Hello! It has certainly been awhile since I last posted. Life has gotten even more busy and I’m still processing it.
The biggest thing I have learned so far at Bible college is to be transparent, so I will be transparent with you, my reader.
I have been genuinely overwhelmingly busy. I have signed on to wordpress and written drafts but they were never posted. I don’t have the time to seriously write like I used to. I can’t clear my head or edit properly. My brain is spinning, but I think my lack of flow shows that. I’m struggling to breathe, but the Lord keeps me going.
So when I post, they might be harsh: with improper grammar and typos here and there. But I do want to keep this going and keep writing my thoughts- because I have a lot of things I want to share with you…
This is Thanksgiving week, my favorite time in the entire calendar year. In honor of this auspicious day Cee has asked her contributors only one question.
List at least 50 Things You Enjoy.
So here are a few of my favorites things:
1. The privilege of having a relationship with the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the atoning death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Freedom from a life of sin, guilt and shame
3. a lifestyle of worship
4. My daughter Amanda.
Us on the way to Ireland.
5. My daughter Melanie.
I walk Melanie down the aisle.
6. My son,Joe.
Joe and Gramma Lillie after the wedding.
7. And my son-in-law James.
My daughter Melanie married the man of her dreams last Saturday
8. My ex-wife Tina (how many men can say they still have a good relationship with their ex? I am forever grateful for this).
9. I am thankful for the relationship I have with my mom.
10. And my sister.
11. I enjoy the privilege of sharing the Good news with people as a minister.
Me preaching for Special Touch Ministries
12. and the church family.
13. I enjoy having two church services now so that I can lead worship in one and be involved in prayer in one.
14. I enjoy art…
15. And artists.
16. I enjoy music…
17. And musicians.
The band Cloverton played to a nearly sold out house in our church last week.
18. I love writing…
19. And writers.
20. I enjoy cooking (which is good since I am in charge of the Thanksgiving meal).
21. I enjoy being busy.
22. But I enjoy those quiet moments when I can just sit and hear the voice of God as it comes across the landscape.
23. I enjoy travel.
24. I enjoy a good book.
25. I really enjoy a good cup of coffee. Though in a pinch I will even drink a bad one.
26. I enjoy blogging.
27. I enjoy reading blogs.
28. I enjoy being part of this blogging community.
29. I enjoy my little dogs.
30. I enjoy a good movie. Anyone seen the new Hunger Games movie?
31. I enjoy a good concert. I am going to see the Piano Guys on Dec. 8th with the pastor who officiated at my daughter’s wedding
32. I enjoy photography.
32. I enjoy exercising.
Me reclining after walking up the “Rocky” stairs at the Philadelphia Art Museum.
OK that might be stretching the truth a little.
33. In enjoy singing.
34. I enjoy playing the piano, although my hand injury is still limiting this a bit.
35. I enjoy playing the flute (an old instrument I recently picked up again after many years).
36. I enjoy eating out.
37. I enjoy my gardens.
38. I enjoy a good laugh.
39. I enjoy studying the Word of God.
40. I enjoy a night at home watching TV.
41. I enjoy working with people on projects.
42. I enjoy pizza.
43. I enjoy a good grinder every now and then (hoagie, sub whatever you may call them)
44. I enjoy the ever-changing New England Seasons
45. I enjoy the fact that I now have a snow-blower as the season is about to change to winter tomorrow according to the morning news.
46. I enjoy peace-making.
47. I enjoy the fact that after a season of incredible busyness I am settling into a season of quiet.
48. I am enjoying writing again.
49. I enjoy life.
50 I enjoy eternal life even better!
Now check out how Cee’s other contributors have answered at
Why do you look upon the Shulammite as at a dance of the two armies?
Song 6:13 – Lexham English Bible
I love this phrase – a dance of two armies. Isn’t that life?
We are in the center of a conflict of two worlds.
Peter cautions us:
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. – 1 Peter 2:11
And Paul tells us:
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, – Romans 8:6-7
So we know this war rages.
But what is our part in this conflict between two worlds?
According to Dictionary.com, the slang word, druthers, is a noun that means wishes;desires;preferredalternatives. So I put together some of my druthers.
If I had my druthers, there would be no sickness.
If I had my druthers, there would be no hunger.
If I had my druthers, there would be no sorrow.
If I had my druthers, there would be no poverty.
If I had my druthers, there would be no stealing.
If I had my druthers, there would be no night.
If I had my druthers, there would be no adultery.
If I had my druthers, we all would honor our parents.
If I had my druthers, there would be no killing.
If I had my druthers, our leaders would all be honest and trustworthy.
If I had my druthers, there would be no jealousy or envy.
They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
(John 17:16-19)
Read: Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:12-18, Luke 24:13-49, John 20:19 – 21:25
Relate: As a general rule, I pull out my Christmas music right after the first time I see snow. I won’t necessarily start listening to it on a regular basis but I do dig it out of its hiding place and put it next to my CD player (Yes, I still have one of those) so I can listen to it when the mood strikes me. Putting a little Kenny G on as background while I sleep does…
;Did you ever stop to think what heaven must be like? I think all of us have at one time or another. But it’s kind of like Winston’s Churchill’s comment about post World War II, it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. None of us know what it really is like. Nor will we in this life.
Probably the best Biblical description of heaven comes from John the Revelator. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the…
God commands us to forgive and so we must forgive.
Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
How many times do we say the words yet our hearts are not quite ready to forgive? I always thought if I said it then one day I would truly believe it in my heart. Well, for this girl no such luck there were still things I needed to forgive. I didn’t realize I was holding on to unforgiveness until someone pointed it out to me and, oh boy, was that a big ouch.
My last post was about Daniel and his perseverance with prayer. I have been praying for years that my son’s seizures would stop and when they didn’t I would tell…
I am enjoying the slowing down thing a lot. In the last two days I have rested, caught up on some TV shows, started to fix some broken shingles on the house and I have washed my dogs (much to their chagrin).
My dogs really don’t like baths. It got me thinking of all those times I have been in services where the Holy Spirit of God has moved profoundly. In my circles we call that “soaking in the presence of God”.
Some people really seem to love it and others…well let’s just say they take to the Presence about as well as my pups take to water. I can’t help wondering if it’s not for the same reason. Some folks consider the moving of the Presence of God just another opportunity to swim in the current of miracles. Others know only too well that when God puts in a powerful appearance at church they are about to be doused with the shampoo of conviction and confronted with the Scissors of the Holy Spirit to cut out some of the sin mats they have been carrying around.
Bath time is not fun for my dogs. It’s also not much fun for me. I usually come away covered in dog fur, soaked to the skin and needing to clean and mop the bathroom. I wonder sometimes if God doesn’t feel the same way in dealing with us. Do you think there might be times when God sighs and says to Himself before our church services, “Well this is not going to be pleasant.”?
Still He moves knowing in advance that what must be done must be done, just like I know that no matter what, my dogs must be washed.
It seems a silly analogy but I just wonder how much faster bath time with my dogs would go if there wasn’t as much splashing and jumping out of the tub and I wonder…well I guess you can imagine what I am wondering about us humans and church and such.
They are dogs. We are humans. I suppose there ought to be a difference in how we take a good soaking.
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me (Psalm 1387)
No matter who we are, what we do, when or where we do it, we are either making progress, stagnating or moving forward. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul compares moving forward to an athlete preparing for a competition. Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadow-boxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that…
