Sunday, January 31, 2010

Peace

My niece’s dog, Samson, a Shih Tzu, likes the view out of my window which overlooks the woods. He will stretch up on his hind legs to look out or jump onto my bed, and that is a very high jump for a little dog. As I was studying, Samson entered the room, looked out the window, headed back out, and then jumped on my bed. That was a bold move as I have shooed him off, scolding him quite a few times.




This time I spread out a robe and allowed him to stay on the bed. He stared out the window for quite a while, at peace. Then he turned from the window and lay down. After a while he laid down facing the window. I couldn’t shoo him off today, I about to learn too much. Samson faced the odds to get to what gives him peace. And when he got peace he rested in it. He didn’t have to face it but just to rest in it.



Did you see it? To face the odds to get to what gives you peace. You may have to press pass some things to get to what brings you peace. Take a lesson from Samson – know what brings you peace and fight your way to get it. When you get it, rest in it. I bless you with the shalom of Jesus. type to you later.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Rejoice

This is a great day!   The past is now behind you. Don't give it place in this day.  Use what you need from the past to move forward.  Learn from it - that is good.  But don't stay in it.  If you are concentrating too much on the past you will miss today.  This is the day you have, not tomorrow, but today.  Today is your start.  Mankind tried to mess you up- but mankind failed.  Don't give it another thought.  You are your biggest obstacle right now.  Take your lead from Holy Spirit.   This is an awesome day for you, a new start, another chance, a new leg of your journey.  A day to rest in the shalom of God.   Rest, listen, follow, rejoice! 

"Rejoice in Lord always; again I say Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"(Phil. 4:4-7 NRSV).    That is my prayer for you.   type to you later.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Stretch Up - Search Within - Reach Out

How often have you reached out to another?  You can do  it through a smile. You can do it with prayer.  Can you see what would happen if we all made the effort to reach out to another? 

Before you reach out, stretch up to embrace those moments of commune with God.  You see,  by stretching up we are strengthen to face anything, even our frightful selves.  By stretching up to embrace God, we are empowered to search within to eliminate those things that hang us up.  We all have unnecessary issues that hang us up.  Yes we do, you know unforgiveness, hate, fear,  guilt

As believers we have so much power yet we do not tap into that power.  So try it - Stretch upward in order to search within and then pass it on by reaching out to another. Try it. type to you later

Monday, January 25, 2010

Just Hanging Out

Yesterday I visited another church. There was an altar call and congregants came, knelt, prayed, and left. A mother and her two children came up. The little girl, about 4 years, knelt as her mother did. She placed her hands in the traditional position of prayer and bowed her head. It was precious. But the brother, about 6 or 7, stood watch over them for a minute. Then he knelt and watched what his sister was doing. After another minute the brother got up and leaned on the altar as his mother and sister were still down. I loved it! He was just hanging out with Jesus.




That is a prayer mode that Jesus longs for from us- to just hand out with Him. Isn’t that what friends do? Isn’t that what you do when you care about someone? Now the sad part of this is that one of the preachers saw the little brother and had him kneel and fold his hands “properly.”

That happens too often with so many people who seek God. The wrong people give improper instructions on “how to seek God.” God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13 NIV). Jesus declares to the woman at the well, “God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24 NIV).



Don’t let anyone or anything deter you from moments with God. Just hang out. Type to you later.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Don't Wait -Listen and Do

Why do we wait until the last minute to do so many things? What is it about us that we cannot handle business? I too am guilty. Where did it come from? You know, how we try to wait it out, hoping that something will happen so that we don’t have to make the decision.


Here’s the thing: If God gave us the mind to follow His will, then why don’t we? Why are we afraid to take God at His word? If God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind, then why are we afraid? Can it be that we don’t believe? Could it be that we can’t trust?

You have to tackle the question “Why?” You see, the answer definitely is not bigger than God, so it can be dealt with- but you have to want to do so. Take time over the next few days to search your heart. Move through the clutter of fear to see what you can throw out. Start there. Your goal is to trust God in such a way that when He says, “move,” you follow. You follow, not worried about how it is going to turn out. You follow, not worried what others think or are doing. Wow, it is such a liberating process! You cannot imagine. But that is a part of “setting the captives free.” type to you later

Thursday, January 21, 2010

What's in Your Space?

I am pretty sure you have heard the commercial with the key line, "What's in your wallet?" Let me take off from there with the question, "What's in your space?" It really is a valid question. Too often we allow too much of the negative spirits in our space. We allow fear, anger, mistrust, hate into our space and they in turn cloud us with those same feelings. How can we combat that? Check yourself. What is in your space? If there is peace, you will have peace; where there is love, you will have love; where there is forgiveness, you will be forgiven. Try it, focus on the positive spirit and that will remove the negative spirit. Oh it takes practice, but it works. type to you later.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

These are the Times

Thomas Paine has often been quoted, “These are the times that try men's souls." These are the times. We could look globally and know with all that is going on . . . these are the times. I don't want to look there, right now. Look right here. Right where you stand.

Friday night I attended a service at a Jewish synagogue that annually celebrates the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Heschel. At the end of the service we all join handed hands as we sang . . . yes, "We shall overcome." As I sang, I thought about my personal challenges and what I had overcome and what I shall overcome. I had not thought about it that way previously. Come one, how many times had I sung that song in the vein of moving forward in our collective civil rights? But this time was different. And so I prayed that God renewed both the Caucasian woman on my right and the Jewish man on my left that we shall overcome.

When the service was over the woman complimented me on my voice. But the man greeted me "Shabat Shalom," and in turn, I blessed him. He said that he had struggled with coming to church. He was struggling with God, and was not sure what was happening; but he was glad he came. I laughed and told him that I understood those moments and that 'desert place' experience. He hugged me and thanked me.

So what was it about? Oh you had to be there. You see, we get so engulfed in our own problems, issues, situations that we retreat into self and thus become isolated. But we are a people, a community of believers and as a community we can connect as one. While we must face our situations we don’t face them alone. We really are connected. It’s that African spirit of M’butu – “I am because we are.” The brother shared a personal trial, and I responded, and his trial is no longer his alone. We shall overcome.

When we began to reach out by just being available to others, we will find that same reach back to us. We shall overcome. These are trying times for so very many in equally as many ways but we can overcome when we stand firm as a community of believers. Together, we must reach out in prayer support and in any way that God directs. Sometimes it only needs to be a smile.

It goes without saying that our sisters and brothers in Haiti need us. Please make an effort to stand firm with them. There are many ways to help financially, be careful that the way is true. These are the times, but the Word says that we are more than conquerors.  type to you later

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Many

Hundreds of thousands of people dead. That is the unofficial report on the earthquake devastation in Haiti.  Hundreds of thousands.  The Red Cross reports that as many as three million may be affected. That is so many families and friends that are in need of prayer and counseling support.  There are so many that are in need right now.  What can we do? Pray for them and their strength, and then check with your local organizations to see what other help is needed. 

It is very overwhelming to think about - yet God.
It is difficult to think about our day to day to day activities while so many are in need of so much- yet God.
Hold on to what you know to be true- the power of prayer does avail much.  Your prayers can make a major difference- ahhh but God.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

On Track

A friend just sent this on email, and is appropo with "being you."  Step out today to step into the 'you' God designed.  When you find those snippets of who you really are you can exclaim "A ha!" That exclamation is somewhat like one of the little lost boys in "Hook" when he was trying to find the vibrant Peter Pan in the face of an out of shape Peter Banning. His exclaimation-  "Oh there you are [Peter]"  You place your name. 

From email:
An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S... (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble..
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand...
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus'.
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35.Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
'If God is for us, who can be against us?'
(Romans 8:31)

Friday, January 8, 2010

Be You

My father used to say, "Be the best you that you can be." F.G. Sampson (Doc) used to tell me (and I'm sure others) "Don't let anyone out you-you." I have tried to hold to both of those, so I don't have time to worry about what others are doing. (So now you know the secret.) There is a process to being 'you'. I mean the 'you' that was made in the Divine image, the 'you' that should be dynamically spiritually growing into who you really are. You know, without the junk.




So to be on a track of 'being you', you don't have time to worry about what others are doing. You only have time to perfect 'being you'. Try it. Find out just how special you, and then grow to that level. It's just about walking this journey without some of the baggage. And in Doc's words, "Don't let anyone out you- you." type to you later.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Even When

I need to take that "even when you can't see" a little farther. What about the times you cry out and can't hear? What about the dark that your eyes can't penetrate? What about the hurt so deep that your heart aches? What about the financial needs that can't be met? What then? It happens. It does. It is difficult. It is wrenching.


How do you hang on when that happens? Yeah, you know that it will happen, but can you make it until it does happen? It is at that time that people can't help, nothing does. At that time there is no one but you and God. You alone with what you can't see can't feel because you are so immersed in your own pain. Can you hold on? Can you wait to hear? Can you let everything go in order to receive? Can you?
It is hard...But...It is lonely... It is at this time that you can lose your righteous mind. Ahhh, but then you find your spiritual self. Your righteous self can't stand at these times. You see, it was never about your righteous self, but your spiritual growth. You’re growing into more of what God has for you. The carnal, the righteous must be shed in order to effectively grow spiritually.
In these dark times, be still. Listen for God, wait on God. And then watch what God is doing. NO, you can never understand the power, the majesty, the grace, the love God has for you. You venture out on this journey to learn more about such power, such, majesty, such grace, such love. Yes, it gets hard...but.... Yes it gets dark...but.
Even when it does not look like, it may be that your way is through, not out. Even when the rain of pain is hard, your umbrella of stamina will keep you. Even when you don't know, God does. Be reassured that your care is God's concern. Remember Mt Rainer, it is there, even when.
You will go through, you will survive. Don't give up - be still. That 'being still' is not giving up, but giving over your will. It is trusting in what God is doing in your life to shape you. Watch what God does, and follow that lead. type to you later.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Even When You Can't See

When my nephew joined us in Seattle I was so excited about him seeing Mt Ranier. It was so cloudy that visibility was nil and no mountain could be seen. My brother-in-law was teasing me about the "mountains" that only I could see. Ahhh, but one day the sun came through just before it rested for the evening and there they were bold and majestic - Mt Rainier and Mt Baker. Both my nephew and brother-in-law joined me in awe of the beauty of Mt Rainier. All I could say was, "see, see,I told you."

This cause me to think how sometimes we may miss an opportunity. Just because we could not see the mountain did not mean it was not there. Can you feel me? I knew what I had seen. I knew what I had witnessed in the majesty of the mountain. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there.

You see, there are times that we go through periods of low visibility in our lives. These periods could be from so many things: fear, doubt, lack, pain, loneliness, you can name it. (I think you get the point.) And during these times we feel that God is not visible, nowhere to be found. Could be (not visible that is), but not being visible does not mean not being there. Just because you can't feel God's presence does not mean God is not close. Hold on to what you know about the character, the love, the grace of God through those periods of low spiritual visibility. And when you have your 'ah ha' moment of sight you will feel in that moment more than you could remember. When I saw Mt. Rainier, it was more majestic than I remembered.

What do you do? Hold on to your relationship with God. You may need to help another who can see, can't feel. And if you are at a spot where you can't see, can't feel, talk to me. I promise God is there- more than a church figure, but one who loves, guides, and answers prayer. If the mountain could come through bold as it has been can you even imagine the boldness of the majesty of God? And then, can you fathom the love God has for you? Try. type to you later.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

They That Wait . . .

We are familiar with the Isaiah passage (40:28-31) and have used it many times. The passage gives hope for those whose hope has faded -but. It reassurance that renewal is certain - but. The coordinating conjunction "but" is the core of the matter. You see, as youth do, they get tired, and adults try and fail, they stumble and fall. "But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength" (Is. 40:31). The "but" transfers you to a new place, no matter what. You will make it, you will get through, get over, get under, stand. You will -because you are waiting, not waited, that's past tense, but you are waiting.

So what is the waiting? Try this: Those waiting for God, that "waiting" is like those enduring, those strengthening. The strengthening in the waiting for God. Can't explain it, but who can explain how God works? There is a supernatural work of magnificent proportion happening and there is nothing anyone can stop, not even you - when you are waiting for God. Because of this magnificent work of God, you will gain strength, you will be powerful. Not because of you, but because of your cooperation in working with God by waiting for God. Can you see it? It is exciting! Yes, it is scary at times. But in the wait you ascend above the glares of others who don't know your heritage as a child of God that is waiting for God. In the wait you move beyond your deepest fears. In the wait it is you and God.

The give give you the ability to soar on wings like eagles, to run and not get weary, to walk and not be faint. All because the Lord is everlasting and He does not grow tired or weary and no one can even begin the understand the mystery of God. Back in the day I would hear in church someone call out "Who wouldn't serve a God like that?"

Welcome to your season of waiting. Yes we all should be waiting, waiting for more than material, temporal things. Wait for God. Journal it. Start today. Watch for God's move in your life, and then follow, without hesitation. "But those who
hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Is.40:31 NIV). Take time and read Isaiah 40:28-31. type to you later!