.. love even tho you don't get it back.. even tho your hopes and dreams are shattered.. get wasted.

You are who you are.. who you choose to be...
whether ppl love you or hate you. Be true to yourself and
"Let God be true and every man a liar."

night ♥

LIFE AND TIMES OF A KITCHEN REMODEL: THANKSGIVING

LIFE AND TIMES OF A KITCHEN REMODEL: THANKSGIVING

Was fixing a turkey dinner Sunday.. just because... Boiled a ginormous pot of potatoes and attempted to make mashed potatoes.. Initially, there was a quest to remember where I put the mixer since I had to unload all the cabinets and find new temporary locations for all my gadgets, it ended in success... then I went to plug it up in our make shift kitchen in the other room.. forgot the outlet by that sink is dead.. unplugged the mixer to go to the other room to find an outlet that works, attempted to carry the mixer and pot of steaming potatoes I just drained the boiling water off of..

*pause for effect*

Rushing to finish preparing dinner before guest arrived, I grabbed up both, not realizing that the cord of the mixer had wrapped around a handle on the cabinet.. I turn like the STOOGES doing NIAGRA FALLS.. took about two steps when the cord jerks the mixer in my hand causing the pot in my hands to go flying into the air throwing taters, butter, milk, and all into the air and all over the floor, cabinets, and anything else fortunate to be in the way...

*sigh*

Now I have no mashed potatoes for the turkey dinner, no dust pan, and no mixer... (mixer broke when I threw it at the pile of potatoes in the floor, and my dust pan is in the yard covered in potatoes and butter).

*grin*

I was not a happy camper.. made some microwave potatoes to go with dinner.. which was wonderful despite it all.. later, when I was laying in the bed talking to God about my day.. I apologized for not even thanking him... Would have been so easy for someone to have been standing in the kitchen, or Capo to be right there in the floor, or the pot to have fallen in a way to have splashed the potatoes all over me.. but it didn't. No one got burned or hurt. It took some effort to clean up.. but was quickly passed us and just a bad memory.

My initial reaction should have been to tell him THANK YOU... but I didn't.. and yet, he loves me anyway. He knew I would see it eventually, his hand protecting me and those I love, allowing so much to grow me into maturity, but only so much. Funny that a pot of boiling hot potatoes can seem so insignificant.. but if they had caused serious burns it would have been a very different story. So often we miss the happy endings because we are so focused on broken mixers and dirty dust pans and spilled potatoes and milk.

Look for his hand of protection in every miserable encounter of life, and thank him for drawing a line and telling hell, "only this far.. and only so I can bring even greater things to this child that I love so much."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!
♥

Somebody Slap Me.. and Hard!

~ What if churches and gatherings of believers were conducted a little more like the summer festivals.. not different stages but different stations of worship.. huge stage with sold out worship leaders ushering us into the presence of God.. and several open areas to dance and worship.. walls available for artistic expression with paint and media... keyboards of lights somehow rigged so that ppl can take turns creating light shows of worship in various areas of the auditorium.. scrolling boards as ppl type in poetry and song lyrics they have written and prayers and praises for all to see in literary form... brings to mind a vision the Lord put in my heart years ago about the seven avenues of worship and setting up a sanctuary where ppl can enter not to watch a performance.. but to worship God with the many gifts he has put in them to praise his name.. not just with song and instruments... I had lost hope of ever seeing such a thing.. but this generation moves closer and closer to such a thing.. I pray God allows me to see it manifest before my final days on this earth. SOMEBODY TAKE US THERE, THE CHURCH IS SO HUNGRY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS ♥

~ Problem is that is would require the church taking a risk instead of the micromanaged safe roads... not everyone worships the same, not everyone will be approved of, not everyone will walk and talk and smell like a church clone... that is the stumbling block.. picture the scene at Peter's house or Matthews.. chaos, unclean ppl in the midst of the ppl of God.. standing alongside the rest of us sinners who are no different than them.. except for one thing.. we have married ourselves to Christ and strive to be like him.. the undoing of forms of godliness... where are the men of God, the men of courage and love?

~ Christ welcomed all in such settings.

~ The church is so far off the mark.. we have so much capability and potential to reach a generation.. but we fail to allow them to be honest and messy and led by the Spirit of Truth to the God of Truth... we are the stumbling block with our arrogance and condescending systems and attitudes... we need to repent!!!

~ God has put all we need in our hands to further the Gospel.. but we refuse to let him lead..

~ (comment by a friend) "it does not have to be sponsored by a church but by the people........that is the term for a Gathering.....someone get a site.......people put money in the bucket.....and from that money get whomever we can..."

~ But if the church isnt involved follow up is not gonna happen realistically... and besides God established the church to be about the Fathers business.. and this is def his heart beat... down the road ppl are gonna need groups of believers (churches) to have the same passion that such an event stirs.. if the church hasnt humbled itself and invested itself, it wont be on the same page when the dust settles and walking this thing out for really real... thats what I mean.. the church -- if it is gonna call itself the CHURCH -- is sposed to be leading us in this.. but they murder anyone that God raises up... persecution is horrid.. but what else is left to take the church out of the hands of the selfishly ambitious and to let the Spirit of God lead.

~ last comment was from my cell.. bleh.. so hard to type complete thoughts, or to avoid typos.. lol

~ Anyway.. I don't know how it will all play out.. I just know that this generation of believers has so much love to scream out before God, so much crap heaped upon them to break through with unbridled ridiculous offensive passion to praise God.. they are seeking Good Things.. and such things come only from God.. the church, man, family, enlightenment, knowledge, liberalism, systems of men and the world, corrupted systems wearing Christian titles.. they have been disappointed, let down, deceived, used as warm bodies by all, but something in the deepest places of their heart refuses to give up.. you can feel it when you talk with them, interact with them... they are searching, begging, hoping, crying out for something honest and real.. for Truth... as are we all. Something must change, the church needs to be shaken, and hard, maybe even slapped if that's what it takes to bring it to its senses.. idk.. but you can feel something coming, the Spirit of God is on the move and a great wind is causing all things called by his name to tremble.. and only what is built upon that solid foundation that is Jesus will remain standing.. a fear and trembling mixed with a great and intense joy as God prepares to lay his hand upon the ppl of God with great anointing. Exciting times my friend <3

In Losing, You Win

~ " an adulteress is a narrow well. She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind." (Prov 23)

~ "Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day." 

(Prov 23)

~ Some days you feel like such a loser no matter how hard you try to live a good and Godly life... and you are... by the worlds standards. Prov 23 says not to envy sinners... why would he need to tell us that.. perhaps because some times it seems that sinners get to wear the Christian label, be the center of everyone's desire, as they secretly fulfill every lust and temptation hell has to offer... Sin can appear fun.. Sinners/hypocrites can appear winners.. and they gather up accolades of the world.. 

but whose standards are we living by?

Loneliness, rejection, betrayal, devastation... are real in this life. It can feel like you lose quite often. Jesus said he was hated and rejected and that we would be as well. It is natural to want to be affirmed, admired, accepted and respected by those around us. But as Ecclesiastes emphasizes.. there is a right time for everything. And wanting those things in this world, from this world, in this lifetime.. is bitter sweet.. because it is a smoke screen, a vapor as the Bible says.. it doesn't last.. it satisfies for a moment, lies to you that a Christian label is good enough and will get you by.. and then it is a death sentence in the eternal existence that is coming upon us all...

we are losers in the sight of this world... but we are winners in Truth and for all eternity. Hang in there. Be a loser, and embrace it... for now.  Because in losing, you win ♥

~ "When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

(Isaiah 1)

~ " the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift"   (Romans 3)

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6)

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "  (Romans 5)

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  

(Romans 10)


~ wow.. Good Stuff... I John 1-2... so worth the read,
like a solid friend walking this life beside you <3

~ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

~ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Repentance is married to Forgiveness

~ While there is no sin that God will not forgive... People that teach a gospel of Forgiveness without Repentance.. do not teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ... Forgiveness is not a washing machine so you can be free to go out and dirty up your life again by hurting ppl with your selfishness... Forgiveness is a chance to be free from your guilt and punishment for hurting others, and to CHANGE, to treat ppl with more kindness and justice and love. So often ppl teach contrary to what God says in the Bible, a forgiveness that enables rather than one that brings salvation through the death and suffering of our Lord to free us from the judgement we all deserve ♥

~ Mark 1:4
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

~ Luke 24:47
and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

~ Acts 5:31
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

~ What exactly is repentance?... lots of explanations but bottom line...

REPENTANCE: doing whatever you gotta do so that you don't have to lie any more when God or someone else asks you about it... removing temptation from your life that will lead you into things that keep you from being honest with yourself and with God and with others.

Lust (Matt 5)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."

If you have cheated on your spouse, or you are being tempted to... don't be alone with that person that you know you shouldn't be alone with, don't answer their email and texts, don't take their phone calls, sneaking around with him/her as a friend doesn't make you a kind person, being a sounding board for them to complain about their spouse isn't helping them.. it makes you a liar and a cheater, and opens the door for them to lie and cheat.

"But Jesus would stay in close touch with him/her or he wouldn't be a good friend." Don't kid yourself, that's not what Jesus would do. He would do what he said for you to do in Matt 5 and he would cut that relationship off in what ever manner was necessary to keep his heart right and clean.. so he could live in Truth.

vote PRO-LIFE

~ vote PRO-LIFE... If Hitler were still alive slaughtering innocent ppl by the thousands.. would you vote for someone to stop him? The murder of children would seem to take precedent in any election, rather than protecting selfish life-style choices.

~ Babies dodge the suction tube inserted in the mother as they fight for their life.. when it grabs their little arm or leg and rips it from their body, they can be seen in ultrasound throwing their head back in a silent scream and convulsing... thousands of babies, every day, their murder sanctioned by our govt and the ppl of the United States...

~ Babies are delivered but their head is kept in the mother so it can't take a breath on it's own and be declared a person... the doctor holds the squirming infant as it kicks and fights, and then plunges a surgical shaft into the base of the skull up into the brain.. the babies body stiffens and convulses as it dies.. and then the doctor extracts it and throws it in a bin with all the other tissue from procedures... every day, thousands of babies... it's legalized murder of the most innocent in society... vote to end abortion.

~ Is it better to teach young girls to murder their children because they sought to feel loved and were lied to... only to have them grow into women, holding their first born child, and haunted by the reality that their gut feeling was right.. abortion is murder.

bortion doesn't make life easier for a young girl who finds herself pregnant for whatever reason... it scars her heart forever. You can counsel her otherwise all you want, but the first time she holds her baby as a mom, the truth and reality WILL BE UNDENIABLE.

No one even has to say anything to them.. they will just know. And though they might have a college degree, a career, and lots of money at that point.. they will have no peace as a woman. God can help them to forgive themselves and everyone that convinced them that it wasn't a baby. You can come to terms with the death of your aborted child, but the loss of that precious little one remains in your heart.

Abortion doesn't help women, it damages their peace.

Enlightened... (2 Corinthians 3)

~ "Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3)

~ Words on paper are so limiting.. trying to express all that is in your heart.. trying to assure a friend of all the details of something important they are about to risk their life for.. and yet the Bible carries so much power as words on paper.. why?... because the Spirit of God waits for us to read it, and then to ask God to explain it fully to our hearts as well as our minds.. to guide us in how to walk it out and how to apply it to the reality that he has placed in front of us in this tangible, physical world. 

~ Jesus is the light of the world, the Word of God is the lamp that shines it upon our path so we can see where we are to step next, we are the carriers of that lamp into the darkness, and the Spirit of God is the fire that propels us forward ♥

~ "Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory." (2 Corinthians 3)

~ "Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. BUT WHEN ONE TURNS TO THE LORD, THE VEIL IS REMOVED. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3)

~ When you have seen the Father, you have seen the Son.. when you have seen the Son, you have seen the Spirit.. the three are one.. they speak for each other, they are of like character and mind and absolutely unified as One in every way, in every dimension.. so far beyond what our finite minds can understand.. ppl are so arrogant to think they can fit the bigness of the Almighty God into their tiny brains... that's just crazy.

That's About You... (Romans 13)

~ "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Romans 13)

~ "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13)

~ When you cheat on your wife or your husband (or have sex with someone who is married).. when you murder someone (to kill other than to protect the innocent)... when you steal (whether big money or a candy bar, from a stranger you will never see face to face or from your boss or family)... when you covet (see what someone has whether something cool or some skill they excel in, and you are hateful to them because of it -- choosing to be a hater)... that's not about ppl not loving you.. that's about you failing to love ppl. (Romans 13)

~ "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." (Romans 13)

~ As long as the cops are enforcing laws that the community has agreed are necessary to protect ppl, you gotta behave. To have order and safety and rationale in society, there must be laws that all must obey, some we like and some that we don't. It's the give and take of life, the ying and the yang, the full circle that keeps the balance. You gotta yield your preference when the flow is moving right and then enjoy the ride when it is moving left, or visa versa if that's your preference.. but as a community, the standards set in place must be kept, and the cops are paid by our community to make sure they are. That ensures safety and order, protection from chaos and shootings in the street and at late night parties. It all sounds like some far away political bullshit jargon.. but the truth is.. it's real. It's life. It's riding your bike in the bike lanes at midnight and knowing your community supports you in that and that the cops that some ppl often harass are there protecting your right to do that.

There is a right way and a wrong way to bring change. Someone once put it this way... "come let us reason together..."

vote.

If Hitler Were Still Alive...

~ Even if you are not a fan of either candidate.. don't refuse to vote.. vote PRO-LIFE...

~ "I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ..." (Ephesians 1)

~ I am voting for PRO-LIFE.. I figure if Hitler was still slaughtering innocent ppl, I would vote for whoever would try to stop him.

~ I have ultrasound video of one of my children sucking his thumb while in my tummy.. and another of one with his arm laid across his forehead playfully rubbing his ear.. as well as one with the hiccups.. can't imagine watching video of them screaming as a doctor pours saline solution over them and burns them up in my belly.. or a suction tube as he dismembers them until they stop dodging him... the videos of the silent screams of thousands of babies a day are real.. God hears them tho so many choose to ignore them or to make selfish excuses to protect a life style.. like I said, I am voting PRO LIFE.

~ I think women should be made to watch live ultrasound streaming as their abortions are performed.. so they can look their baby in the eyes as they have them murdered.. harsh you say?.. are you kidding me?

~ When a woman is pregnant and her baby begins to kick.. she can press a random spot on her tummy and the baby will push back... it's soooo cute.. if you press a different spot and wait a few secs, the baby will push there too.. they know it's a game, a point of interaction and connection with you.. they also recognize their moms voice and daddy if he has spent time talking to mom's tummy ^_^

~ Also, you can look into a very young infant's face and stick your tongue out.. do this several times.. and the baby will eventually stick their tongue out at you too.. sounds crazy but it works.. felt really dumb first time we tried it with ours but it really works and is so funny.. baby's are smarter than their motor skills allow.. they are especially drawn to faces.. and they often mimic smiles, frowns, and other facial expressions ♥

~ "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  (1 Peter 2:9)

Out of spiritual darkness, separated from God because of our sin, he died for us, embraced us, offers us all the blessings of family and inheritance, gives us a spot on his team so we can play instead of watching from the sidelines.. not just to play, but to do those things we love and that excite us, creativity, excellence.. by his grace, because of his love, a fresh start, a second chance to be our best...

yeah.. declaring the praises of him effortlessly erupts from a soul who gets it, who understands, who is awestruck by his awesome love and goodness ♥