Tag Archives: Evangelism

That Friday Morning…

Sherman Oaks Elementary School

Friday morning began like any other day. Parents dropped their young children off at school. Teachers arrived for another

day of workbooks, activities, chubby pencils, and pink erasers. The seconds ticked on the clock as the school hummed with the busyness that only those in an elementary school can fully understand.

He showed up, full of anger…hell bent.

Lives lost. Futures changed. Hearts broken. Tears flowing.

A large, irreparable tear in the fabric of so many lives.

People don’t understand. They want answers to the why. Why did this happen? WHY?!!! They demand someone tell them how a young man could kill? How so many young children could be dead? How teachers are now gone? How did we get to this point?

The pain is raw and gaping. The pictures of those lost, breaks our hearts.

We are indeed, broken.

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Some would say, How can we be thankful on this day? How can we give thanks in the midst of grieving?

It is when we are thankful on the other 364 days a year, that we are more prepared for that one horrible day.

God is still good. He is still here. He has not forsaken us. He gives us things everyday to be thankful for. When we walk with Him on the good days, when we see His hand in the sunshine…it gives us the ability to trust Him in the darkness. When we don’t understand the why’s, when the pain seems unbearable, when our bodies are wracked with sobs…..

We can trust Him.

But, some will say, “Why wasn’t God there?”

To them I reply, “God was there.” He is Emmanuel-God with us.

We live in a broken world, where sin happens. Evil is real. Most days, we as a people, are able to “forget” this. Push it down. Not acknowledge it…but, it is there. Always there.

It is because of that sin…that brokenness…that Jesus came. We celebrate Christ’s birth during this season. He came into this world because we needed Him. We could not, would not, get out of this sinful mess on our own. The gap was too wide, the chasm too deep…between us and God. Sin has a horrible way of doing that. It divides. It hurts. It leaves us empty. Jesus knew this. He knew we needed Him to step into this world. To take our place. To be that bridge between us and God.

God was there on Friday.

Just like He was there, the day His own son died.

For us.

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Today I am thankful for:

* God who is here in the midst

* Jesus, who came as a baby…

* that Christ is the bridge

* for He is the One that redeems

* one day when sin will be no more

* knowing He is there, even in the darkness, when I can’t see Him

* children who make me smile

* anticipation leading up to Christmas day

* movie night with friends

* early morning emails

* rainy Mondays






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It Is Really Going To Be Something

However, as it is written:

Heaven

Heaven (Photo credit: adyyflickr)

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9  NIV

I’ve been thinking about this lately.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:3 NIV

Christ is preparing a place… for me.

I recently watched a video where one of the speakers said, “God created this Earth with all its beauty in only six days…..what must my place in Heaven look like, since He has been there preparing it for me ever since He went back?” (that was my paraphrase of the speaker’s words)

I had never really thought of it that way before…

God created each of us uniquely. None of us are exactly the same. Even though we might share some of the same likes or dislike some of the same things….only He knows what really makes us tick. He alone knows all our thoughts that we can’t put into words. It is He that knows what makes us each smile on the inside…those things that give us comfort and what leaves us awestruck. He knows how best to prepare…

It is really going to be something.

I just know it.

 

 

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At The Point Of Adjustment

You'll Be Safe Here

I don’t know many people that live their lives thriving on change. Few individuals wake up each morning saying, “I wonder how I can completely rearrange my life?” Most of us enjoy our routine. We like knowing what to expect. It is comfortable…and feels safe. It’s really not safe, but we like to believe that, don’t we?

Sometimes change comes into our lives as an uninvited guest. It is not what we were looking for, or even remotely what we wanted, but it comes all the same. It seems that most of the time, when we have life changes, we are sort of forced into the change. Growing up, graduations and new jobs, labor and childbirth (a joy to have your new baby…but, the pain to get to that point is not something any woman enjoys), job loss, death of a loved one, health issues, moving to a new area, growing old.  All changes to be sure. All take adjustment.

I read something that I had written in the margin of my Bible, the page on which Isaiah 55 is written. A thought from the Experiencing God study.

“The greatest single difficulty in following God may come at the point of adjustment.”  I don’t remember exactly when I wrote that down. Obviously, at that time I must have been going through something, and it resonated with me. It is true though. Deeply profound, really. It is easy to say that one believes in God when everything is going well for him or her. It is a smooth walk when the path is well lit and God shows me the way.

But……..

It is in the hardness of change, the uncertainty of what will happen next, that one’s truth faith really shows. Do I trust Jesus when I can’t see around the bend? Do I know He is there when the darkness threatens me? Am I running towards Him when life hurts me and I’m scared? When I’m placed in a new situation and I have no idea what I’m up against, do I trust Him no matter what? Knowing that He always has my best interest in mind?

My answer should be, yes! Sometimes the yes is said with laughter and the feeling of being blessed beyond my wildest dreams. Other times the yes, is uttered in the dark when I’m not sure which way to go, or when the tears fall because my world has to find a “new normal”.

Yes.

Always, yes.  If I love the Lord, as I claim….then my answer should always be yes.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:9 NIV

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That Is Enough

Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries

Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries (Photo credit: C. G. P. Grey)

 

The Gypsy Mama

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

Enough…

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I have enough.

Not everything…..but enough.

Less, and I would be left wanting.

More and I become complacent.

But, enough is all I really need.

God cannot love me any more than He does right now at this minute.

God will not love me any less.

He loves me enough.

His love is always enough.

He proved it….and that is enough for me.

Romans 8:37-39  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

 

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Be Jesus, With Skin On…

Chicken soup is a common classic comfort food ...

I’m still not feeling 100% back to my normal self. I really detest being sick. It gets in the way of so much! Today finds me wearing my black, yoga pants and a favorite turquoise colored T-shirt. This ensemble does nothing for me, really…..but, it is comfortable. Isn’t that what we all want when we’re not feeling our best?

Sometimes we might feel better with some chicken noodle soup, HGTV and a box of tissues for our stuffy noses. Other times it is not that easy. There are times in life when what we have to go through is hard, rough, or painful. Comfort is difficult to see, much less, feel. We find ourselves searching in vain for what can make the hurts of life, better.

And for some…the road can be rough, and the journey a test of endurance.

Too tired to see, and too exhausted to take another step…. she stops. And waits in the darkness. For someone. For anyone. To care.

Recently, I read the quote by Henry David Thoreau….”The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  Something haunts me about that line. It always has. How many people live their lives in that way?

God didn’t create us to be alone……and that is good. Sometimes we go through things in life, and at the time, those things are difficult. The problems seem to loom large and one wonders if they will ever be over with? Will there ever be a “normal” again? And then, the only thing that is really needed and wanted is someone to hold your hand. Wipe a tear. Give a hug. Be present.

Be that person for someone.

Be Jesus, with skin on.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

 

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Set Free

I wear the necklace over my heart as a reminder, the scripture reference on the back telling me that I was chosen. Wanted. Redeemed.

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Redeemed through His infinite mercy.

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Sometimes the reflection in mirrors can be disappointing. Time has a way of distorting the spirit.

The mirror I have setting on the table tells a different story. He has made everything beautiful in its time, encircles the mirror. The words are from Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Real beauty, not evaluated by the reflection in the mirror…real beauty because of Him. Jesus can take even the dirt and sin of my life…and still make me beautiful.

The transformation is real.

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Would you like to have this special mirror, too?  A mirror that reflects the real Truth?  DaySpring has been so gracious in allowing me to have a mirror to give to one of you, my readers. If you are interested, please leave a comment telling me, how knowing Jesus has made you beautiful.

DaySpring gave me these free products to review and all opinions stated are my own.

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Only A Short Time To Live

English: Canadian Horseshoe Falls with city of...

I’m currently watching a movie about a young man that found out he had terminal/stage 4 cancer. In the movie he takes off on his motorcycle, on a journey of self discovery across his homeland of Canada, seeing things through new eyes. It’s the knowing that he is dying that causes him to really live…to truly see. To appreciate.

His perspective changed.

What would I do if I was told I only had a few months left to live?  This question makes for a good movie plot, and allows for me to view some gorgeous scenery while watching this man’s trek across the country…..but, the truth is….

for all of us, it is the change of attitude that causes the change in action.

What are the things that are important to us? Are we thankful for what we have? Or do we take what we have for granted? Who do we thank for this day? This moment? This life?

Do you believe that your life is just a cosmic experiment, and therefore your life is not really important in the big scheme of things? That you are here and then you are gone? That death is final?

Or do you know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made, by God that loves you? He that knows every hair on your head? That understands your motives? That catches all your tears? That sees and knows your heart better than you know yourself?

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 NIV

It depends on your perspective…in how you choose to live your life.

None of us is promised tomorrow. Oh, we like to think we have 80 or more years on this earth. That we will die peacefully in our sleep. That we have all the time in the world to….live.

Not true.

The doctor gives the diagnosis. The other car crosses the center line. The heart stops. The brain ceases thinking. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The accident happens. Not waking up.

We are all terminal.

God tells us not to worry about tomorrow, not to live in fear, but to remember that our lives on this earth are like a vapor.

A mist. A swirling mist that is seen in the early morning, soon dissipating with the rising of the sun.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14  NIV

My life is for a purpose. I am here for a purpose…and so are you.

God chose each of us. There are no mistakes with Him. He is not caught off guard by surprises.You are no surprise.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17  NIV

That changes perspective, doesn’t it?

Although it is good, in my opinion, for each person to take stock of their life, to explore new and exciting things, to change what we need to change, to check off the wishes on the “bucket list” ….. it is equally important to be grateful for the life that we have.

This is the life we were gifted with.

I don’t need to travel the world, to see the sights, to know…

that God infuses wonder in each moment.

Whether a person lives only one hour on this earth, or lives to be one hundred years old…in the scope of eternity, it is all a short time.

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:22 NIV

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It Is A Reminder

Español: Pote de barro para guardar la miel En...

The small clay pot sits on my dresser.

I see it, most days.

It is very plain to look at. Not painted. Not intricate.

It is a reminder.

I received that simple piece of art from a man who inscribed the verse reference, Mark 14:36, into the bottom of it.

 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

My breath catches as I contemplate this.

Knowing what lay ahead… and yet, committing Himself to God‘s plan.

Abba, Father. Everything is possible for you.

He trusted in God’s plan.

He wanted God’s will done. Above all else.

Jesus words settle into my own heart…

Wretched, that is what I am. Selfish. Arrogant. Unforgiving.

My darkness is real, and it overwhelms me sometimes.

I cry out…

I want to be different…

My very nature brings me to my knees,

before my Heavenly Father.

Abba! Father!

Everything is possible for You!

Even my dark heart can be transformed

and made into something new…

in Your hands.

May Your will be done.

Amen.

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The Smallest Gift Can Become A Miracle

English: Muddy track near Sandons Farm. The so...

I read the words, the week before last.

In God’s Hands… the smallest gift can become a miracle.

Who knew a sermon could fit on the front of a bulletin?

In God‘s hands.

I’m realizing the gifts.

Even the small things.

I say even, like it’s not quite as good.

I shouldn’t do that–

because the small is where it all starts.

It is the beginning of the miracle.

The seed that gives birth to the extraordinary.

Miracles to be formed in the mundane.

To grow in the dirt of the daily.

Miracles shaped in the quiet of a human heart, or  those that are magnificent to the multitudes.

They all begin the same way…

With Him.

God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

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Prepare The Way

One of the throne-rooms of the Bavarian King, ...

“A voice of one calling
In the wilderness prepare
   the way for the LORD…”  Isaiah 40:3 NIV

Prepare the way…

The words spoken, hundreds of years before Jesus was born into the world.

The Messiah is coming!

Prepare…

And yet, that night…that busy night in Bethlehem…no one was prepared.

People everywhere…

the census had to be taken.

No place to stay for the night.

Mary gave birth on a bed of hay.

Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world on that night.

He arrived in the dirt and stench of the barnyard animals.

He came because of the dirt and stench of the people.

The multitudes of angels said, “Fear not!”,

to shepherds whose hearts nearly stopped from the scene they were

experiencing.

And the ancient words echo through time—

Prepare the way for the Lord!

Just as Mary and Joseph were in awe of the great responsibility given to them

of raising the Son of God…

Just as the shepherds bowed their heads before the manager throne

of the King…

Shouldn’t we be in awe as we are reminded that the Messiah did not remain

an infant in that humble feeding trough?

Prepare the way for the Lord!

Christ‘s birth was not the beginning, just as His death and resurrection were not the end.

He’s coming back.

And the echo of the words ring through to each of us…

Prepare the way for the Lord!

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”   John 8:58 

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