Christ prays for my needs
I pray for needs of others
Thank God for blessings
.
I thank Him for health
I ask Him what’s on His heart
We pray for world peace
.
We pray everyday
I’m grateful for His grace
It’s so undeserved
Do you believe Christ intercedes for you?
Do you understand how much
God’s heart hurts for the needs of this world?
Do you accept His grace and BELIEVE
you can live the life of
Love, Joy and Peace that He offers you?
Do you?
Today is Ash Wednesday.
Many Christians around the world are wondering today,
“What should I give up for Lent?”
What to Give Up?
Once you decide, you ask yourself if this is like a New Year’s resolution. Will I be able to keep my commitment? Can I keep the spark alive for 40 days? Or will I give up?
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Forty days is a long time! Can I give up coffee or carbs? Dessert or just donuts? How about carrots or cabbage, broccoli or brussels sprouts?
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What do you obsess about?
A promise to give up something for Lent
needs to be a promise to rid ourselves
of something that we obsess about.
We need to cleanse our bodies and souls of something that distracts us
from focusing on the meaning of this season
in preparation for the sacrifice of the “Bread of Life”
who gave His body for our salvation.
If spiritual discipline is what fasting is supposed to be about,
does giving up something you can do without
really do the trick?
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Looking at Lent through the eyes of Marjorie J. Thompson,
who wrote the book “Soul Feast,”
I began to understand
the concept of fasting a little better.
She wrote, “… the discipline of fasting…
has to do with the critical dynamic
of accepting those limits that are life-restoring.”
She went on to caution us,
“Do not underestimate what God can
accomplish in you through the consistent offering
of such a discipline.”The discipline is that of “self-emptying.”
What is Self-Emptying?
Self-emptying is “giving up something” –
but it doesn’t have to be food!
Fasting from a particular food we crave
is NOT the ONLY way to acknowledge the onset of Lent.
Let’s decide to “self-empty” of something.
The word Lent was derived from a Saxon word meaning “spring.” In the early church, Lent was viewed as a spritual spring, a time of light and joy in the renewal of the soul’s life. James Earl Massey wrote, “Fasting is not a renunciation of life; it is a means by which new life is released within us.”
What can we give up in order to release new life in us?
More Than Food!
Fasting is about more than food. It is about hungering for the things that matter most. It is about abstaining from those activities that pull us away from what we know we OUGHT to be doing.
To Give or to Give Up?
But what about GIVING instead (or in addition to) giving up? What might I GIVE to honor God during this season of Lent?
A couple of years ago, I read in a Guideposts Magazine about a woman who had spent the 40 days of Lent in what I thought was a very unique way. She created a list of 40 people who made a difference in her life. These people who positively influenced her were from every walk of life – family, work, church, childhood friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. Once she generated her list, she wrote a letter a day. In her notes, she told each of them how important they were in her life, how much she appreciated them, how grateful she was for what they meant to her.
I read that and thought, “I can do that!
I can think of 40 people who deserve a thank you
from me for what they have done in my life.”
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My trouble was, however, limiting the list to just 40. When you stop and think about it, I bet you can easily name 40 or more who have touched your life in a meaningful way. I had to make some of the names “couples.” Then, I was able to begin my 40 days of letter writing. It was a wonderful act of “giving” – and filled the time I might have been eating that food I crave!
Yes, you can give – and give up – at the same time.
What will you do to honor this season,
to create a time of “interior spring cleaning”
that leads to God in the core of your being
while making your life more nourishing for others?
Think about it…
and tell me what you come up with
in the comments below,
will you?
We’re snowed in!
The four foot drift
Behind my car is tall;
Not looking very friendly at all.
The flakes still fall.
Photo by Meve R. on Pexels.com
It’s too much to shovel
And once that’s removed
What about the three foot waves
Gathered here creating graves
In our long driveway?
Photo by Orest Sv on Pexels.com
“I have composed
And quieted my soul”
Psalm 131:2 is a reminder
To take off the blinders;
Trust God, the Perfect Finder.
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He helps me find what matters most.
I trust Him to quiet my soul.
Help me not to implode in
This spot, but find the Jesus road in
Whatever place I am snowed in.
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The path isn’t blocked;
The wheelbarrow of tasks
May be inaccessible, but I can
Find His plan if I scan
The land where I am.
So, compose my soul, dear Lord.
Help me find peace
And contentment. Just tuck me
In and channel me; don’t chuck me
Right where You’ve stuck me!
Photo by Rick Otten on Pexels.com
Don’t let me get caught in
This web of cold and confusion.
You’re here to hold me.
You protect and you mold me.
I will trust what You’ve told me.
.
Amen?
and Amen!
Are you in sanctuary or synagogue or temple or church today?
God Bless You!
In my quiet time this morning, Carol Mackey reflected on 1 Cor. 1:10 in which Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, “Now I plead with you… that you speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind…”
Carol wrote in Guideposts’ Mornings with Jesus, “Sunday morning at eleven o’clock is the most segregated hour of the week.”
I was prompted in thinking about that statement to create this Haiku x4:
Sunday Mornings
Segregation thrives
most in Sunday morning pews.
Where’s our unity?
Race and culture,
Ideology and thoughts
Pull worship apart.
It must sadden God;
It must grieve Jesus’ heart
To see divisions.
Instead of focus
On our obvious fractures,
Focus on One God!
.
All Photos here are by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Many people are unaware that the first five books of the Bible are the Jewish Torah.
Everything on earth is created by our One God.
On that we who worship the One God can agree, right?
As we worship God,
how can we use that worship time
as a time of
UNITY
and not
DIVISION?
Ecclesiastes
Assures us in chapter seven
Faith flows eternal
If faith’s eternal,
Shouldn’t my faith lead me straight?
Why do I wander?
.
Are you always right?
All your decisions are great?
You’re delusional!
.
All of us at times
Make boneheaded decisions.
Thank God for His Grace!
.
All the rivers flow
Into the eternal sea,
Yet it never fills.
.
My river of faith
Is evolving to follow –
Not because of me
.
God’s got me covered
In spite of my boneheaded
Circuitous routes.
.
Lord, lead me into
Your sweet everlasting sea;
Guide my faith river.
Amen
Are you feeling trapped?
Know someone else who is?
Rescuing people isn’t like
The funny saying on my apron.
.
I can’t pick you up,
Tip you sideways,
And pour you out
Of your trap.
.
But in all seriousness,
We help rescue one another.
We can help others
Escape their traps.
.
Now don’t look at me
And call me Pollyanna.
I’m not a do-gooder,
But I have a secret.
.
It’s the path to love.
It’s the joy and peace
That are absolutely mine.
The path is Jesus!
.
Yes, the right answer
Was learned on Sunday
Way back when you
Were just a little kid.
.
Your Sunday School teacher
Asked you a question,
And you had the key to answer:
“Jesus!” He is the Way!
.
Don’t believe me?
Give Him a try.
If you’re feeling trapped,
Give your struggles to Jesus.
.
My Lord saved the groom
At the wedding feast.
He turned water into wine
And the guests celebrated.
.
If He can do that,
He can turn your challenges
Into learning opportunities.
He can unlock your traps!
.
I hope you really know
That guy named Jesus
Who came to unlock
The traps that bind us.
.
If He isn’t your friend,
I invite you to get acquainted.
Let Him rescue you.
He stands at your heart door.
.
Open it! Don’t remain
Trapped in a bottle, or
In sorrow, or in pain.
Whatever your question…
.
The answer is simply, “Jesus!”
He came to save us
From our entrapments.
Learn from Him – and be free!
.
Sermon notes – Dec. 16, 2017 – Rev. Jean Johnson – Madison Valley Presbyterian, Ennis, MT
Recorded by Jan Beekman – in poetry (as is my habit) – while listening intently today.
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The Cost of Christmas
Ebenezer Scrooge was transformed.
He hated Christmas and all
That talk of love and peace.
His dream helped him hear God’s call.
He bought a goose and invited
All to come to his feast.
He had love and joy to spread
To rich and poor, the most and the least.
It cost Scrooge a fortune
To pay for all that food.
What does Christmas cost you?
Does the cost put you in a Scrooge mood?
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John the Baptist warned us that
Christmas will cost a lot.
But it’s not the money he referred to;
It’s the deliverance we may not have sought.
Purifying fire and judgement wait
For those who fail to believe.
The fire is a punishment for those
Who are stingy and cause others to grieve.
If you have two shirts or coats,
Be ready to give one away.
If someone owes you money,
Don’t overcharge them any day.
Jesus taught people to love and forgive.
“Get ready for the Christ Child.
Give from your surplus,” John preached.
He didn’t ask us to do anything wild.
Jesus’ message was a tough one
For many who held hate in their heart.
John asked folks to prepare for Christ
By repenting, turning, making a clean start.
Be on the true path, headed right
As you prepare for Jesus Christ’s birth.
You’re on the right road in church today.
Let’s be God’s witnesses on earth.
Are you?
Am I?
Let your life preach His message,
And as Mother Theresa is quoted as saying,
“Only use words when you have to!”
(Isn’t that a heck of a message for a blogger?)
It’s not enough to display our Santas.
The reason for the season must not be eclipsed by that jolly old man!
Where is the Christ Child in this season of Jolly Old St. Nick and Rudolph?
Keep Christ in Christmas. No Xmas for me! If I have to abbreviate, I write C’mas. Someone once told me that the x translates to Christ in some other language. You think?
Feels like Xing Christ out to me. What do you think?
Santa is a great gift giver… but he’s not the reason for the season. Give God is due, will you?
Are you afraid of death?
“Nope!” my friend answered with assurance.
Then yesterday, I had an ultrasound. The radiologist not only took a million pictures, but then she called in her senior partner and asked for her assistance.
Oh my! What were they seeing? How many angles did the image need?
By the way, it was my kidneys and bladder areas, not something less complicated – like my hand.
Later in the afternoon I received a call from the medical center. It didn’t surprise me when they asked me to schedule an appointment ASAP for an MRI. They needed a more definitive picture of whatever is in there. Something that’s not supposed to be, of course.
Would your mind do what my mind did under the circumstances?
Would the big “C” word enter your mind? And would you contemplate your own mortality?
I did – and I am!
When I go to the medical center tomorrow and they receive the MRI results, and they say, “Your days are numbered. You are full of cancer,” would I panic?
No!
Why not? Well, all our days are numbered, aren’t they? Nobody’s going to get out of here alive.
Heavenly Sky
But, would I like to live a healthy 100 years
and then die peacefully and unexpectedly
in my sleep one night?
Sleeping couple
You bet!!
But, what are the chances? Pretty slim!
However, in today’s world, a person who has enjoyed good health and is living a healthy life style should expect to live at least into his/her 80’s. Don’t you agree?
Old Lady
After all, my parents lived into their late 80s, and so did both my in-laws. Genetically and socially, I expect to do the same. Wait, though… I’m not quite 80 yet.
How would I feel about an eminent death sentence?
How would YOU feel? Have you faced such a challenge and overcome it?
My husband, Bob, was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a dozen years ago.
First step: We called my older cousin who is a Prostate Cancer Survivor “Poster Child.” We received tips from him. He recommended we get on line and learn everything we could about the disease and the treatment options. Go to renowned specialists (he named two). Get a second opinion. Keep a positive outlook. Pray. Share. Ask friends and family to pray with you. Seek professional advice. Research your options. Be your own best advocate. Remain positive.”
Second step: We did all those things, and Bob chose cryotherapy – he had his prostate frozen – and he is “in remission.” Cancer free – and living the “Golden Years” with me!
If I should learn that my days are short, I would miss my loved ones here on earth, of course. But would I be afraid of dying? As my friend said when I asked him that question, I can emphatically say, “Nope!”
I know where I’m going. I know my Redeemer lives and has a place reserved for me in Heaven. And, I pray you BELIEVE, too. Then, we can be assured we will see each other in Paradise and we will enjoy eternal joy together.
Beautiful sky
Flying High
See you there someday …
Hopefully not too soon!
So quickly it comes
Time for the Thanksgiving tree
Then the Christmas one
Cookie baking time
Old persimmon recipe
Bonds with granddaughter
Merry Christmas, friends
‘Tis the season of our Lord
Please don’t forget Him!
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
