When death approaches our front door, it seems a dreadful thought, But just imagine what’s in store. With angels we’ll be brought. The gates of heaven opened wide, the throne of God we’ll see. Our Savior at the Father’s side, a room for you and me.
Our bonds are freed – the chains are gone. The ransom has been paid. No hopeless tears – a brand new dawn – no more to be dismayed. A paradise awaits us beyond this murky strife. No pain or sorrow will there be – a perfect holy life.
So set your eyes on Jesus. Don’t ever let Him go. He is our own Redeemer. His blood for us did flow. I love you, dear Lord, Jesus. my chains have been set free, and when death comes I’ll tremble not, for you have died for me.
Some of the most important events in the Bible take place in the desert. Moses led the nation of Israel through a desert wilderness for 40 years. Abraham sent Hagar and her son into the wilderness with hardly enough food to survive. John, the Baptist spent his time preaching his message of repentance in the wilderness. Jesus, the Messiah, was tempted by the devil in the desert and overcame him. The Apostle Paul endured 3 years in the desert with Jesus, before he began his public ministry. Interesting too, that three years is the same amount of time Jesus spent teaching his twelve disciples. Each of those incidents strengthened the individuals going through them.
Usually, we think of a desert as a place of emptiness, with no chance of survival. The literal translation of the word refers to a place without inhabitants – a world alone, away from civilization. There are days when we need alone time to put things back into perspective and that’s why I think the Bible refers to the wilderness so many times. Even Jesus needed His time in the wilderness.
Do you focus too much on the meaningless and let the important things slide? Are you facing relationship problems, health issues, financial difficulties, anxiety, fear or worry? I don’t think there’s a time in anyone’s life where they don’t experience their own personal desert. The wilderness can drain your spirit. You can become so rundown that even death looks good to you. Your body strains to survive. You thirst and hunger. It seems like the last place we would want to be – ever. When you feel there’s no way out, it can even tempt you into hopelessness.
Remember that God is with you all the time. He arms us with His power and strength. He guides us through the difficult times. Sometimes He even punches us and remolds us so that we return to Him. He may even crush us, before He can restore us. He wants us to become totally dependent on Him and to realize that He has our backs. If you’re in the middle of a wilderness, hang on to it with all your might, because it’s for your good. God will always provide a way out.
“Storms of every sort, torrents, earthquakes, cataclysms, ‘convulsions of nature,’ etc., however mysterious and lawless at first sight they may seem, are only harmonious notes in the song of creation, varied expressions of God’s love.” John Muir
The word, “compunction,” isn’t one that we use in daily conversation, but it’s really a cool word. It’s a synonym for “Repentance.” This word originated from the Latin verb, “compungere,” meaning “prick sharply.” We all have a conscience, whether we like to admit it or not. The conscience was built into us by God so we could be reminded or “pricked” into feeling ashamed or guilty. When we’re pricked, it leads us to confession, which leads to forgiveness, when you’re talking about your relationship with God.
Certainly, God didn’t want us to carry guilt in our hearts and minds. He also gave us the ability to choose to obey Him or go our own way. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the world. We all inherited that sin gene. Because of that, we need a Savior. Jesus, the only Son of God, was the perfect solution. He is our high priest. He represents us before His heavenly Father and pleads our case. Since He is true man as well as true God, He was able to take our place as the perfect, unblemished lamb. In that moment, the debt of the sin of the world was paid in full.
We need to be prodded or pricked from time to time. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we’ve done anything wrong. The Word of God is filled with reminders of how God wants us to live. Turn to it on a daily basis. You might be pricked at first, but the good news of our salvation and forgiveness will warm your heart and give you knowledge that God is on your side.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply hit the reset button and start over with an absolutely clean slate? It seems to be the way we handle things today. When something stops doing what it’s supposed to do, we hit a button and reset the thing that’s out of order. If we could just do that with our hearts, our souls and our bodies and minds, we wouldn’t need someone to fix it for us. We wouldn’t need a Savior. The only problem with that way of thinking is that those issues will rear their ugly heads again and again and once again.
When we ask God to forgive us for our mistakes – our lies – our bad deeds – our SINS, the reset button is placed in motion. The difference here is that our sins and everything that is attached to them has already been forgiven. Every sin committed before the crucifixion of Jesus, during His lifetime and into the future was washed away through His sacrifice. This was done so that we would never have to put the reset button into use. It’s all been done for us, by Almighty God, the Father, through His only begotten Son, because of His unconditional love for all.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” 1 Peter 3:18
This wonderful, precious gift doesn’t give us the freedom to continue in our sin. Instead, we should feel the power of God within us, through His Holy Spirit, and change our past lives to show our gratitude for this wonderful blessing of forgiveness. Beyond that, we should be so full of joy that we want the whole world to know what Jesus has done for everyone. We follow Him and encourage others to join us in this new life,
On this Shrove Tuesday, instead of whooping it up and trying to get every possible bad thing out of your system, turn instead to the eternal Son of God – the One who makes Heaven available to everyone who chooses to follow Him.
I’m old enough to remember when we celebrated President Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 and Washington’s on February 22. As time went by, all presidents were celebrated on the third Monday of February. As with most American holidays, it transformed into another day off for banks, government offices and schools. It also became part of the great American ideal – How to make a buck off of another holiday.
We used to make flags out of construction paper, or silhouettes of George or Abraham. Each of those presidents had his own day. We were told wonderful stories about how Lincoln was born in a log cabin and self-taught. He became a lawyer and eventually president. If he could be a president, we thought we could too. President Washington was more a statesman and hero of the American Revolution who never wanted the job of president. Those stories are no longer shared in the classroom. History is being rewritten every day and instead of heroes, these men are now just dead presidents, with stories of scandal arising in a heartbeat. It has come so far. that we no longer hold our elected officers in high esteem. Every one of our presidents has been the subject of criticism, disgrace and often a nasty smear campaign during the election process.
Today there will be marches in LA, NYC, and other large cities around our great land. Those protestors may scream in dissention against our current administration. This movement to get rid of the man who was duly elected continues to undermine our country. It’s a different president, but he faces the same scrutiny as the last. How does this look to other nations? How does it look to those who are in office now? What kind of messages are we sending to the future leaders of America – our children? As a child, I learned to respect my leaders, but time has even distorted that part of our existence.
This day should be a day of honor for those who bravely have and will serve our nation in its highest position – not a day to put a black cloud over her. Put your banners away and lose those ugly words of dissension. Get a real job and go buy a car or something else that’s on sale today. In the meantime, we should be encouraging young people to fix our nation rather than break it. We live in the best country in the world, and we are slowly destroying her from within.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17 ESV
It seems this little month lacks in number of days, but there are plenty of things to celebrate. There actually are a lot of things going during this tiny month. It’s been designated National Heart Month, Black History Month, National Weddings Month and it boasts of such celebrations as Ground Hog Day, Mardi Gras, Presidents Day, Valentines Day and believe it or not – Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day.
February tends to give us a case of cabin fever, of which I have now fallen victim. We’re growing tired of the cold weather. We’re tired of shoveling snow. Frankly we’re already sick of the political rhetoric being thrown at us. Tax time is in our future. Another winter storm watch is predicted. It’s no fun driving on icy roads, so we cocoon into our quiet, little retreats and watch television. We’re already preparing for another presidential election and the list of investigations continues to grow. No wonder we’re depressed.
God tells us to turn our cares over to Him. It’s a lot easier said than done. In many ways, we want to hang on to our troubles. For some reason, we seem to think we need to be involved in our destiny, even though it has already been planned by the Creator of the Universe. He certainly knows more about the outcome than we do, and everything He does, is for our benefit.
My suggestion for February – give up watching the news for Lent. Not really a sacrifice, in my opinion, but it will make us feel a lot better.
With the sighting of several “weather” balloons in the sky recently, I couldn’t help but wonder why we go into panic mode when anything unusual happens. Instead of making light of it, we tend to turn our attention to the dark side. I can’t imagine why balloons would create such an uproar, when there are drones all over the sky, taking pictures. Not to mention the space stations and their intergalactic cameras. Space junk may actually be entering our sky space. Who knows? Well, I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but every trick in the book seems to surface when a foreign object appears in the sky. Maybe some balloon vendor just lost his income for the day, when he released his cache of helium balloons. Maybe one of those giant balloons from Macy’s parade got caught up in the wind. Maybe a hot air balloon loaded with passengers, lost its ballast.
I saw a Bullwinkle balloon cartoon, with the headline, “Spotted In The Skies Over Canada,” and had a good laugh. When I showed it to my husband, he said this whole balloon thing was a serious matter. I reluctantly agreed with him, but really – must we always ponder things that go bump in the night with long faces? I much prefer to laugh when serious things get in the way of my joy.
Maybe I’m a cockeyed optimist, but we have enough problems right in our own backyards that often surpass anything that may be happening in the heavens. In other words, God has control of all things, including what’s in heaven and on earth. The last few years have made skeptics out of far too many of us. Maybe isolation kept the germs away, but it sure did a number on our sense of humor.
So, my prescription for today is to find something to chuckle about. It doesn’t have to be an all-out guffaw, even a smile will do. My point is that laughter is good medicine and God created smiles for a purpose, just like He created each one of us.
“All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”.
We are never too old to learn. Our journey on earth is usually a brief number of years, filled with discovery. Think of what it would be like to live for hundreds or thousands of them. Our brains would be filled to overflowing. Our accomplishments would surpass understanding. Some might say there isn’t enough time in a person’s life to absorb it all.
Fortunately, there is an eternity to look forward to. I know that when death does come, I will only be at the beginning of a perfect existence. My eyes will be opened. The patchwork of my life on earth will be filled with tiny stitches of gold and silver – patterns created by God Himself. The eternal tree of knowledge will have no bounds in heaven.
Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Most little girls dream of being a princess. They hope that someone will rescue her from all her trouble and sadness – someone who will wrap his arms around her and protect, love and honor her. As we grow older, we soon discover that real princes are hard to come by, but if we’re blessed, God matches us with just the right man to be our prince. Even then, our “prince” may not fulfill our dreams. It doesn’t take long to realize they aren’t perfect. They are not super-heroes. They aren’t always attentive or don’t always respond how we want them to. On the flip side, we aren’t always the princess they expected either.
Even those with royal titles don’t have it made. Sure, they have all their physical tended to They have servants, wealth and power, but they must follow all the rules without question and present themselves as perfect at all times. The one thing that guarantees a royal title is that woman’s father is a king. When we think about our dads, we don’t always think of them as perfect, but our heavenly Father is the One who made our royalty possible. He paid the complete ransom for our perfection. Jesus didn’t have to leave His royal throne behind and become a child born into poverty. His kingdom includes all the heavenly realms and everything in the entire universe, but He did so because of His great love for us.
Reality is not beautiful. It’s not covered with gems and royal garb. We often have to be crushed before we can see the glory of the true wealth we’ve possessed right from the beginning of our existence. My dream of being a princess didn’t always take the path I would’ve intended for it, but I know that I have a crown waiting for me in heaven – one purchased with the life, death and resurrection of my heavenly prince. Since His love ensures my royalty, I know that I am truly a princess.
I love you with all my heart! I’d do anything for you! You are the most important person in my life! These are phrases that will be written or said today as we honor those we love. Shouldn’t every day be such a day? It doesn’t even have to involve dinner, wine, flowers or chocolate. The fact that many people don’t bother to tell the most important ones in their lives how much they love them shows a severe crack in relationships.
If God decided to show us His love just one day a year, things could be pretty hopeless for all of us. When Jesus walked the earth, He was the perfect example of love. He showed us how to give love and how to receive it when He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34) His love for us is the perfect valentine. Thank you, Jesus for your unconditional and undeserved love! God’s love endures FOREVER!
Love is not limited to one day. It is part of what Valentine’s Day should be, but like most everything in this country we’ve commercialized a word into a day filled with sentimental cards, boxes of chocolates, flowers, special dinners, all designed to make someone feel “loved.” God’s love doesn’t have any strings attached, because His love is perfect. He loves every person who has ever lived, those who are alive and those who have passed on. His love is unconditional, full of mercy and grace, free of charge, incomprehensible. He loved all of us as His own children and made the necessary sacrifice to win our hearts, minds and souls. Before Valentine’s Day, start thanking Him for the greatest, most beautiful gift any one can receive. It’s life everlasting through Jesus, Christ. Thank you, Lord for that most precious Valentine.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV
Who knew I would be chosen by you? Who knew that our lives would blend into one With separate physical bodies, but tied together for a lifetime? Who knew you would become a man of integrity, a husband, a dad? You would spend life finding solutions for others through your work. You find the best in people and let them shine in this world. You find beauty in God’s creation and make beautiful art to capture it. You made a great life for me and our family. You never gave up when life threw lemons at you. You always looked to God for direction and answers. Who knew that the young man I fell in love with in my youth Would grow old with me – share my life – put me first – love me? Who decided before we even knew each other that you were meant for me? God knew!
One of the world’s greatest evangelists, Billy Graham, once said, “Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone, except God.” Not only did Mr. Graham have experience as a preacher, but he was a counselor to many presidents over the years and I think he knew a thing or two.
Our nation has become so politically correct that we have almost become numb to the evil that is insidiously wheedling its way into the fiber of our existence. It seems that nothing shocks anymore. We are exposed to corruption, scandal, violence, immorality, tolerance for just about any beliefs and behavior. We have been led into believing that anything goes and we need to be open to every opinion, action and belief except the One who created the World.
We as a nation have put God on the back burner. To many He simply doesn’t exist because He isn’t visible and there is nothing tangible to prove His existence. To some, they have made other things or beliefs into gods. Unfortunately, the God upon which our nation was founded, can’t even be spoken about in the political arena, the legal system, public schools, the entertainment business or sporting events without criticism – however, there seems to be an insistence that we tolerate every other god out there.
As Christians, we have been pushed aside and often are being persecuted for our beliefs. It’s really time for us to take a stand. Of course we can’t do that alone, because the ways of the world seem to be gaining more and more strength each day.
Lord, I know that you can conquer any evil that inhabits this planet. We, as your people, need to be strong and courageous again in our faith. Help us to stand up for you and your precepts. Give us the perseverance to uphold your truths. Even if we face ridicule or death, help us continue to keep you alive in a society that doesn’t seem to need you anymore. Your will be done. Amen.
No need to elaborate on Mark Twain’s quote, but we have just witnessed another State of the Union Address. President Biden appeared the most presidential we have seen for some time. The Peanut Gallery of Congressmen and women didn’t fail to amuse or tickle our funny bones. It wasn’t the Grammys, but I didn’t watch that either. After his opening remarks, we decided to switch channels to watch a movie called “The Grass Harp.” It was by far a wonderful story filled with love, memories, unfulfilled dreams and a cast of great actors. It took the edge off what would’ve been another review of another president and all those who support and don’t support him.
I know it’s important to stay informed, but when you live as long as I have, it’s just more of the same. I was born in 1942, during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. I was too young to know about politics, so it didn’t matter much to me who was or wasn’t the leader of the free world. Over my lifetime, I have seen fifteen men hold the office of president. There were the very charming and charismatic. There were military men with years of leadership experience. There were those who knew about world events and had traveled to those places. There were the meek, the weak, the powerful, the womanizers, those in the realm of business, the young and old. Quite a conglomeration of personalities, style, moxie and power. The first African American was also among them.
Every four years we put someone on that pedestal and hope that our needs will be fulfilled. Unfortunately, these people are just like the rest of us and yet far different at the same time. When President Trump gave his State of the Union Address, the Speaker of the House blatantly tore up her copy of his speech. Last night, was the scene of heckling, booing, and grown-ups acting like children. What has become of us as a nation? Do we resort to name calling, insults and backstabbing to settle our differences? What it boils down to is our insatiable desire to be better than each other.
I won’t go any further, or I’ll be accused of a posting a political rant. It just seems we’re never satisfied, no matter who is in office, and just think, it won’t be long before the next presidential election is on us. Praise our Almighty God, that He is in control – even in times of chaos and confusion.
Standing alone in a storm as wind tears through the trees is not only frightening but lacks wisdom. Our bodies grow tense, the adrenaline flows, and all our emotions can explode into crushing fear. The sea rages as waves crash against each other. Tree branches entangle and caress one another. A shot of electricity fills the sky as rumbles from the voice of God test your eardrums to make sure you’re paying attention. Clouds open and heavenly water hits the exposed skin of the earth. It swallows each drop with a thirst indescribable. The pores open and accept their satisfying drink. Your own skin is pounded by the tempestuous wind – hammered by the force of God’s tears – twisted by the unknown and unrelenting.
When pursued by the storms of life we react the same way. We tense up, we grow anxious, we lose faith, we may even give up. This is the time to turn to the Creator of the Universe. He alone controls the depth of the seas, the heights of the mountains, the volume of precipitation, the devastation that comes with a wind that is sent to clear out the remnants of what once was good, but now has withered and died.
PRAY! Talk to Him again. There is an open line of communication. We’re no longer bound by the wall established when man thought he knew better than God. Life changed then, but has once again been reversed. We have been restored, refreshed and renewed by the living water of Jesus, the true Son of God – true God and true Man.
Our storm has been calmed. Our life has returned. Our hope for a future has been re-established.
No, this photograph is not me, although I’ve been known to wear a clown nose. I’ve also worn a fake nose and glasses while driving through a McDonald’s Drive-thru. When I found this photo on the internet, I couldn’t help but relate. I’m afraid I am a hopeless comic. I’ve dreamed of doing stand-up comedy but am afraid I’d have to sit down. But seriously folks, I did get a chance to fulfill that item from my bucket list last year. It was part of of a performance by the theatre group I belong to called “Jewels of deNial.” This group gets together once a week to brainstorm ideas from our past and turn them into a comedic radio shows, which we then take to senior centers throughout our area. It’s kind of like sitting around the campfire telling stories and laughing. Sometimes those stories get embellished and lead to more laughter.
As most of you know, my philosophy is that we can get through almost every situation if we look for the funny in it. That doesn’t mean we go around laughing at everything, but it does raise some eyebrows and cause snide remarks from those who don’t get the joke. The idea of laughing at everything isn’t always the best way to chase away the blues, but it sure beats sitting around feeling sad all the time. God did not create us to be anxious or depressed. So, I’ll finish today’s post with a poem.
As I reach the end of my years, I find I have a lot of good information stored up in this old decrepit mind of mine. If I don't write it all down, it may vanish and no one will have the advantage of my thoughts. This is why this blog exists. I love the Lord, Jesus with all my heart and soul. I know I'm undeserving of all He's done for me, but I also know that His love is beyond my comprehension.
I've always wanted to write. I never kept diaries, but tucked my thoughts in my head for future reference. I use them now in creating stories, plays, poetry and my blog.
I continue to learn every day. I believe the compilation of our time spent with God will have huge affect on the way we live. I know I'm a sinner and I need a Savior. I have One through Jesus, Christ.
My book, "Stages - a memoir," is about the seven stages of life from the perspective of a woman. It addresses all the things girls and women go through in life as they travel it with Jesus, and it is available on Amazon.com.
Life is a patchwork of moments — laughter, solitude, everyday joys, and quiet aches. Through scribbled stories, I explore travels both far and inward, from sunrise over unfamiliar streets to the comfort of home. This is life as I see it, captured in ink and memory. Stick around; let's wander together.
atimetoshare.me 
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