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Todays MOPS email (Mothers of Preschoolers) was great reading.
“It’s Not Up To US:
Are you working hard and doing your best to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life today? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Who wouldn’t want such qualities in her life? But – whew! – they seem so beyond our grasp. Why? Perhaps because we think it’s all up to us to produce.
Monday’s “Slice of Infinity” was beautiful.Betsy Childs with RZIM wrote “Canyons of the Spirit” and I’m excerping a bit because it was so delicious. Note to self… reread this Monica… let it live in you.
There is more than one way for a canyon to be formed. They can be carved quickly by the rapid erosion of a rushing river or a melting glacier. Or, they can take years to form, hewn by the steady trickle of a stream running through limestone.
I believe that the formation of a canyon bears some resemblance to our spiritual formation. The Living Water coursing through our lives leaves its mark. Many people are changed rapidly and dramatically by watershed encounters with the Holy Spirit, either at conversion or at some point of spiritual renewal…
Just as the deepest canyon can be cut by a steady stream, so the Holy Spirit has left his mark on my life. Although I have no dramatic flood stories, I have changed slowly and steadily through the years since He first found me. Some of the prayers that I have prayed for years have been answered, not all at once with a crash, but with increasing volume like the rise of a beautiful song. He has not removed any of my fears instantaneously, but He is gently coaxing them from me one by one, like a mother lovingly taking away a child’s toys as she rocks him to sleep. Although I may not have come to my senses in one moment like the Prodigal Son, the Holy Spirit daily convicts me of new sins and grants me the repentance to turn from them over and over.
I have watched other believers slowly change and mature as the Spirit reworks the landscapes of their hearts. I have seen some put aside idols and learn to cherish the things of God. I have seen others who once lashed out in anger learn to hold their tongues and forgive. I have seen souls that were once bitter or defensive become humble and teachable, all by the patient artistry of God.
No one can encounter power of Living Water and come away unscathed. Sometimes, the most dramatic canyons take a lifetime to carve.
++please continue to remap me Lord with Your Living Water. clear away the obstructions that hinder the rushing of Your life over my spirit. flow and flood the landscape of my heart. saturate me.++
This is a beautiful quote. God has been calling me to a deeper level in prayer, and this thought is so fragrant and rich.
“Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, and the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, the growth of our growing. Prayer in it’s magnitude is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom. Illimitable in it’s breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths and infinite in extension.” Homer W. Hodge
Condensation of My blessings on the walls of your heart,
cascading down into pools
of translucent love,
beginning and ending with Me.
Flowing
beyond listening
sensing beyond knowledge
reverberations in harmony to One (sound?).
I have a few thougts that I have recieved from the Spirit over the last while. I have found a path into His spacious place for me, and when my mind is clear from clutter, I can hear clearly His Spirit speak.
Innumerable desires
filing into thoughts traveling
through realities of My love and devotion for you.
Surrounding, floating on the wind
is My Spirit, in your heart,
delighting in your thoughts,
rustling through feelings
combining emotions into internal soliloquies.
The Preacher’s Story in 4 Parts in part 4 he writes: “People who doubt can have great faith because faith is something you do, not something you think. In fact, the greater your doubt the more heroic your faith.”
I think there are a lot of nooks and cranny’s in this blog that are beckoning me…
My Virtual Faith This was something I stumbled upon… wonderful message and description… especially James 1:12 at the end…
Are You A Pencil?
Contributed by: Mr. Nath
I have probably said this before but I just love analogies. Sometimes they can be limited when referring to God as nothing on earth can accurately and fully relate back to everything that our heavenly Father is. Sometimes though, a simple story can spark a cord or set off a light bulb with someone and then suddenly our God will make sense to them. I feel this story is one of those analogies, I couldn’t help but remembering the times I felt like that pencil and I am sure we all can remember times as well. I really wish at those times I had known about our Lord, as I resembled how that pencil felt the most during my school years.
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. “There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
#1 — You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.#2 — You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.
#3 — You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
#4 — The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.
#5 — On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition you must continue to write.
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in his heart.
But now the pencil lay on the dark wood table, feeling insignificant and rather sad. Beside him on the desk was a colorful tin can, filled with every kind of beautiful pen to be had. There were silver fountain pens and a neon felt tip marker. There was also a classy ballpoint whom everyone called Parker.
“What a loser,” they said of the pencil, as they observed his wooden frame. “Don’t bother with him, he’s a nobody,” said Parker, “He doesn’t even have a name.”
Now the world was at war and their owner was a Soldier who was tasked to bring peace to the land.
“What we need is a map,” the Soldier had said, at the desk across from his Officer the other night. “If someone can fly me over the city unseen, I can draw a map from the sky. The map will tell you where to go and how to win, and soon we’ll put an end to this fight.”
The Officer had agreed and now the Soldier would fly, but first he discussed with his wife. “I’ll need something to draw with, something dependable . . . something that won’t fail me mid-flight.”
The Soldier looked at his dark wood desk, and observed all the pens in the can. He studied each one, their bodies all shimmering, and he weighed them all in his hand. “This one won’t work,” he said of a pen, “the ink might blot on the map. This one needs to be refilled every few hours, and this one will dry out without a cap.”
He looked at each one and always found something wrong, or anticipated problems if he used it in the sky. “I need something that would work whatever the conditions, and I need it soon my dear wife.” “Then take this pencil.” his wife finally said, handing him the frail and battered yellow thing. “It will write no matter what, it will write on a plane — it’s the best writing tool you can bring.”
The Soldier smiled, kept the pencil in his pocket, and took it with him on the plane. He finished the map and the map helped bring them peace … and the pencil has never been the same. “ The pencil was now nothing more than a stub; what was left of his lead was now broken. His eraser was gone, his wood frame had split, and some time ago his metal ring had been stolen.
Now he stood before the Pencil Maker, and waited for him to say those five words. “”Well done, my faithful pencil,” the Pencil Maker said, “You have written what you were meant to write in the world.”
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12
Author Unknown
This is a beautiful quote by Walter Wangerin Jr.
“The difference between shallow happiness and a deep, sustaining joy is sorrow. Happiness lives where sorrow is not. When sorrow arrives, happiness dies. It can’t stand pain. Joy, on the other hand, rises from sorrow and therefore can withstand all grief. Joy, by the grace of God, is the transfiguration of suffering into endurance, and of endurance into character, and of character into hope–and the hope that has become our joy does not (as happiness must for those who depend upon it) disappoint us.”
There is a song I love, just because it has ice cream and chocolate in it… so I sing it now and then, and when I do, I realize that I am singing it as praise to God… here’s my take on Sarah McLachlan’s song titled “Ice Cream”, here are the lyrics first:
Your love is better than ice cream,
better than anything else that I’ve tried.
You’re love is better than ice cream,
and everyone here knows how to cry.
It’s a long way down…
It’s a long way down…
It’s a long way down to the place where we started from.
Your love is better than chocolate,
better than anything else that I’ve tried.
Your love is better than chocolate,
and everyone here knows how to fight.
It’s a long way down…
It’s a long way down…
It’s a long way down to the place where we started from…
Although Sara McLachlan probably didn’t write this song with a Christian angle, it’s praise music for me. Jesus Christ is like this for me… He’s sweeter than anything I’ve ever known, beyond the best chocolate, sweeter and more divine. And I am a chocolate hound… I mean, I feel unsteady if I know that there isn’t an ounce of it in the entire house, even if I don’t plan to eat it, just knowing that it’s in the cupboard if I want a little bite, it makes me giddy with excitement! This what God does to me… awakens me to excitement and eagerness in anticipation for what He is going to reveal to me next, through my physical enviornment, through His Word, and through His Spirit speaking to my heart.
So, back to the song… when it says “everyone here knows how to cry,” well, of course we do! We all have grief, uhnappiness, happiness and joy… and all those things are still ever more a sweet taste when you are filled with the love of Christ, as the pain isn’t so bad when you see it as loving discipline from Your Father, who is growing you (Heb 12:2-7).
When the song says “it’s a long way down to the place where we started from,” I see how far I’ve come through God’s ever present grace and love. It’s also a long way down to fall when I sin… knowing that He still paid for my unworthyness with His magnificent worth. Then when the song says “everyone here knows how to fight,” I see this as my own struggles with keeping Him at the center of my life, in every moment, in every situation… (when the kids are screaming and I turn into Momzilla, when I’m worrying or preoccupied, etc..) so many things distract me in my thoughts, that I lose the clarity of Him being in focus. When I lose the highlighted thought, to take every thought I have captive, to make it obedient to Him (2 Cor. 10:5), I am still reassured that He knows the deep desires of my heart… to try and step in tune with His love. Even though I sin and struggle at times,God’s love is STILL better than ice cream, chocolate or anything else that I’ve tried (past tense), and, will try in the future! Nothing will ever be sweeter than His love for me, nothing will be more delicious, scrumptions, and filling than being in His embrace….. just knowing that He is growing me… and allowing me to walk in His Word, and see Him all around me. The other awesome thing about Him… no calories, if anything, He has the power to make things weightless and leave your heart levetating inside your body.
Next time you eat a chocolate cookie, or a yummy morsel, remember that He is infinetly sweeter and more delectable…. Hunger for His love.
*hugs*
Today I went to a funeral… for Laverle from my church… I didn’t know her that well, but she was someone who I would have loved to know, who I wanted to know. Why didn’t I? There are others who I think that of too… I want to know Mary Ellen, Anna May, Valerie, Pamela, Ina, Barbara, Tammy, Sarah, etc… I could go on. I want to know these women on more than a face to face basis, they are my sisters in Christ. Well, with Laverle, I knew of her, and thought of her because of her statement one Sunday near Christmas during an open time of giving thanks… when she said loudly from her standard second row seat, with her make up applied to perfection and her fingernails neetly manicured with red polish… “I’m so thankful that I am saved by God’s grace, and not by faith alone….” What a wonderful conviction (which I have, but don’t always know how to put the words on it, especailly in a situation like that ; ) But she was just like that… at 70 years of age, I guess you just become more and more sure. At her funeral today, I heard about her, and I was so inspired, and I know that God spoke to me. I need to encourage more, and follow through on the thoughts of “oh I need to call so & so..” or, “oh, I need to drop a card to so and so…” but somehow in the midst of mothering, I often forget what the Spirit gently reminds me of. I’m so glad that God takes me aside to help me to understand more and more.
Just the other night, I was still in the Spirit’s presense and wrote down what I heard… here it is:
Be a voice for the inner expressed thoughts of the Spirit that speaks to your heart. In tune, aware, sensing, all that there is to hear. Found treasures.. of hope and hidden knowledge, speaking and sounding on the verge or intersection of the multitude of God’s heart’s desires.
You can magnify the thoughts, to words, to details, and patterns form, unity begins, upon the voices.
Expressed content, flowing over (and soothing) the sounds of setbacks, mirroring the deepness of claiming hearts. Found beauty, resolving the heartaches, wonderful emotions of growth, claiming, to constitute a Kingdom.
Beckoning you… blanketing your heart in submission to My own. For years… supplying rewards immeasurable to you. Flowing voices, intertwined in concert to One meaning, of naming Love, defining Love. Refreshment for gifts in the Spirit and mind, in the recesses of your heart. Beginning daily a new journey to discover Me. I AM HERE, IN YOU, WITH YOU, BESIDE YOU. I AM ALL AROUND YOU. Fathomless, beyond beauty, filling you. Glorify Me! Respect Me! Represent Me! I will unite wanderers into place, they are valued and important to Me. I AM the Peacemaker. Placate pondering souls with ONLY ME, surrounding them with voices of My love, in guidance and grace… to fill and refill. Movement in line- towards rest and reunion. Claiming hearts, to solidarity in Me. Flowering voices, speaking My heart,
breathing bouquets of My truth.
I AM spilling sunlight,
revolving doors,
with no ceilings,
open all hours.
Youth of calm voices, hearing and seeking, truth, justification, and reason. Regrettable youth- in motionless opportunities (they) all denied Me. Schemes, plans, obsticales, cheating the hearts surrounding the voices of spoken truths. Finding shattered hearts, giving restoration to soar
to smile, to rebuild, in process… to learn things over again.
at first I didn’t know who it was for, but I was tired, so I didn’t examine it to well, but went to bed as it was 11:30pm…. but the next day, I re-read it and thought, wow… I wonder who it’s for. LOL! After setting it down again, and reading it the following day, I saw myself…. and I was so moved that God blessed me with that part of His heart and a piece of the puzzle to help me understand some things more clearly. Much is reaffirmation, but I know that as I pray into it, He will undoubtedly reveal more depth.
I feel the warmth of being in the center of His embrace….
*hugs*
