What do you think of this definition of a changed heart.
No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 2:29 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.2.29.nlt
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. Psalm 69:6-9
Learn more about the artist Stefanny Gretzinger Here.
Learn more about the artist Maggie Beth Phelps Here.
I have been listening to the music of Dear Evan Hanson over the last few days. Several of the songs really resonate with me.”You Will Be Found” is one of those.
https://youtu.be/yeE2n0kfV_o?t=3
Jeannie Mayo, one of our nation’s foremost youth pastors gave a prophetic warning at a youth conference I attended almost a decade back. She stated that as a church and as a culture we must begin remembering and loving our “question mark kids”…the kids on the fringes…the kids left alone by society. She pointed out that almost all of the school shooters to that point had come from the fringes of school society. They were not popular. They were not loved. They were often bullied. They felt given up on and had given up on themselves. She warned that the subgroup called “question mark kids” was growing and that if we did not begin to love them, then the violence we had seen to that point was a drop in the bucket.
Truer words I guess were never spoken. We seem as a culture to be missing the proverbial forest for the trees here. I guess it’s easier to blame guns than ourselves for what has happened in our country. I guess it’s more convenient to think this is a problem for Capitol Hill to solve rather than to think this is a problem our community, our church, our families need to do something about. I am pretty sure nothing is changing on Capitol Hill anytime soon where the issues of school violence are concerned. This is our job folks. We are a dot in the snowstorm called life. The question mark kids can’t find us. We must find them!
All these thoughts inspired this poem called “Blanks”.
Blanks
By JE Lillie
Blank
Canvas
One dot says
“I’m here for you.”
Somewhere in the vast
Snowstorm called life someone
Waits for me and promises love.
But the blizzard obscures my sight.
I can’t find that dot. Hope turns to hate.
Hate turns to madness. Madness begets
Violence. It stirs a plan.
I write it down, practice.
Someone help me
Please! While I’m
Shooting
Blanks.
This week The Daily Post has asked us to use pictures to tell a story.
Here is my story entitled: Dear Deer!
And here are some more wonderful stories.
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. Psalm 69:6-9
Learn more about the artists of Bethany Worship Here.
It’s time to share our worlds again. Here are Cee’s questions for the sharing challenge and my answers. When you have finished CLICK HERE TO GO TO CEE’S SITE AND EXPERIENCE THE FULL EFFECT OF SHARE YOUR WORLD.
What did you or did not like about the first place you lived without your parents?
The first place I lived apart from my parents was a tiny little apartment in Bible college. It was the first apartment my wife and I lived in. The living room had an orange rug with sky blue walls. The bedroom rug was brown and the walls were pink.The kitchenette only had a two burner stove and no oven. The refrigerator was one of those small college refriges with a 1’x1′ box freezer you could fit individual ice cream bars in. You could shower and go to the bathroom at the same time because the bathroom was so small and we didn’t control the heat. I loved it.
What is your most favorite smell/scent?
I love lavender and cilantro.
Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
Well today we are slated for another 12- 18 inches of the white stuff. I love snow for about the first two weeks of the winter and then I am ready for spring. By March snow just makes me a little nuts.
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
I am stuck once again in the book of Hebrews. I am loving chapter 4-9. Here are some of my favorite verses
Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. Hebrews 6:18-20
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. Psalm 69:6-9
Lillie-Put 