Little things I learned this week

Heaven is for Real!  a little book by Todd Burpo

"I'm a broken stone, place me in the house you're building..."  

a song by Audrey Assad

Sitting down; royalty sits, subjects stand.  

I am the daughter of a King; 

He is waiting for me to be still.

'Jesus said " Have the people sit down."'

They sat in groups of fifty or one hundred...find someone to sit with you.


.Don't believe everything you think.

"You must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. 

 Don't give it the time of day.  

 Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life."

Romans 6:12 the msg

 ...running little errands?  ...giving sin a vote?

"...let's make a clean break from everything that distracts us, both within and out."

2 Corinthians 7:1 the msg

Be aware of your breathing. Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Just breathe...

"I say more: the man justices;

Keeps grace: that keeps all his going graces;

Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is...

Christ.  For Christ plays in ten thousand places,

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his

To the Father through the features of men's faces."

                                                          Gerard Manley Hopkins

Right Now

I am remembering a lesson I learned not that long ago; be content, right where you are, in the life you are living right now.  Rob talked about that sort of thing this morning, not about being content but about saying yes, right now, where you are, despite who you are right now.

Sometimes days sneak up on me and I find myself not particularly liking where I am right now.  I want something else, if only this or if only that.  I don’t want to be who I am, I want to be her, I want to be doing what he is doing or wouldn’t it be great if I could do what she just did.

 

Sometimes lonely sneaks up on me and I find myself not wanting to be who I am right now.  I want to be doing this or doing that ...with someone.  Wouldn’t it be great if I was someone else right now.

Sometimes feeling sorry for myself sneaks up on me.  I despise that, what fun is that?  What good is that?  Well, the one good thing about it is that if I realize that I am feeling sorry for myself that means I can stop it...thankfully.  I am so happy when I realize that I have been doing it and I can get back to being who I am right now, with the life I have been given.  I can get back to the last thing God told me to do right now with who I am right now in the place where I am right now.

Right now; those are the words that spoke to me this morning.  Right now, I am waiting on God, waiting on a word from Him, waiting for when He will say, ‘Here is the way, walk in it’  ‘Here is the road take it’ ‘Here are the words, say them’ ‘Just go, I will be with you.’

Moses was concerned about who he was, when God asked him to go, Moses said “Who am I?”  God responded with “I will go with you...say it is I AM who has sent you”  God redirects Moses' thinking about who he is to who God is.  It's as if He is saying don’t be concerned with who you are right now, be concerned with “I AM”  I will be with you.

So right now I have been redirected from who I am to who God is, how great is that?  Starting from here, right now, just the way I am; I say yes, I’m in it for the long haul, I choose yes.

And right now He accepts me as I am... I love that.

"What You want from me I can do it right now. I can do it right now."  

Sara Groves

The Glory of it All

“Look, I see Heaven open...”  Acts 7:56

Heaven opening up.  And God’s glory showing.

While reading through Priscilla Shirer's book we've been talking about the glory of God; how His glory is all around us, even in the desert places.  How His glory exceeds comprehension, that His glory is reserved for His sake, for only One and that His glory demands a response.

 

God’s glory is all around us...His glory, showing.

Reminds me of something I shared with my children when they were little.  Sharing God’s glory; a bit of Heaven.

Sometimes, it happened when we were outside, walking, talking, sky watching.  Maybe we would be inside, looking out, through the window, over the couch leaning, sky watching.

Sometimes we weren’t sky watching at all, sometimes we were just doing life, and somehow though, there it would be.  The sky might have been a little stormy, but the sun would be there shining somewhere above the cloud cover, above the fray.

Just then the sky would move, the clouds shifting in the smallest most unassuming way.  Then an opening in the clouds, where a bit of blue shone through.  But not just blue, the brightest blue, reflecting the brightness of the sun and leaving way for the rays of its light.  Amazing rays of cloud shrouded light streaming down, rays of Glory it seemed.

 

Whatever we were doing I would stop and point it out to my children “Look ...a bit of Heaven!”  Then, all time would stop as we watched, we would melt in the moment and we would pleasure in the glory of it.

God’s glory showing...His glory is all around us.  I love that.

"You are here, with redemption for us all, that we may live, for the glory of it all."

                                                                                                        David Crowder Band

What do you say about Him?

Amazing words by S.M. Lockridge...enjoy

"He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theology. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. 


Do you know Him?

Well, my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom, He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness He’s the gateway of glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the conquerors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s the leader of the legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers, He’s the governor of governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 


Well, I wish I could describe Him to you. 


Yes... He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible, He’s irresistible. I’m trying to tell you, the Heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. 


Yeah! That’s my king, that's my King!

Oh I wish I could describe him to you.”

Written by Dr. S.M. Lockridge, he was the Pastor of Cavary Baptist Church, San Diego CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven in 2000. He is well-known for a passage out of his sermon titled “He’s My King”

Reminders

I love reminders, I need them.

These last few months I have been reading in the book of James and also with Paul in Philippians, one teaches the blessings of works, the other teaches the blessings of grace.  It was amazing to see, each week, the similarities of the blessings one to the other, despite the controversies.  Controversies that Beth Moore alludes to and controversies Martin Luther spoke out about.  The differences found in the words of James, works; what good is faith without it and the words of Paul, grace; for it is by grace we are saved.

Works and grace...different, yet the same.  Most of you, who know me, know that I love controversies too but mostly...I love reminders.

I have discovered more than ever, that in spite of the controversies God is constant. He teaches us a lesson and then He teaches it again and again and again. I love learning a lesson, but even more,I love learning it again; being reminded, this is confirmation of His constant presence. I love that too,confirmations that God is there, I believe it... I know it.

My newest reminder has been about interruptions and blessings.

 

I had been in Ontario for a week and came home to a few telephone messages.  One of them was from John’s 93 year old Aunt.  I had come home from my holiday, sick with a cold, it wouldn’t be fair to go to her with my sickness, but I phoned her back to chat, to see how she was.  She was glad to hear my voice and began to tell me her story.  She had been going every day to visit her sister, arriving there at two in the afternoon and staying until seven in the evening.  A friend or the bus would bring her and she would call a taxi to bring her home.  For two weeks she sat vigil with her older sister, a sister who was dying. My Aunt traveled everyday to sit beside her, to be there, looking into her face when she woke, to hold her body down when she became restless and to simply confirm her love for the only sister she ever knew.  Over ninety years of holding on to one another.  My Aunt soothed and settled and held her sister.  The sweetest sister one could have to hold you. 

But I... I told her that even though I really wanted to, I was sick and couldn’t help out by picking her up at the evening’s end.  She said “Judy, I have been through much, I am not worried about a cold.” And I said “ I will pick you up at seven.”   This I could do for the sweetest sister.  My heart ached for her as I watched her leave her sisters room.

An interruption?  No, an intervention that held a blessing...a divine blessing.

 

The very next day when my Aunt arrived for her vigil, her sister passed from this world, her earthly struggles over.

What a blessing for me to have helped in such a small way for someone in a time of great need.

Such a humbling reminder, that the needs that come across our path are not interruptions; they are divine interventions.

This is the story of Easter too.  We are reminded of the cross and a Life interrupted to bring us salvation...truly, a Divine Intervention.

“His coming, His death and His resurrection really do melt heaven and earth together, 

make death into sugar and turn all ills, of which there are many into delectable wine.”

                                                                                                                                       Martin Luther                                                                      

God Bless, Happy Easter.

A Softened Heart

I am remembering a conversation I had with a friend some time ago.  My friend was explaining to me the story of her friend, someone who seemed to be making all the wrong choices.  My friend was concerned saying, of her friend, that all is lost, the choices have been made, and the hope is gone.

My thoughts were and I said them to my friend, ‘how can you think that God is finished with her yet? There is much more time for God to work.’

My friend wanted answers now, she wanted redemption now, she wanted repentance and change that she could see now…as if it was her time, as if it was up to her.

The truth is it is not up to her, nor has it to do with her time.  The truth is God’s time is not our time.  The truth is it is not for us to see proven, the work that we do to convince.  The truth is it is God’s work.  He is the one who does soul work, we reflect it.

Andrew read this scripture this morning, John 12:40...

He has blinded their eyes

And deadened their hearts

So they can neither see with their eyes

Nor understand with their hearts.

I believe it.  I get it.  I don’t always like it, but it’s not up to me.

What is up to me is to reflect God’s heart, to show love.  God knows when to soften the hearts He has hardened.  He knows each and every heart.  He knows when to open the eyes of those who need to see. 

A softened heart doesn’t mean salvation now; a softened heart means that it is open to the belief to receive it.

We learned a lesson while doing Experiencing God and Andrew said something in his sermon this morning that reminded me of it; that we each need a crisis to come to belief, to prove it true.  

True belief…proven.

John’s heart was being softened, I prayed for it for years, but it was all in Gods timing…John's heart softened a little more, his eyes saw a little more.  And then the crisis…he chose to prove his belief…I didn’t have to do a thing but hold on to hope.

God knows the purpose He has for each soul, He knows the time, and He knows the heart…it’s not up to me.  

I love that.