LEST WE FORGET!

I am concerned with the way Christians are dealing with Christians, using the examples of the harsh-toned discipline of Christ to the money changers in the temple; the fray between Paul and Barnabas over Mark; Paul's rebuke of Peter and the church for putting more on the Gentile converts to Christ than they themselves were able to bear.....etc.

To see Christ as harsh, and demanding as a pre-requisite, as an example of how we are to treat each other, is hurtful and offensive to my vision of the Savior. Some may say that I have created my own Christ and He is not the Christ of the bible but I would answer that the Christ of the Bible is the True Christ and is the Christ that has brought me to salvation and to an understanding of His great love for all.

He is the Christ who said, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." "Rise and be healed, your sins are forgiven." "Suffer the little children to come to Me." I will never leave you nor forsake you but will be with you to the end." My sheep know My voice." "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Was Christ passionate about His Father's House being a House of Prayer? You bet! It was His passion that drove the money changers out of the temple. Was He passionate about the corrupt teachings of the religious community that was used to manipulate and control the people? You bet!

Was Paul justified in his refusal to allow Mark to accompany his group on their next mission? He may have been, but we see Barnabas pleading on Mark's behalf and then leaving Paul's group and taking Mark with him. In the end, Mark is restored and Paul and Barnabas are still brothers. Who was right? Only God knows.

We are given specific instructions for correction in the church and are also instructed to do it with love, remembering that 'but for the grace of God, are we.'
If we are being harsh and demanding on our fellow laborers, I submit that it is not God's way. What is done for Christ must be done out of a heart of love for Him. Our goals will not be accomplished any other way. If we are using a tough, harsh, demanding type of leadership, it speaks of manipulation and control.

Even when we must turn and leave the one who will not receive instruction and turn him/her over....the very thought is so that somehow, someway they might be saved.

So then, do we just allow a fellow laborer to walk in error and in slothfulness? No! We do have to address these situations as they arise, but we must move cautiously as these are the children of the most High God and He will deal with us according to how we have dealt with others. Remember, He used heathen countries to overrun Israel to discipline Israel, but those countries were punished according to their wickedness toward Israel. Be careful, how you deal with God's children.

God is Just but He also is the God of Love. Bathe everything you do.....in Godly Love.

WE CAN TRUST HIM!

There are times when we may not be sure if we are where God wants us to be. Have we obeyed His calling and direction, or are we on a path that we have set for ourselves?

It is not easy sometimes, to discern that still small voice, that unction that we sense when seeking direction for the project, the occupation, the vocation, the relationship or just the day. Many times we are influenced by our own wants, desires, ideas and then the waters get murky. I suppose that most of us have found ourselves in the middle of a decision that we have made, realizing that perhaps, it may not have been God's idea after all.

So now what? Do we abandon the current decision, project or whatever we find ourselves involved in or do we make the best of the situation, move forward.....or cut our losses and jump ship?

It's not an easy decision to make but there is an answer and it is found right where we should have started to begin with. Seeking Him and His righteousness and all the things that we need, including wisdom, knowledge, and understanding will be given to us. He instructs us to ask for those very things and they will be given us.

So if we seek Him and His righteousness, put Him first above everything and everyone, will we know, for sure, that this project, idea, etc., is His perfect will for us? Not always....but we can know this, if we have put Him first, confess we may have made a mistake, He can turn that mistake into good. He can cause it to produce a blessing that perhaps you did not anticipate when you began or He can bless your decision abundantly beyond what you could have dreamed or envisioned.

We cannot trust ourselves because our hearts are deceitful but we can trust God to watch over us and answer us when we bow before Him and allow that we cannot do this alone. The Word says for us to "ask, if we lack wisdom, and it would be given to us, without condemnation." (James 1:5) And the Word goes on to say, in James 1:6, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

Is the Word of God true? Then what say ye?

We can trust Him!

REFLECTIONS

It's not like I haven't been here before....you know....where the road you were on suddenly changes and you begin to wonder if you missed your exit. Your GPS is turned off and your mind is busy mulling over what you have accomplished up to this point and what is on the to-do list for this day and the days ahead....and suddenly you become aware that the road seems unfamiliar.
I would imagine that many of us have experienced similar situations as this on a road trip to somewhere....but perhaps we do not always realize in our day-to-day world a very similar, subtle transition may have happened.
A good example of finding our roles changing with us sometimes struggling to shift gears, is when our children transition from needing our watchful eye, into becoming adults themselves, very capable of finding their own way just as we did. Sometimes, we keeping offering advice when it is not asked for; we keep instructing them in their choices, when they are now responsible for their own conduct; we keep anticipating a need and try to meet it without them ever hardly recognizing they had a need.
If we learn nothing else from this kind of behavior, hopefully, at some point we will realize we are on a different road now and our role has changed. It is to our children's harm when we continue to try to hang on to the control of their decisions beyond the time when they need to be making their own. They sometimes see what we do as interference in their lives and think we don't trust them to handle things on their own.
Boom! We missed our exit. We missed that transition where we became cheerleaders and sounding boards, available if needed, ready to advise if asked, and fully trusting that they would find their way because you equipped them to do that in the 18 years you had them in your School of Life. Now there are hurt feelings, strained relationships, nothing seems to go just right, resistance where there should be none.....wrong road....wrong role.
God has a way of still teaching us, even after we are off the 'milk' and into the 'meat' of His Word. He gives us the freedom to find our own way once we know His Son as Savior and Lord. He teaches us through His Word and life experiences how to seek Him in the decisions we make, the direction we take......but sometimes that road we were on transitions to the next level and we are still trying to move forward on the 'old road'.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 teaches us that there is a time for everything. Sometimes when we are struggling with changes that are inevitable, we resist because what we are doing, the road we are on is familiar, comfortable....when in reality, we are switching lanes to set us up for the transition exit to our next assignment.
God won't make those decisions for us because He wants us to make the right decision for ourselves. When we fully trust His plan for us, we will become more willing to let the Holy Spirit (our Heavenly GPS) direct us in making the transitions that are going to continue to honor God and build His Kingdom.
In reality, we were called here for a purpose, and as long as we remain committed to follow His calling and leading, He will propel us forward on this highway to Heaven. For at the end of this journey, lies Home.

HAVE YOU LOST SOMETHING?

HAVE YOU LOST SOMETHING?

It looks like it has been about 3 weeks since I visited this blog page but so much has happened over the past three weeks, that it has been a blur.


My son, Michael, and daughter-in-law Lenora and their grand daughter, Trinity came down from Washington and spent a week with me and it was awesome. It had been four years since I had seen them and so much life has happened in the four years.

Trinity told her grandma and grandpa that they should just spoil great grandma while they were here and that is exactly what they did. They were such a blessing to me and I love them and appreciate them so much.

After they returned home, my grand daughter, Elisabeth, came home on R & R from Afghanistan. she was able to spend about 9 days with me before she had to return. She is always a joy to me.

While Elisabeth was still in Afghanistan, she purchased a miniature dachshund puppy for me and had her flown to Tulsa on June 30th. This little puppy is just the greatest little puppy ever born and what a little miracle worker she is!

She loves everybody unconditionally, she is full of joy and energy and I am sure her greatest desire is to be able to talk. Her little eyes are full of life and she communicates so much with them. She makes me know that God had a purpose for everything that He created.

When she is getting sleepy and wanting to go to bed or when she is loving you, she makes this little humming sound that gives you a sense of peace, a sense that everything is just right in her world.

How awesome would it be if we could be more like Molly, trusting that everything will be okay, trusting that even though our world can feel like chaos sometimes, that it's all in the hands of the One who loves us and it will be okay; trusting that His grace is sufficient for today and leave tomorrow in His hands as well.

I pray for all of us, that we will be found trusting that the life He has given us was born out of purpose and love and that He will never leave us or forsake us but will be there with us, even to the end.

"He that clings to 'his' life shall lose it and he that loses his life for My sake, shall find it." Matthew 10:39

Sharon Wilbur "Out of Zion"

LET GOD BE TRUE & EVERY MAN A LIAR!

June 28, 2010 - Monday
LET GOD BE THE TRUTH & EVERY MAN A LIAR!
Just wanted to give you an update and let you know that God is still in control!
Today has been the most amazing day of the Lord. Our altars filled in both services today with people who are hungry for the genuine move of God. Hungry for God Himself, to step into their lives and make their lives count in this generation.

I saw people come to the Lord today. I saw people re-commit their lives to Him today. I saw people filled with the Holy Spirit today. A little 4 year old girl from our congregation was bitten by a snake today and sent to Tulsa via ambulance because the weather would not permit her being flown. I heard the report from Tulsa saying that aside from the bites marks there was no evidence of a snake bite or any harmful thing in her blood! I saw God at work among His people today. I see Him preparing us for what is coming in this generation.

How about you? Are you satisfied with how your relationship with God fits into your lifestyle? Or are you hungry for a real relationship that will cost you everything? It will be worth it!

THINK ABOUT IT....

This morning as I was reading a daily devotional, one of the comments struck home with me. In 1Corinthians 3:16, the scripture says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" The commentator of the devotional re-worded it to say, "Do you not know that you are the Tablernacle of God (in the earth)....."

That caused me to think... The writer went on to speak of the Tabernacle that God had Moses to build. With intricate detail, each piece and part of the Tabernacle was constructed according to very specific instructions that God gave to Moses. The Tabernacle was the place where God was going to dwell on the earth. It represented His presence on the earth. But today, that Tabernacle constructed and put together by man no longer exists.

The scripture tells us in John 1:14, that the WORD (Jesus) was made flesh and "dwelt" among us, (and we beheld His glory.....)full of grace and truth. So while Jesus was on earth, He was God with us, dwelling in a Tabernacle of flesh. He was the presence of God on the earth, wherever He went. He said, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father. Again, He said I abide in the Father and He abides in Me.

He told us that when He went away, He would send another Comforter and that He would abide with us forever, "He will dwell with you and shall be in you." Even though I am very familiar with the scripture that tells us we are the temple of the Holy Ghost, today, I am compelled to reflect on what it means for God, the Holy Spirit to Tabernacle with me. It's even too awesome for me to grasp!

Shouldn't I represent the presence of God then, to those who are around me? Shouldn't I then, bring the comfort of His presence, the knowledge of His mercy, the faithfullness of His lovingkindness? Wherever I go, shoultn't I be the Cloud by day and the Fire by night? How is it, that the Awesome God of the Universe, would dwell, Tabernacle, in me? I am full of flaws and imperfections, sin. How can it be?


The only knowledge I have, the only answer to the question, is the BLOOD Of JESUS covers me. It clothes me in perfection, with perfect design and purpose that God placed in me before I was born and justified me by the sacrifice of His Perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ.

How then, should I walk before men?

Whisper His Name

Toby mac - Made to love

Who Am I - Casting Crowns

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

This morning as I am considering writing one more blog, I wonder where the time goes. At my age now, it seems to fly past at lightening speed, so fast, in fact, that if I don't write it down, or make note somehow, I may forget many things associated with the passing of that time.
I recall when I was young, with 4 children at home and a disabled husband, that I was able to work a fulltime job, outside the home, be the church clerk, worship leader, Adult Sunday School teacher, and lead singer in a trio that sang at other churches on invitation and special services, regional/district meetings, etc.
How did I do that?
Looking back down that tunnel of life, I don't know, except it was driven by a passion so strong that I could see no other way of life nor did I want another way of life. It seemed perfect to me except for a few nagging issues that I just could not seem to get worked out...
After 26 years of marriage (the last 13 as a sold-out, blood bought, heaven-bound follower of Christ)I was faced with divorce, not my choice, but his. And my world turned upside down.
The next 19 years flew by so fast, that it's all a blur to me now. In the last 6 years, my mother, my step-father (who was an awesome Dad to me), my biological father, and step-mother and my youngest child, Shelley, have all gone to be with the Lord. The last living sibling on my mother's side passed away 5 weeks ago and his last words to me were, "Stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I will be watching for you." Where has the time gone? A lot of it has gone on to be with Jesus.
How we 'spend' the time will make a difference in how we handle the issues of life, such as divorce, and the loss of loved ones. If we are rooted and grounded in the Word of God and have a fresh relationship with Christ, though there is pain and there is loss, we count it all joy that we are able to endure when these times of testing come, knowing at the end of it all awaits joy unspeakable.
How are you 'spending' the time that God has allowed you upon this earth? Are you always waiting for the time to be 'right' for you to allow God to use the gifts and talents He has placed in you. Are there other demands upon on your time, your life, that come before your service to Him. What price are you willing to pay, to bring Him the reward of His suffering?
Did I do it all right? Absolutely not! Could I have done more? Absolutely! All we have is right now. We have no promise of tomorrow. So what we do for Him, must be done today, right in the middle of life's demands. Does He understand that we have families to care for, baseball, soccer, basketball, football games to attend? Does He get it that we have to prepare meals after working all day, try to keep the laundry done and the floors swept, the dog groomed, the lawn mowed, the weeds pulled out of the flower beds, the garden?
There is nothing new under the sun. He gets it about the cares of life. All He requires is that you live it with a passion for Him. Let everything you do be done as unto Him. All of it! Then, as time passes, and you sense how quickly it is slipping away, you can rest in knowing that you have loved Him, and with great joy you have served Him and brought Him honor and glory with your life.....how are you 'spending' your life?

I'LL BE WATCHING!

Today, I go the the Memorial Service being held for my uncle who passed away three days ago. He was 82 years old, and the last of my mother's family. The last connection of my childhood, with those who loved my mother and whom my mother loved.

My uncle had not led an exemplary life, and was pretty much known as a wild man, not held by any boundries but those of great pain and sorrow at the loss of his first wife and 12 year old son in a car accident forty three years ago. He drowned himself in a sea of alcohol and sorrow and rage seemly beyond his control. Yet you loved him. And through the veil of pain, you knew he loved you.

He finally remarried to a woman who already had six children and they had two of their own. From my observation window, life was still chaos, but in some ways, all the children seemed to draw down some of the self-destructive behaviors. And life went on like this for the next 35 years or so.

About eight to ten years ago, things started to change with him. His family, raised in chaos, his marriage always in chaos, was still the same, but he began to change. I have witnessed the bitterness in the family toward him, the wife, the children often rude in speaking to him. Critical of him when he would try to visit with family or friends, because this was the way they had always lived and though he was changing they could not see if for all the hurt and damage they had suffered.

As the change began to manifest, he would frequently call my mother, asking for prayer for some friend or someone he knew or had heard about that was sick or having some kind of trouble. He would ask Mom to pray and ask her to call me and ask me to pray. This went on for a number of years before my mother passed away in 2006, and then for a while, he was silent, broken once again by the loss of my mother, and then....he began to call me for prayer.

On the phone, he could have a conversation without the wife or one of the adult children, interupting or contradicting whatever he was saying. The phone was his safe place to share his heart.

His wife passed away two years ago, and because of his own health, he has been pretty much confined to the home where he and his wife had lived with their youngest son for the last 25 years. The son has never married and has supported his parents since he became old enough to work. But even living with this son, my uncle has been pretty much alone.

He loved my grand daughters, and when the grand daughter who is in the Army was home on leave, we would go to see him. He was crazy about her and her sister. In January he sent the grand daughter, who is now in Afghanistan, a quilt that he had made and some other items to bless her with and then he got a call from her that blessed him beyond expressing.

He had called me about a month ago and was wanting to ship her some miniture bananas but could not get any of his adult children who live near him to take them to the post offiice and because I do not live in the same city, I was not available to help with little things like that for him. He was always pleasant when he called me and we always had a nice visit.

My last conversation with him was two weeks ago when he called to tell me he had to eat the bananas but his plan was to get some more when his daughter came to visit from Wyoming, because she would ship them. She is his oldest daughter, from his first marriage, who was injured in the fatal accident that killed her mother and brother. She was 15 when she lost her mom and brother and she lost her father at the same time because his grief was too much to bear. She had to be placed with elderly grand parents who did the best the could to fill the gap. And she is today, an awesome woman of God and has been for more than 30 years.

In that last conversation with my uncle, he was speaking of my grand daughter and saying that when she comes home in October, she better come see him.....and then he stopped. He said, "No, sis, I won't be here when she comes home." He told me he did not feel like it would be long now, before he left this earth. I asked him if he was ready to meet the Lord and he assured me that he was. I told him that would make it easier to let him go, to know that he was safe with the Lord.

His last words to me were, "Katherine Marie, you stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I'll be watching for you." We said our 'I love you's and ended our last conversation on this earth.

Why have I told you all of this? Because I want to encourage you never to give up on someone. God never gives up......until the tree falls and then it is over. This tree fell, prepared to meet his Savior.

NOTHING TO OFFER

Have you ever come to a place in your journey where you felt you had nothing to offer? Nothing to offer the world around your and nothing to offer the King who died for you? It seems to me, as I get older, that these places in the road come more frequently.

For the most part, ministry is happening, you are flowing in the Holy Spirit and lives are being touched as evidenced by the responses and feedback you receive.....And then...it happens.
I'm done, I'm empty, there is nothing left. What do You want of me, Lord? What would you have me do or say on this day? Who do I need to touch for You today? Where are You?

Why would this happen? You are obeying His instructions for your life. You have surrendered your gifts & talents back to Him who created and gave them. There is no unforgiveness, or sin in your life. You love Him and have no other gods and you love your neighbor......Why? I used to stress over these times when they came but I have learned to wait upon Him. I have learned, He is nearby, and this is the best thing for me now.

Did I get it when I began to recognize these bumps in the road? No! After a few times, did I get it? No! Over the years, it did finally started to make some sense to me. I can look back at the early days, and tell you that most of the time, I just ran out of what I could do on my own. And then, I would say, "Where are You, Lord?" Silence. Then I would proceed to make every effort to do what I am called to do and it felt like dragging a sack of potatoes around! "I need Your help with this, Lord. I cannot do this all by myself!" Basically, whining....still there was silence.

Then there came a day, when I am reeling off to Him, all the problems I am encountering: "I put everything I have into this for You and nobody cares. No one steps up to help or even acts like this means anything to them. I can work hours in preparation, 45 to 60 minutes its over and they just go on with their lives!"

Then comes the still, small voice...."So, this was all about you? What I have placed in you, your calling, your gifting....it's all about you." Life changing moment!

Did I get it after this encounter? No! I have found myself in this place more times than I can count. But in returning here many times, I have learned just to wait on Him. It has not always been because it was about me instead of Him and I have now learned that. I have learned to search myself, make sure that I am still walking in obedience to His Word and take care of it if I'm not.

The older Followers of Christ, have told us to keep short accounts with God. Don't let sin and frustration, unforgiveness, anger, sadness, steal what He has freely given you. Its time to stop and do some bookkeeping. Balance the accounts, so to speak.

When you know that you know everything is right between you and God.....wait. He is getting ready to do something awesome and He is giving you rest before the next journey.

"They who wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:31

OUTSIDE THE WIRE

My granddaughter is a member of our U.S. Military and is stationed in Afghanistan. Because she has left the 'safety' of U. S. soil, I have become more and more interested in what the military does, the terminologies they use, etc.

I've learned that a F.O.B. is short for Forward Operating Base, which is the main base of operation from which all missions in that geographical area are conducted. And, I've learned what a Fobbit is as well. A Fobbit is a name adapted from the "Lord of the Rings" movies in which there were characters (Hobbits) that are normally loving and peaceful, who pretty much stayed at home and raised their little families, took care of their little gardens, and lived very peaceful lives for the most part. In the movies, several such characters were very brave and stepped out of their 'normal' way of life to defeat the evil one from controlling their world and the world of others.

So the military now uses the term 'Fobbit' to describe those soldiers whose duties require them to stay 'inside the wire' of the F.O.B.. Their contribution to the war effort and the ultimate success of the mission is dependent, in part, upon those who 'stay inside the wire' and conduct the day-to-day business of managing information, training, base operations, and intelligence. These soldiers are called Fobbits.

The Fobbit's exposure is less obvious than that of the infantry, special ops, field suppliers, as these are 'outside the wire,' engaging an enemy that cannot always be seen. An enemy that buries explosive devices in the path of those who are transporting troops, or carrying supplies to the troops. An enemy that uses children to lure a soldier to help, only to find that it is a trap.

To be a Fobbit is an honorable service as well, for they are the backbone of the operation to support the troops who are out in the field. One risk for them, is that they are always in the same place which makes them a static target, on a regular basis, for mortar attacks. They are always there, do not move around, the enemy always knows where they are and takes advantage of every opportunity to fire upon the F.O.B. in hopes of killing, injuring, or destroying equipment.

As I consider this military structure, it gives me pause to see that the true church of Jesus Christ operates much in the same manner. The followers of Christ are gifted and trained by the Holy Spirit for their particular assignment in the war against the evil one. For many, that assignment involves the teaching of the Word of God, supplying the information needed for a good soldier to carry out his duties. 'Inside the wire' of the church, encouragement, healing, structure, cleansing, and training are being conducted but the goal of all remains the same....take back what the enemy has stolen.

Those soldiers who are trained and skilled at confronting the enemy on his territory, go 'outside the wire' and conduct the rules of engagement against an enemy that is already defeated but is wreaking havoc in the lives of souls this side of eternity.

Are you a 'Fobbit' and conducting warfare from 'inside the church'? Are you building the troops, building disciples of Christ that will take the war to the streets? Giving them the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit and all the armor of God, so that they will stand against an enemy that cannot be seen and who uses every tactic to destroy souls before they can know how much Jesus loves them? Giving the basic training they need to follow the orders laid out so clearly, for the soldier of Christ?

Are you the soldier that goes 'outside the wire' and engages the enemy where he is? Are you the soldier that takes it to the street, always being aware of the snares that may be hidden from you to defeat or distract you from your mission?

It is an honorable thing to be part of God's Army, a soldier of the Cross, whether you work 'inside the wire' of the church or 'outside the wire' in enemy territory.

You have an assignment. It is temporary. Make it count!