Raining Rainbows

Rainbows everywhere in the sky at sunset yesterday evening.. crazy looking clouds, every direction... clouds looked like spirograph patterns.. I grew up in the woods, outside all the time, camping and what not... and have never seen anything like this... at least five different rainbows.. was this caused by the hurricane messing with our weather or something?.. idk... there was a rainbow ring around the sun as well.. and sis made a pic of the moon last night cuz it had bright rings around it... explanations please...

Here are some pictures I made with my phone. You can see two to three rainbows in each one. Pretty crazy!

Also, the last picture was taken by a friend while he was out jogging the same evening... I saw it yesterday, and commented...

"Made me think of the verse that talks about signs in the heavens in the last days... as well as the ones about Noah and Gods promises to be with us in the storm <3"

but when I opened my page and glanced at it again this morning, I immediately posted this comment...

"ya know.. is it just my imagination or can anyone else see a silhouette of Jesus with his sleeves rolled up, a rainbow in each hand and the sun glowing in his chest?..."

"ya know.. is it just my imagination or can anyone else see a silhouette of Jesus with his sleeves rolled up, a rainbow in each hand and the sun glowing in his chest?..."

He is..

There is dirt under my nails, mud staining my feet, and filth smeared across my face.. I am an offense and a stench to all who know me... except one... Jesus.. and he is the only one that matters <3

Changed by Your Love As I Worship You

~ WORSHIP: Desperation Band, READY NOW

~ SELFISHLY AMBITIOUS CHURCH... almost thou persuadest me to turn my back on God... but when I read his Word, I remember that you are not him.. even though you call yourself by his name.

~ WORSHIP: Kevin Prosch, HARP IN MY HEART

~ Prosch will always be one of my very favorite ppl that lead us into worship of our God... I so desperately miss those days when there was freedom in the church. No one had to declare it, no one had to make a show about 'breaking down the walls' because it was the heart of the ppl as the Spirit was leading. But leaders and church corps get that nervous Pharisee twitch when the spotlight moves off of them, and suddenly creativity is micro-managed and smothered to death. The creative spirit is one of freedom, freedom to choose to be accountable or to be stupid.. and to face the discipline of God for our choices. The baby was thrown out of the church with the bath water. And now they wonder why there is no new life in their pews.

~ Ironically, all the seeker friendly and "cutting edge" churches from back in the day have become everything they tore down and raged against... and those they call prophets are mostly attention whores and narcissistic over-fed infants... Difficult days are coming, and soon... God help us if we don't seek the leading of his spirit to find our identity in him again. The Church has no idea who she is anymore, she has chased every wind and wild fire blowing through and spent no time at the feet of Christ in daily repentance and cleansing and instruction in his Word. If it's not fun, the people of God aren't interested.

~ WORSHIP: Kevin Prosch, HARP IN MY HEART

~ Don't stop going to church.. if God was willing to save a city because of one good man that was in it.. you may be the door of salvation that Christ will work through to bring life back to his ppl... are you up for the challenge.. not to be a pawn in a man made system but to stand your ground in the pew and in the altar to invite Christ to rule and reign in that place. Be in church somewhere as often as you are able, with a zeal and a passion to claim your one spot for Christ... if we all begin to do that one by one.. just see what happens ♥

~ No one said it was an easy thing.. this cursed earth is not heaven, it's not time for Paradise just yet... that day is coming, but first we gotta finish this spiritual war thing... sin and selfishness are gonna burn in a devil's hell forever.. and if ppl don't choose to let go of them, that sin and selfishness will drag them to hell. That's the choice each of us faces. The Gospel is the good news that Christ has made a way to free us from that sin and selfishness. We are not gods, but we are God's children. We need to stop being so full of ourselves and demanding our own way.

~ WORSHIP: Steffany Frizzell, OUR GOD

~ "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound^[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to allwho have loved his appearing."  (2 Timothy 4)

~ WORSHIP: Duncan Bouwer, SOMETHING HAPPENS

~ It's easy to call it quits and die... but are you willing to die daily to everything your body and social circles and the world waves in front of you and fills your senses with, that you crave, that you are weak to resist... dying daily is the real challenge.. the real mark of a man.. true character.. putting God and the well being of others ahead of our selfish desires. 

Die daily.

No Matter How Crafty... (Gen 3:1-5)

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You^[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

Did you catch that?... He said that the serpent was crafty (sneaky, tricky, skilled at manipulation, manipulating people, manipulating the words of God, manipulating the situation, the opportunity, the right moment as well as the wrong moment)... The serpent wasn't really asking the woman what God said, he already knew. He was scoffing what God had said in disbelief and disgust, as though God was trying to set boundaries and limits that were unfair and un-fun.

He casually leaves out the whole truth of what God said, quotes partial truths.. which are lies. So often when people feel that the Bible is untrue or full of contradiction, it is because they have not read it or studied it in it's entirety. Here is Satan from the beginning, causing such seeming contradiction and questioning of God.

He is a master in his technique, because by using such an approach.. it causes Eve to begin explaining about the trees in the midst of the Garden. It puts her mind on the forbidden fruit.. which is not sin in itself.. but it puts her mind on the forbidden fruit in a spirit/atmosphere of questioning God. It takes the seed of the enemy's words and plants it in her thoughts, searching for an open door to cause doubt and rebellion to spring to life in her heart.

Yes, Satan is crafty.. the serpent.. that woman, that person, that temptation, that door of evil.. that chooses to satisfy it's own lusts as it yields to Satan so that he can bring life to rebellion against God and death to those loved by God. He then uses the talents, skills, and God given abilities of the people he is able to influence and woo, in an effort to manipulate and convince others to doubt and rebel against God. All that for one purpose.. to steal, to kill, and to devour. He has no concern or sincerity for your rights or your fun or for justice in any way.. he uses you and everyone and everything to feed the fires of his hatred against God. He lies to you and works every angle to keep you deceived and in the dark. Blinds you with the darkness of all that you lust for.

Often times we think, poor serpent.. but there was more at work than we realize. There was something about the serpent that was able to make Eve put her guard down. There was something about the serpent that Satan could use in powerful ways. If the serpent was skilled at craftiness and cunning, which in itself isn't sin.. there was some kind of animal instinct in it that was easily manipulated by Satan into something evil. There are things I am unsure of concerning the serpent.. but nothing that I need to know now. I will ask God about it in heaven one day. For now, the point being that Satan can get in the head of any creature pretty much, possessing them, and using them for evil.. unless they call upon God to help them to resist.. and they choose to resist.

Satan tempts, we choose. There is no one to blame but ourselves. There will be a time near the end of all things, when Satan will be bound and people will still sin against God.. There will be no more claims or excuses that the devil made you do it. It's not the fault of our spouse, or our boss, or our family, or even our enemies. From the beginning.. we choose between life and death in every experience. God promises a way of escape every time.. we choose to sin.. or we choose to cut that temptation off no matter what it costs us.

We choose.. we fail.. or we succeed.. in the big and in the small.. we bring death to ourselves and those we love, or we bring LIFE. Stop looking for excuses and make up your mind to confess, repent (turn your back to it), and do it right. We choose.. me.. you.. all of us and each of us.. we choose. That is the key to what Christ spoke of when he said that all power in heaven and in earth was given to him.. and that we could be like him. We can own up to our failures and shortcomings and clean up and do it right.. every advantage is given us to win.. for ourselves and for God and for those we love as well as those who hate us.. power to affect the future of all for the Goodness of God because of the Goodness of God our Father... that's power.

Choose what is right <3

So Be Huge

~ Life isn't really about climbing to the top of a mountain.. it is climbing to the top of one mountain at a time... those mountain top experiences are exhilarating but short lived.. Life is more about the climb, the hazards of the downhill, the journey to the next mountain whether over desert or through the valleys.. when we think there is an eternal rest on this earth, we set ourselves up for discouragement.. 
that rest will come, but this is not that Life.

~ Keeping in mind that the uphill climb exhausts so much in us.. but that the downhill exhausts and challenges a whole other set of muscle and skill and character in us as well... May God give us a right spirit in the climb, in the down hill, on each mountain top in life, and in every valley we must journey through.

~ You know.. when you really think about it... it's not about the mountain or the valley or the terrain at all.. they were there before you and will be there long after you are dust.. it's about how you are changed, the mountain's effect on you, how the valley shaped your character.. what you took away from that experience, what you choose to do with the wisdom and victory or defeat that you walk through each time... the mountain doesn't care.. it will stand in boredom, challenging many others after you.. but you are alive, you will speak of it, you will continue to walk it out, to encounter others, to tell the story, to share complaint or encouragement with others... the real power rests in you, not in the mountain. It is you who affects the world and the people you encounter in life... the mountain is a small thing in that respect. So be Huge ♥

Genesis 3

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You^[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,^[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool^[c] of the day, and the man and his wifehid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”^[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you above all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring^[e] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for^[f] your husband,
    and he shall rule over you.”

¹⁷ And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
    and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
    ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”

²⁰ The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.^[g] 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

"Seeing What God Wants Us To See" (Phillips)

~ "... prophets made careful searches... angels are obsessed to see the Word of God played out.. this should be our obsession...

The Bible is more than just dates and dead ppl..
more than just information.. more than philosophy, more than wisdom,
it is alive.. our God revealing himself to us.. "

(Pastor Lance Phillps speaking on I Peter 1:10)

~ Seeing is never believing..

"7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshi
ped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”... 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted." (Matt 28)

The Disciples saw Jesus die and then live again, and some still doubted.

~ Seeing is never believing...

"19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. Th
e rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16)

If ppl do not believe after hearing the Word of God (recorded by men of God such as Moses and the Prohets) they will not believe even if they see someone die and come back to life.

~ Seeing is never believing...

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible... Abel.. Enoch.. Noah.. Abraham.. Sarah.. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." (Hebrews 11)

~ Faith...when you simply believe what cannot be proven or seen in this life.

~ LISTEN TO PODCAST

Seventeen

The hardest thing for me as a parent was gradually taking my hands off of the decisions for their lives and handing that authority over to them. Training them up knowing God, and then stepping back as they have their own private and intimate personal conversations. Like all relationships, they have their rough spots, but it's not about externals with God. It's between the two of them now, otherwise, it's not free will. But love never fails ♥

Low Calorie Breakfast Potato

Okay, so this is my latest low calorie creation, lol. You can eat it for breakfast or with a salad for lunch. I microwaved a medium baked potato, took it out of the microwave and blossomed it. Salted it well (optional). Very important to mash up the inside good without damaging the skin if possible. Crack an egg in it and lightly mix it in just enough to break the yolk. Cover with paper towel cuz eggs pop, and can make quite a mess. Microwave it for about 1.5 mins, or until the yolk is cooked to your liking. Take it out and top it with a slice of cheese.. only 250 calories.

You can cut the calories even more if you use a fat free cheese slice which is usually about 25 calories instead of 60. And if you don't eat the skin of the potato, that brings it down another 15 calories (potato without skin is 95 calories instead of 110). So you could potentially make this yummie for your tummy and only take in 
200 calories. Its pretty filling.

You can use any calorie friendly cheese. I like the pepperjack to give it a little zing. And if you don't care how many calories it is.. add a little butter when you add the salt (1 tbsp is about 100 calories). So yeah.. just remember that the egg cooks to the plate pretty good, so you'll need to give it a good scrub during clean up ^_^

Hope on That

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)

What's great about this is that it is a living hope that God has given us. Alot of times people hope in things, that they know are really dead and never gonna come to pass.. it's called denial, or escapism. But our hope is alive and exciting and breathing because we are able to see the presence and movement and interaction of God in our lives every day... if we are looking for it and often times even when we are not. Think of those moments when something just gets all up in your face that changes you and reminds you of God's love, whether it involves being disciplined to keep you safe, or some blessing that assures you that he just hugged you real good.

Our hope is permeated with the Spirit and being of the Almighty God, who fights for us and talks to us and walks with us through every moment of every day and night... living hope. We don't have to muster things up or hold our breath to see if what appears to be empty promises is gonna surprise us in the end. Jesus, and the Spirit, and the Father.. go with us every day, surprising us and giving us glimpses into deeper things.. things that make it evident that what we have believed is alive and active on the other side of the veil between the physical and the spiritual. Those glimpses are the God that promised to never forsake us, who reaches in and out of our world effortlessly and consistently because he is alive and he is with us..

God is with you,
and he is for you,
because he loves you...

hope on that <3

Suicide

Read a post on Suicide:

"Wanna kill yourself? Imagine this. You come home from school one day. You’ve had yet another horrible day. You’re just ready to give up. So you go to your room, close the door, and take out that suicide note you’ve written and rewritten over and over and over You take out those razor blades, and cut for the very last time. You grab that bottle of pills and take them all. Laying down, holding the letter to your chest, you close your eyes for the very last time. A few hours later, your little brother knocks on your door to come tell you dinners ready. You don’t answer, so he walks in. All he sees is you laying on your bed, so he thinks you’re asleep. He tells your mom this. Your mom goes to your room to wake you up. She notices something is odd. She grabs the paper in your hand and reads it. Sobbing, she tries to wake you up. She’s screaming your name. Your brother, so confused, runs to go tell Dad that “Mommy is crying and sissy won’t wake up.” Your dad runs to your room. He looks at your mom, crying, holding the letter to her chest, sitting next to your lifeless body. It hits him, what’s going on, and he screams. He screams and throws something at the wall. And then, falling to his knees, he starts to cry. Your mom crawls over to him, and they sit there, holding each other, crying. The next day at school, there’s an announcement. The principal tells everyone about your suicide. It takes a few seconds for it to sink in, and once it does, everyone goes silent. Everyone blames themselves. Your teachers think they were too hard on you. Those mean popular girls, they think of all the things they’ve said to you. That boy that used to tease you and call you names, he can’t help but hate himself for never telling you how beautiful you really are. Your ex boyfriend, the one that you told everything to, that broke up with you.. He can’t handle it. He breaks down and starts crying, and runs out of the school. Your friends? They’re sobbing too, wondering how they could never see that anything was wrong, wishing they could have helped you before it was too late. And your best friend? She’s in shock. She can’t believe it. She knew what you were going through, but she never thought it would get that bad… Bad enough for you to end it. She can’t cry, she can’t feel anything. She stands up, walks out of the classroom, and just sinks to the floor. Shaking, screaming, but no tears coming out. It’s a few days later, at your funeral. The whole town came. Everyone knew you, that girl with the bright smile and bubbly personality. The one that was always there for them, the shoulder to cry on. Lots of people talk about all the good memories they had with you, there were a lot. Everyone’s crying, your little brother still doesn’t know you killed yourself, he’s too young. Your parents just said you died. It hurts him, a lot. You were his big sister, you were supposed to always be there for him. Your best friend, she stays strong through the entire service, but as soon as they start lowering your casket into the ground, she just loses it. She cries and cries and doesn’t stop for days. It’s two years later. The whole school talks to a counselor/therapist at least once a week. Your teachers all quit their job. Those mean girls have eating disorders now. That boy that used to tease you cuts himself. Your ex boyfriend doesn’t know how to love anymore and just sleeps around with girls. Your friends all go into depression. Your best friend? She tried to kill herself. She didn’t succeed like you did, but she tried…your brother? He finally found out the truth about your death. He self harms, he cries at night, he does exactly what you did for years leading up to your suicide. Your parents? Their marriage fell apart. Your dad became a workaholic to distract himself from your death. Your mom got diagnosed with depression and just lays in bed all day. People care. You may not think so, but they do. Your choices don’t just affect you. They affect everyone. Don’t end your life, you have so much to live for. Things can’t get better if you give up. I’m here for absolutely anyone that needs to talk, no matter who you are. Even if we’ve NEVER talked before, I’m here for you. ♥ Copy and paste this as your status to show people there are people out there that care. Like this status if you read it."


But.. I thought about it..
And pretty much immediately responded:

~ The thing is.. that all the guilt mentioned above is no different than the guilt so many feel by staying alive.. so dying doesn't really seem as shocking to the person truly considering suicide. Often times they feel guilty just for being alive, that they aren't good enough for that guy, or they already cause their family to be miserable, they are an embarrassment/failure and everyone around them is pretty much just as miserable whether they live or die.. things just don't seem like they would be any different with or without them there... but that's a lie.

~ I have lost several people in my life to suicide.. I don't know the answer, but thank you for posting this and encouraging ppl to try to reach out.

~ I think maybe that is the key... for each of us to look around in our lives and ask God, who am I not spending time with in my life that I can put my arm around and bring closer into my life? Who has withdrawn themselves for whatever reason from family or friends or the church, that I can hang around and ask to be invited into their life? Who is not so appealing, not so holy, not so positive, not so beautiful (Isaiah 53:2).. that each of us can petition God to help us see them, really see them, and love them... really love them? That's what will change a person's mind about suicide, if they are serious about it. It's the ones who say so little, who never mention it, who just do it.. but then it's too late to tell them how much they are loved.. and too late to SHOW them that someone really cares, to assure them that it's not just them, we are all the problem, that we need each other.. ppl need them. Being needed, purpose as God defines it.. that is the catalyst of hope and change and salvation.