Ladies Christmas Party..postponed due to ice :(

Every year we have a large ladies Christmas event, with music, food, fellowship, sometimes games, sometimes speakers, but always a great event.
This years party was scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 8, the weekend of the ice storm. EVERYTHING was cancelled that day.
We rescheduled the party for Tuesday, Dec. 17. Of course, rescheduling is hard, so we did not have the crowd we normally do, but we did have a great time playing games and truly enjoyed singing the traditional Christmas carols.
So sad, we decorated the tables and forgot to light the candles in the centerpieces. Nothing was up to par!
We took a few pictures with props in a picture corner, and, those are the only pictures I took.

And we said, "Now make a funny face, and Pat thought, "Not on your life!"

Speaking of Gifts...

Getting out of a rut

I was thinking about Moses the other day, and his experience with God in the burning bush. I thought there are some principles to be found in that story that will probably help someone who is stuck in a rut. The Bible does not say that Moses was in a rut, but, look at the situation. Moses was the adopted son of the daughter of Pharaoh, raised as royalty, educated and groomed to possibly be the next Pharaoh, ruler of the most powerful nation of the world. He had all the worldly possessions, power, esteem that anyone could want.

And, he knew where his roots were. He was a child of Abraham, a son of the chosen people, specially chosen and loved by the creator God. He was positioned to have all of the divine influence and blessings.

He lost it all when he was 40 years old, and he killed an Egyptian slave master and had to run. He ended up in Midian, married the daughter of a Midianite shepherd, and spent the next 40 years working for his father in law as a shepherd, a bottom of the barrel kind of occupation. No power, no prestige, no esteem, no divine influence, no blessing. 

He must have had some hard times, considering all that he had, all that he lost. After 40 years of this mundane life, he might have felt disappointment and disillusionment. All of that changed with one divine, amazing, miraculous encounter. I think we can learn some principles from his story.

Exodus 3:1-3

 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned."

First principle: Stop long enough to investigate.

Moses was busy, at work, going about his business. As far as he knew, this was just another day of shepherding, another day of work. It's significant that God calls people who are busy: Gideon was threshing grain (Judg 6), Samuel was serving in the tabernacle (1 Sam 3), David was caring for sheep (17:20), Elisha was plowing (1 Kings 19:19-21), four of the apostles were managing their fishing business (Mark 1:16-20), and Matthew was collecting taxes (Matt 9:9). This was not Sunday, not a special day of any kind, not a day set aside to hear from God, but, in the midst of his day, he stopped to check out the unusual occurrence.  Although we desperately need to set aside time to be alone with God, to be still and know Him, to quite our minds and ears to hear from Him, often, he comes to us when we don’t expect.

I wonder how many things we miss just because we don’t stop to find out.

Ex 3:4-5

4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."

When God saw that he took notice of the burning bush, and turned aside to see it, and left his business to attend it, then God called to him.

Second principle:  If we want to hear from God, we have to pay attention when He speaks, even if it is not convenient or not what, where, or when we expect.

Moses reply, “Here I am.”

Such a simple response to such a magnificent experience. God called to him out of the bush. Moses seemed to fully accept this, even though it had never happened before.

Third principle: Be open even when your concepts are challenged.

I often hear Christians comment about another person’s experience, saying, that can’t be God, because God doesn’t do things like that. In the past year or so, I often wonder about that statement, because it seems to me that if people in the Bible had that attitude, we wouldn’t have much of a Bible.

I think that if this had not happened to Moses, what would happen if I came in here and said, “Hey, today I was out in my back yard doing some work and I saw a bush with fire coming out of it. I stopped to check it out, and God called out to me from the fire, Jeannette, Jeannette.”  I pretty much think you all would think I was crazy. Think of the crazy things God did, things that had never been done before.

Told Noah to build a huge boat, when it had never even rained before.

Jacobs dream of angels ascending and descending, revealing that God was with him.

Spoke to the prophet Balaam through his donkey.

Told Abraham to kill his son.

Hundreds of examples…….

Moses did not hesitate, did not question whether this was truly God or not, he just said, Here I am.

I want that to be my response.

Ex 3:5-6

5 Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Moses had to respond to God’s holiness. God called to him, but then instructed him to stop, to not come quickly or rashly, but to remove his shoes.

Fourth principle: A visitation from God requires a proper response.

When God comes to us, speaks to us, calls us by name, reveals Himself in any way, that visitation requires a response.

If God speaks to me from the word as I spend time with Him, He expects a response from me. Moses was required to acknowledge God’s holiness.

I love to read. Often, as I read the Bible or a book about God, I feel God speaking; He ignites something in my spirit based on what I am reading. Often, I struggle to stop to listen and respond. I am excited, and just want to continue reading, to hear more.

Maybe God doesn’t want to speak to me until I respond to what he has already said. I need to understand the holiness of the ground I am standing on.

When God speaks, that is a holy moment and requires a response.

Then, God reveals himself…I am the God…

We need to hear from God. We need his words. Jesus said, man lives by the word of God…the fresh speaking.

Ex 3:7-12

7 Then the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10  Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

Fifth principle: Don’t give up. God doesn’t forget our prayers.

“I have seen.” God has come to answer prayer…not Moses prayer, but the cry of the Israelites in Egypt.

Prayer is not limited in time space.  God is ready to move, ready to come to the aid of His people. He is offering Moses the assignment of a lifetime. Moses had dreamed of being the deliverer of his people, but he had blown that 40 years ago. He had resigned himself to life in the shadows, a fugitive, living as a Midianite, with no connection to his people.

God has appeared in a dramatic, unexpected way and called Moses.

But it all started when Moses took the time to investigate a strange sight. 

Ladies Retreat 2014

Cottonwood Ladies  Retreat

Feb 28-March 1, 2014

Uniquely  Designed

But by the  grace of God  I am what I am. 1 Cor 15:10

              

                     at the  McM Elegante Hotel, Abilene

 The retreat begins at 7:00pm Friday, Feb. 28, and will end by 4:00pm Sat, March 1.

 God created each of us with unique and  individual gifts, abilities, and desires. He calls us to follow Him in personal and individual ways.  In celebration of that fact,  we will have a number of speakers who are living out their own unique calling with boldness and impact.  Be encouraged and inspired by their diverse stories.

                    Retreat Cost

           Registration by                 Feb. 1               after Feb 1

    4 people in a room                  $50                     $75

    3 people in a room                  $60                     $85

    2 people in a room                  $70                     $95 

    1 person  alone                       $115                  $140

 To register, send a your name, address, phone number, with a check to 890 W Long, Stephenville, TX 76401

Praying for Anderson Cooper

January 12, 2010, a giant earthquake devastated Haiti. Because our daughter, Libby, had just returned from spending 2 weeks in Haiti on a medical mession trip, we were sensitive to news from Haiti. When I heard a quick news alert concerning the earthquake, I began to search for TV news coverage. The only channel that seemed to be aware of the event was CNN, which began coverage immediately. CNN quickly sent a news crew to Haiti. We watched the coverage for days, and were very touched by the care, the sympathy, even the actions of the CNN crew.

Anderson Cooper was the anchor for the crew. He showed tremendous concern for the people there, a genuine compassion, even helped with the rescue efforts.

Soledad Obrien went to several orphanages, held the children, spoke to the care givers who were stranded with no food or supplies to care for the children, and she worked to make connections to get provisions to them.

Gary Tuchman covered much of the search and rescue efforts. Since he speaks French, he was able to serve as a translator for foreign rescue teams who could not communicate with the Haitian people they were trying to aid, taking time from his news coverage to stay with groups during the rescue efforts.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta was in Haiti as the medical correspondent, but, due to the severe shortage of doctors, he began to do surgery in the primitive, temporary medical tents that were set up.

Eventually, other networks sent crews in and began continual coverage, but no other crew seemed to show the same compassion that the CNN crew had shown.  I knew nothing about their personal beliefs, but there was no indication that any of them were Christians.  I was touched by the genuine humanity of that group of people and began to pray for them, for their salvation, that God would have mercy upon them and draw them to Himself. I especially felt drawn to pray for Soledad Obrien and Anderson Cooper.

In August of 2011, I attended the Willowcreek International Leadership Conference (actually we attended the satellite viewing in Waco). The final speaker of the conference was Erwin McManus. He recounted a story of attending a conference for Hispanic leaders in Washington DC, where he met Solidad Obrien. When she found out that he was there as a leader in the area of Christian ministry, she began to ask him questions. That evening, she told McManus that she wanted to know how to come become a Christian, and she was ready to give her life to Jesus right then.  (I don't remember the exact words, but that is the essence of what he shared.)  I was excited, thrilled, exultant! I had prayed for her, believing that God would work, not really expecting to ever hear the outcome. How sweet that God allowed me to hear the story.

I continued to pray for Gary, Sonjay, and Anderson, but, as time had gone by, I have lost the zeal.
Then, a few weeks ago, in the context of a Sunday School lesson about Jonah, and God's unexpected mercy, I spoke a little about people who come to Christ who seem to be the last one you ever expect, and one example I used was Brian Welch from the very anti-everything-about-God hard rock band, who came to Christ in 2005.

Doesn't look like a good prospect for the gospel, does he?

My friend Karen said that in the 1990's, when she worked with youth, she saw a picture of Brian Welch, and she and the youth began to pray for his salvation.  

That story renewed by desire to pray. When I am disturbed by the actions or words of a celebrity, I will pray. When I am touched by the caring and compassion of someone I see on TV, someone whose belief system is humanism, I will pray for them. 

And, I am praying for Anderson Cooper with new faith and new zeal. 

God is REALLY emotional

During a recent study of the book of Hosea, I was impressed with just how deeply emotional God is.
The book begins with the shocking command from God to his prophet Hosea, telling him to go and marry a prostitute. Hosea obeyed, marrying a prostitute named Gomer. The next chapters tell the saga of Hosea's love for his continually unfaithful wife. Gomer leaves their family and lives with other men, until, eventually she ends up being sold as a slave. Hosea buys her and brings her home. His demand? That she stay with him and be faithful. And he promises to continue to be faithful to her. Pretty amazing story.

God is clear that this story is to illustrate His love for Israel, and His continual faithfulness to them even as they pursue idols. The story of Hosea reveals God’s heart that breaks over His people who turn away from Him. Chapter 11 is a snapshot that summarizes the whole book.

See how tender God is toward His people.

Hos 11:1-4

  When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

The more they were called, the more they went away;  they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

But, because of their sin, God is planning judgment against them

Hos 11:6-7

The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High,

he shall not raise them up at all.

But, still, He hesitates to bring judgment because of His love. 

Hos 11:8-9

How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?

... My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger;

I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. 

God’s love is so strong.  Like a man in love, loving an unfaithful woman blindly, or like a parent who cannot stop loving his child. God does not want to turn away from Israel.

 God does not want to bring judgment against His people. He wants them to return to Him. He delays judgment so that that will. He gives them chance after chance. God's love is deep and tender. 

Some time ago theologians formulated the doctrine of God’s impassibility. They argued that God was “without passions.” Their motive was to distinguish God from the mood swings and more erratic and unstable aspects of human emotions. Unfortunately, many Christians came to believe that God doesn’t have emotions.
It’s critical that we know the heart of God. He genuinely loves and cares about us. If we believe he has no emotions, then we will never feel his love for us, nor will we experience deep love for him.

An abundance of biblical passages show that God experiences a broad range of emotions. These are just a few. 

 Eph 4:30

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

Deut 1:37

Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there. 

Judg 2:18

For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 

1 Kings 3:10

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this

Zeph 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst,  a mighty one who will save;  he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Gen 6:6

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 

The one thing that is the overriding factor in all His emotions is His love. He love us. That love is the foundation of the way He relates to us. 

Jer 31:3

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

God does have emotions. He created us in his image, with the same emotions that he has. His are stable, dependable, not fickle, not out of balance. God's love is not a theological, vague, objective kind of love. His love is deep, tender, sweet, heart-felt. Yes, His love is stable unchanging, not fickle, but that does not make it cold and detached. We are safe and secure in His love. We don't have to wonder if He still loves us, because His love is eternal, and unconditional. AND, we are warmed and happy in His love, because His love is tender and personal. 

Snow Day

We have 2 or 3 inches of ice on the ground, so everything is cancelled.
My plans for the day included a visit in Brownwood, which I wouldn't dare try to make. This evening, we had planned to take the younger grandchildren, and anyone else who wanted to go, to Grapevine. We had planned to do this ever since I heard about it last Christmas, and a few weeks ago, made definite plans for Dec. 6, to experience the "North Pole Express" train ride, complete with hot chocolate, Christmas Carols, and a visit with Santa Claus. It looks like a lot of fun. Cancelled.
As a school child, there was nothing better than a "snow day", an unexpected day at home, which always involved some kind of outing! As a mom of school children, it was exciting to have an extra day at home, with snow on the ground, which usually melted by 10:00am, making hot chocolate and maybe baking cookies.
For the eight years that I worked for the state, a snow day was the best. An extra day off that did not have to be made up, and didn't use up a vacation day. State offices closed when the schools in the area were closed, so my girls and I would anxiously watch the closures to see if we would stay home together.

There is still something special about a cold, snowy or icy day, when usual activities have to stop, an enforced day at home. Even though with my job now I do things that I really, genuinely want to do, cancelling everything to stay at home is good.
This morning, I had extra time to pray at a leisurely pace. Soooo enjoyable and refreshing. (I can do that anytime, I just don't always take the extra time.)

I put turnip greens in the crop pot to cook for supper. When I was a child, turnip greens was one of my favorite dishes. A few times a year, I would go with my mom to a friends house to pick greens. I called the man who grew the greens "Rabbit". There was an old well hole in his yard, and I thought that was why his name was Rabbit, but it may not have even been his name. Maybe I just called him that because he had a hole in his yard and he grew vegetables! Anyway, when we got home, Mom would wash the greens and start cooking them. As soon as they were tender, she would dish a plate out for me, cause I couldn't wait to eat them. Sweet memories. Even as an adult, when my mom made a special dinner for me, it would include turnip greens and corn bread.

After getting supper started, I sat down to do some research. This week, my Doctor called me in to discuss my recent blood work. Surprise! My cholesterol is high, my triglycerides are high, my vitamin D is VERY low, and something about insulin being low. My doctor said she knew I didn't want to take meds, and I can try to get it down through diet. Problem is, I am not overweight, and I really eat a healthy diet. I bought the supplements suggested; vitamin D3, Omega oil, red yeast rice; and I started eating oatmeal.

Today, I sat down to research essential oil use for cholesterol treatment. We have been using oils the last few months, and have had good results. Les starting using a product from Doterra oils, a blend called Onguard that helps fight disease. He put it on his sinuses, along with Oregano oil to stop a sinus infection he felt coming on. It stopped the infection from develping. A bonus, is that is has stopped his heavy drainage and allergies! No more coughing, harking, and sputtering every morning. Pretty amazing. I have seen benefits from Tea Tree oil on little sores and scrapes. I have had a sore in front of my ear for years. It bleeds a bit for a while, then it scabs over, heals, becomes a little bump...then it will start bleeding and oozing again. It has cycled like that for years. I began putting tea tree oil on it and it completely healed within a week. We are super excited about the oils.
So, today, I  discovered what oils are good for cholesterol, and ordered some. I have to have blood work again in June, so we will see if the oils work.

I baked some cookies, always a good activity for a snow day. We went out and ran a little errand. Nothing is melting. The high temp today at our house was 27, and it is down to 25 now. Looks like tomorrow may be another "snow day."

A Few of My Favorite Hymns

This morning, a facebook friend mentioned an old hymn that was playing in her mind, which happened to have been one  of my favorites. That got me to thinking about my old faves. 

The one my friend mentioned was Count Your Many Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

I remember singing that song in my church, thinking about the blessings in my life. 

I like the way the chorus ends the final time you sing it... And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

I do not sing extremely well, but I do sing with a lot of gusto, a lot of feeling, and usually, a lot of volume. I liked songs that were pretty peppy.

Another favorite was

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
I especially loved this chorus....
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Gosh, I can just see myself, mouth WIDE open, singing as loud as I could. I wonder if the people around me covered their ears with their hands?
My Mom loved hymns. Her favorites were Amazing Grace and The Old Rugged Cross. Wonderful songs, but not as lively as my taste ran!
Another favorite

"Faith is is the victory!
Faith is is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.

My VERY favorite hymn when I was growing up was He Lives.  

I serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.

When I was older, I would sing it alone in my car, building up to the final chorus

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.

   (And, the final crescendo...ready?...)

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart.

That chorus still makes me smile and gets my heart beating! 

A What are some of your favorite hymns you grew  up singing? 

A Few of My Favorite Things

I have heard that song (or portions of it) several times the last two days. It got me to thinking about what are my favorite things. I decided to sit down and just randomly jot them down.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" are not on my list.
"These are a few of MY favorite things"

playing with the younger grandchildren
shopping with my young teen grand daughters
sleeping under my down comforter
watching my oldest grandson lead worship with a praise team
praying with my prayer group
looking at the view out of my master bedroom wall of windows
hearing new revelation from God's word shared by anyone
sharing the gospel with someone who needs to know that God loves them
sitting on the front porch with my husband
teaching the Bible in any sitting
floating on a lake
floating on a lake surrounded by my grandchildren
floating on a lake while visiting with my daughters
floating on a lake while visiting with friends
singing worship songs with God's people
praising Jesus at the top of my lungs alone in my car
getting lost while hiking with friends


So..."when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad."
What are your personal favorite things?

God is able

                                                                                                                                                                 Thursday night was our final meeting of Celebrate Recovery. The last few month we have seen a decline in numbers to the point that we have felt that the time has come to end this ministry. As we came together for our final meeting, I was encouraged to remember that God will continue to work in all of our lives.      

Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

THE MESSAGE     God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Amplified;   Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—

God is able. Paul said that our God is able to do superabundantly all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us. God is able. What does it mean to be able? He has the capability to do a work in us. He has the tools, the power, the wisdom, the knowledge…He has everything that it takes. Our part is to believe, to believe in a God who is truly able. 

God is able to do a work that is exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. He is able to do even more than we have the nerve to ask. He is able to do even more than we can imagine, and He is at work within us.

 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day   of Christ Jesus.Phil 1:6

God is at work in us. God will complete the work that he has begun in each of us. He does not plan to do a partial work in us. He does not give up. God never says, “You know what, this is harder than I thought it would be. I did not know she was going to be this stubborn. This is just too hard, I give up.” NO. We do that. God does not.

God never says, "Well, he was making such good progress that I thought I could complete the work, but now he turned around and went the other direction, too bad. He was doing so well."

 NO. He will never give up. He has the power, the ability, and the determination to do His great work in us.

What is the work that He is doing?

Rom 8:28-29

 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,

We are being transformed into the image of Christ. Think for a minute; what will it look like to be transformed into the image of Christ? I think John nailed it when he said we don’t know exactly what that will look like. He said “we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him.”  1John 3:2

We are being transformed, changed, to look like Jesus. That is a big change, and we cannot fully grasp what it will look like. Imagine the you you are, the you you were born to be, but whole, free; without fear, anger, hurt, worry, depression, bitterness, moodiness, addictions, lust, temper.  All the bad, yucky stuff removed, just the you you were meant to be before wounds came. Before anger and bitterness marred you. Without habits and sins to trip you up…not damaged by pride and ego…

That is what God has planned for you.

A few weeks ago, we looked at the dilemma that Paul described in Romans 7…I know what to do, but I can’t. I do the things that I don’t want to do, and I can’t seem to do the things that I want to do.

Finally ends with, " Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Rom 7:24). 

At this point, he sounds hopeless, like there is no way out, no hope for victory, just continual defeat. But, in the next breath, he says, " Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7: 25)

What a hallelujah rises in my spirit when I read that. I am so glad that Paul reached that conclusion at this point.

God does not leave us to struggle on our own. He swoops in to do a magnificent work in our lives. Our job is to believe Him, listen to Him, hear Him, be with Him, follow Him. 

11-12-13

Today is 11-12-13. When I saw the date this morning, I thought, I should do something special today. Then I remembered saying  something similar last year on 10-11-12, and I wished I had planned a party on 12-12-12.  I think I had some similar thought the whole decade. Let's see, next year, there will be a 12-13-14. (maybe I will have a Christmas party that day), but then, there will not be consecutive dates until 2103. So, this morning, I decided I wanted to make this day special. 
Last month, I read The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson, which was a wonderfully challenging book about prayer. I then started the accomponying prayer challenge, and l love it.
 I am part of a small prayer group that meets weekly, and we had decided to read the book, watch the DVD's, and start using Draw the Circle, the 40 Day Prayer Challenge.
It occurred to me this morning that TODAY would be a great day to start. Everyone agreed, so, today, on 11-12-13, we are starting this 40 day prayer challenge.  I already have read through Day 31, so I already know it is going to be awesome and I am so excited to it start again, this time, along with my prayer support sisters.  
I think this will be a momentous day that will change my life!  Watch for future exciting posts in which I will share how God is working and answering prayer in our lives!!!  
  (if I was writing on my phone I would have added cute emoticons) 

When it's time to quit praying

I believe that sometimes when we pray, God is trying to tell us, "Quit praying and go do what I have already told you to do."

We pray for justice, but often turn our face away from the evil we know is there.

We pray for salvation for the world, but often don't go across the street to share the love of Christ with neighbors.

We pray for supply for missionaries, but maybe don't want to sacrifice to support them.

We pray for the poor, the orphan, the hungry, but may not want to put our money where our mouth is.

Peter Marshall, (not the actor, but a well respected Scots-American preacher, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC and twice appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate.) spoke often concerning this. I appreciate his words, quoted below.

"I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels, until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it...began reading again?...
There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand. But our problems are not centered around the things we don't understand, but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly misunderstand.
This, after all, is but an illustration of the fact that our problem is not so much that we don't know what we should do.
We know perfectly well...but we don't want to do it."

Bible study that doesn't lead to action is mere academic exercise, not hearing God.
Prayer that doesn't lead to action isn't true prayer; it's self-talk. When we truly open our hearts and minds to speak to God, He will speak to us. He will encourage, comfort, command, provoke, excite us to action.

Mark Batterson puts this so well in Draw the Circle, The 40 Day Prayer Challenge.
"When everything is said and done, God won't say, "Well said, good and faithful servant." He won't say, "Well thought," "well planned," or even "well prayed." There is only one commendation He will give: "Well done, good and faithful servant." 

Unexpected Mercy and Unexpected Methods.

I am currently teaching a Sunday School class on the minor prophets. It has been an exciting study for me, because I have never done an indepth study on these books. I am presenting them in chronological order, so that we can get the words of the prophet in the historical context. 

Last weeks prophet was Jonah, the ONE minor prophet we all know, so I didn't want to just go through the story again, but prayed for some new insights. What I saw was Unexpected Mercy and Unexpected Methods. 

We know the story of Jonah very well.

God called Jonah, told him to go to Ninevah to preach judgment and repentance.

Jonah headed out in the other direction, to Tarshish.

God caused a huge storm, Jonah had to be thrown overboard to stop it.

God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, where Jonah had to rethink his plan.

Jonah repented, the fish spit him out, he headed to Ninevah.

Jonah preached about God’s judgment that was coming, Ninevah repented, God relented, Jonah got mad.

That’s the basic story that we all know, so let's move on.

God shows unexpected mercy.

Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."

Jonah's wrong attitude was due to God’s unexpected command.

God commanded the prophet to go to Israel's enemy, Assyria, and give the city of Nineveh opportunity to repent.  Jonah would much rather see the city destroyed. The Assyrians were a cruel people who had often abused Israel.  Jonah forgot that the will of God is the expression of the love of God (Ps 33:11), and that God called him to Nineveh because He loved both Jonah and the Ninevites.

Jonah expected that God would give him words to speak that were full of mercy for Israel. Jonah did not expect God to show mercy to Ninevah.

Ninevah was the capital city for Assyria. Assyria was the new superpower on the world scene. Up to this time, Egypt was the dominant world power. The Egyptians were a peace-loving people and had left other countries alone, except when a new power threatened their station.

The Assyrians were strong, cruel, and bloodthirsty. Assyrias policy was to use terror and propaganda to soften up any opposition and to deploy its irresistible military might against all who offered even the slightest resistance. Those who resisted were tortured to death in hideous ways. Conquered people were forcibly uprooted and deported.

Jonah was aware of this, and surely he thought that God hated the Assyrians as much as he did. They were a constant threat to God’s people, and should be destroyed without warning.

God shows unexpected mercy.  What are the words that God uses to describe Himself?

Exodus 34:5-6

5 The Lord  descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Those are the words that God used to describe himself...merciful and gracious. 

There are two Hebrew words that are often translated mercy:

"racham"  "to have compassion, be merciful, pity." "bowels; womb; mercy." The first use of rechem is in its primary meaning of "womb": " The greatest frequency is in this figurative sense of "tender love," such as a mother has for the child she has borne.

  Racham is the Hebrew word used in these verses. 

Ps 103:13-14  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Isa 49:15-16

15  "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

The other word used for mercy or compassion:

checed--"loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion." The term is one of the most important in the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics.

The Septuagint nearly always renders checed with

In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: "strength," "steadfastness," and "love." Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. "Love" by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet "strength" or "steadfastness" suggests only the fulfillment of a legal or other obligation.

 It is one of His most central characteristics. God's loving-kindness is offered to His people, who need redemption from sin, enemies, and troubles. 

These verses use the word checed

Ps 23:6

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord  forever. 

Neh 9:17-18

17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

Ps 36:5-9

5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;  your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.  7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life;  in your light do we see light.

Lam 3:22-23

22  The steadfast love (checed)  of the Lord never ceases;   his mercies (racham)  never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.  

So, God is merciful and gracious. We are pretty aware of that, but we sometimes forget how he extends mercy to those who least "deserve" it.  

Jesus always showed unexpected mercy. The Pharisees hated that. They were righteous and thought that the unrighteous sinners should be punished.

They often complained that Jesus hung out with sinners.  They were shocked when he showed mercy to a woman actually caught committing adultery (John 8:3-11). 

Unexpected Mercy

God is showing great mercy on many muslim people. I have read and heard of many muslims who have seen Jesus in a dream or a vision, and have turned to Christ because of that. Here are a few examples I found. 

“Iran today is a closed land with countless open hearts,” said Yeghnazar. “It is the most open nation to the Gospel in the entire world. Tens of thousands of Iranians are turning to Christ.”

“Betrayed by the government, disillusioned with the religion, depressed by the prospects of the future, Iranians when they come to know the Lord Jesus Christ are completely transformed,” he said. “They proclaim Christ in the marketplace. Entire families, men and women, are coming to Christ.”

Two weeks ago, two of Yeghnazar’s people were imprisoned and within a week they brought six people to Christ, he shared.

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Several years ago, Ali took the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca known as Hajj.

"Of course when I went to Mecca I was going there in order to pay hommage to the Kabba and to fulfill the requirements in Islam," he recalled.

But the trip became more of a spiritual journey than he could ever imagine.

"That night I saw Jesus in a dream. First, Jesus touched my forehead with his finger. And after touching me, He said, 'You belong to me,'" Ali recalled.

"And then He touched me above my heart," he continued. "'You have been saved, follow me. You belong to me,' he said."

Ali's story in Mecca was told and dramatized in a DVD called "More Than Dreams."

"I decided I'm not going to finish the Hajj, the pilgrimage. Whatever it takes, I'm going to follow that voice," he explained.

The film documents and dramatizes Ali's story and several other Muslims who came to faith in Jesus through a dream or vision.

"We're seeing that all around. We're hearing about people that have never even thought about Jesus as savior," Tom Doyle, with e3 Ministries, said. "They're content Muslims and they're having dreams over and over."

Doyle and his wife Joanna take the gospel to the Muslim world. He's also the author of the upcoming book, Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?

"I think our God is a fair God, that He's righteous and just, and people are seeking and they don't know where to go," Doyle said.

"Maybe they don't have a Bible, maybe there's no missionary in the village," he said. "He'll get the message to them somehow."

The phenomenon of dreams and visions has surfaced throughout the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Morocco.

"In the church if you ask how

 people came to Christ, 80 percent will say, 'I saw Him in a dream,'" one woman in central Asia told CBN News. Her identity is being protected for security reasons.

A Christian friend challenged her to ask God to speak to her personally.

"So I decided to ask Him," she said. "The next day ... in my dream I saw Jesus ... I decided to come to Him." 

Hazem Farraj hosts "Reflections," a satellite program for Muslims. He said he often gets feedback about dreams and visions. 

"I had one lady write me ... she said, 'I turned on the television and there you were ... the words that were coming out of your mouth were so peaceful I fell asleep,'" Farraj recalled.

"She said, 'When I fell asleep I ended up having a vision of Jesus and I saw the Lord,'" he continued. "She said, 'As soon as I looked over I knew that Christ was the sacrifice, the son of the God."

Doyle said the dream or vision is usually the start, not the end, of a Muslim's conversion.

"Nobody goes to sleep a Muslim and wakes up a Christian, but it knocks down the false barriers that are inherent in Islam," Doyle explained.

The Doyles said beneath the current revolution in the Middle East, there's a spiritual earthquake.

"As things heat up politically and spiritually within Islam, man, the Holy Spirit is moving even more powerfully," Joanna said.

"This is the time when hearts are open, people are desperate, governments are changing," her husband added. "Everybody's foundation has massive cracks in it and Jesus is the answer that can come in and fill that need."

Many veteran missionaries to the Muslim world say dreams and visions, along with satellite television, are introducing Muslims to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.

They add that more Muslims are coming to Jesus than at any other time in the 1,400-year history of Islam.

The Doyles want believers in the West to join this spiritual revolution.

"Not everybody is going to go the Middle East. But they can pray," Doyle said.

"And no government, no leader can block intercession around the world," he said. "So we need to pray as believers that God would continue to push the gospel out to the ends of the earth."

As many christains in Amercia see muslims of the middle east as enemies, as dangerous, a people to hate, God is having unexpected mercy, going to extreme lengths to touch their hearts.

God also had unexpected Mercy on individuals. Here are a couple of examples. 

I recently heard that Jane Fonda had come to Christ. I searched and read her testimony. Here is a small snipet from one blog.

"I am frequently asked about my faith. At the end of my marriage to Ted Turner I became a Christian. For several years prior, I had begun to feel I was being lead. I felt a presence, a reverence humming within me. It was and is difficult to articulate.

Today I think I know what was happening: I was becoming embodied, whole. I had spent 60 years dis-embodied, trying to be perfect so I could be loved."  

Her wording was not very theological, but she expressed a sincere faith in Jesus. Jesus just pulled at her heart until she surrendered to him. 

Brian Welch of Korn

Since 1994, Korn has been a driving force in the rap-metal genre as they fused hip-hop beats with heavy guitar riffs. Their lyrics, mostly based off of the tramatic childhood experiences of frontman Jonathon Davis, are dark, sexually explicit, and disturbing. Condemned by the Chicago Tribune as being “perverts, psychopaths, and paranoiacs”.

Brian Welch was BAD, and a bad influence on young people. 

"[One night I prayed] 'Lord, if You're real … please take these drugs from me. Make them go away. Reveal Yourself to me and all that.' I think in a week or two, I got the urge to throw away all the drugs with the help of a friend. I was done."

"All I know is that I was chasing all that stuff (fame, sex, drugs) and it left me empty. And I was a complete empty shell – just totally like nothing inside. I had everything. I had the money; there were girls everywhere, all the drugs – pills, doctors' prescriptions, illegal drugs, everything. And it was just empty, so empty. And as soon as I went to church, I felt the love from Jesus. That's when I was fully satisfied. And I was totally done with everything in the world because I was satisfied inside, and I got filled up."

There are many many instances of God showing up in miraculous ways to draw people to him, maybe people we would be hesitant to try to share faith with. 

Unexpected Methods

God prepared a large fish to swallow Jonah, save his life, give him time to think, pretty  unexpected.  I sometimes hear a Christian say, “That could not be God, because God doesn’t work like that.”  I often wonder how they can say that. I believe that if Moses followed that reasoning, he would have never stopped to listen to a burning bush.  Just because God has never done something before does not mean that He will not or cannot. Think about it.

Told Noah to build an ark

Abraham to sacrifice his son

Spoke to Balaam through a donkey, a talking donkey

Told Joshua to march around Jericho for 7 days, then blow trumpets

Gideon's story

Birth of Jesus; God, as a newborn baby, born in a stable.

Jesus put mud on a blind man’s eyes

Saul’s conversion

Peter’s vision of the sheet with all kinds of critters, and God telling him to eat them

Conelius household having the Holy Spirit poured out before they took any steps of conversion...

Basically, if the people in the Bible used our philosphy, nothing would have ever happened, because God was always doing somehting He had never done before! 

Isa 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Rom 11:33-35

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?"

35 "Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?"

John 3:8

8  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

I am ready to be surprised. I hope that my expectations in no way limit what God will do. 

Whose Voice Will I Listen To?

Whose Voice Will I Listen To?

When Jesus was baptized, God spoke to Him.
Matt 3:16-17
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

God spoke precious words that affirmed Jesus identity, that secured His relationship with the Father. God said, You are my son, and I am pleased with you. You are my dear son. I love you, and also, I really like the man you are. I am pleased.
What wonderful words to hear from the Father.

Matt 4:1-4

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 

God spoke to Jesus, assuring Him of His identity. 

Then, the Holy Spirit then led Him into a battle. Jesus was equipped for the battle by the word that God had spoken to Him. 

When Satan came against Him, what was the first temptation? 

No, not to turn rocks into bread. 

The first temptation was for Jesus to question who He was. 

Satan said, "If you are the son of God." 

That was Satan's first temptation. God had just spoken to Jesus. Satan came to cause Him to question His identity, and to question the very word of God. 

Look at Jesus answer, 

Matt 4:4

"'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Was Jesus referring, not just to the word of God revealed in Scripture, but to the very specific word that God had JUST spoken to Him? 

When God speaks to us, He empowers us. His words bring grace, bring truth, and bring power. 

Satan comes against the words that God speaks. He comes against the promises that God gives us. Satans' primary weapon is to cause doubt. Remember the first words that we heard from Satan, in Genesis?  "Did God actually say?"  

Even when tempting Jesus, Satan used the same technique.

God spoke, "THIS is my beloved son". 

Satan spoke, "If you are the son of God". 

Jesus chose to live by the word that God had spoken. 

My choice today is this: Will I live by the word that God has spoken to me? or, will I live by the doubt that Satan brings? 

What will I take into my heart? What will I give heed to? What will I listen to? 

Will I listen to the speaking of God, or the doubts spoken by Satan?  

If I take the words that God speaks, hold them, meditate on them, obey them, treasure them, BELIEVE them, then I walk in confidence, security, and power. 

If I listen to the words of Satan, meditate on them, believe them, then I will walk in doubt and defeat. 

I realize that the choice is mine. I will refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy that will cause be to doubt the empowering and grace giving word of God. 

I will treasure every word that God has spoken to me, every promise that He has made, and live in grace, power, and victory!

AMEN

Prayer Posters

I'm reading a new book about prayer, The circle Maker, by Mark Batterson. I have really enjoyed this book, been inspired, encouraged and motivated to raise my level of prayer earnestly. You'll be seeing more about that.
Today, I just want to share one little tid-bit, directly quoted from the book because I loooove this idea, and have to pass,it on for any readers with young children.

       "A few years ago, our friends Dennis and Donna, who pastor a neighboring church on Capital Hill, told us about something God had impressed upon them to do for their children. They identified words that were descriptive and prescriptive of their kids; then they had them framed to hang on the walls of their rooms. They often wondered whether those words meant anything, but their oldest daughter, who is now grown up and out of the house, recently told them that on some nights when she couldn't fall asleep, she would look at those words on the wall, and they would speak to her.  Those framed words started to frame her. She started to see herself in light of her God-ordained destiny.
      Lora and I loved the idea, so we adapted it for our daughter, Summer. Prior to Summer's most recent birthday, Lora recruited two of Summer's aunts to come up with a list of prophetic words to speak into Summer's life.  Each of them took three words and talked about them over a special birthday dinner. Then we had a graphic designer turn those nine words into a poster. Each word is in a different font, and these different fonts represent nine different dimensions of her destiny. That poster hangs in Summer's room as a reminder of her true identity in Christ...
These nine words define the character we see in Summer.  These nine words are nine prophecies that we will pray around Summer for the rest of our lives."

From The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson.

Let's Be NICE

A couple of days ago, a facebook friend posted a link to blog post writen by a christian minister who wrote a very thoughtful piece concerning the matter in which christians minister in his town spoke about Joel Osteen when he was leading an evangelistic meeting in their town. The ministers refused to support the meeting, and were openly highly critical of Osteen. The writer simply pointed out that, regardless of what they thought about him, thousands of people have come to Christ through his ministry. The writer went on to point out that as Christians, we should love and support one another.

I realized that I have received criticism of Osteen, and passed it on, without really hearing what the man has said. I do know that the last years of my parents life, listening to Osteens sermons brought them great encouragement.

My point here really has little to do with Joel Osteen. I am wondering how much damage we Christians do when we publicly criticize each other. I agree that we need to be careful to protect the truth. What I object to is the way Christians attack other Christians, often viciously, mean spirited, with no grace or mercy. Just to check that, I "googled" a number of leading ministers, and found that on the first page of the results, most of them had an attack come up, every time, written by another christian minister. These were often vicious, using phrases like "false Gospel" "unchristian heretical fad", "unbiblical sloth" "occultic", "the devils religion". 

These are names I found under attack: Mark Batterson, Francis Chan, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Mark Driscoll, Erwin McManus, Joel Olsteen, Joyce Meyer, John Piper, Joseph Prince, Robert Morris, and Beth Moore. Few christian leaders are untouched by public criticism. 

I am just tired of hearing hateful, demeaning language coming from the mouth of Christians, used to attack other Christians. 

Can we be nice? I know that we don't all agree about some important teachings of the Bible. There are so many ways to interpret scripture, and we all believe we are right. Of course we do, we wouldn't believe something we thought was wrong! I have been a Christian for many years. Some of my most strongly held beliefs have changed. Of course, there are some things that I KNOW are true, but so many doctrines are open to debate and can be seen from different angles. 

Mostly, I just would like to see Christians write about, and speak to, other Christians with respect, considering that we are brothers who love the Lord, are trying to follow Him in truth to the best of our understanding.