When you throw your stone …

I see at my new work place by just taking a listen at break time, lunch, etc that many are so quick to judge others, make assumptions without really knowing someone.  How can you know someone else’s life if you just met them?  And to then turn yourself away from them because of these assumptions?  Pushing them away, dismissing them yet you really have no idea what is in that person.

The Word of life

Good Morning!  I have been quite busy as of lately, but I am hopefully this week I will be more into a schedule (whats that?) and be able to read, post and engage more with my friends here and in our group.  

Speaking of groups... One thing that is new and I have been blogging about is the fall online Bible study of I John with goodmorninggirls.org. 

Today is a day of Reflection so here are my thoughts, Please share yours with me as well..

Trust In Jesus

THERE ARE THINGS YOU CANNOT TRUST 

You cannot trust all people. All through the Bible, we are told not to trust in man, in princes, kings, ourselves, or any other person. That always brings disappointment.
People are not the problem, where they put their trust is the problem. People will fail you, even the best people you know, but the Lord will never fail you.
I have been let down by people, betrayed by friends, opposed by family, attacked by my enemies, ignored by many, lied to, cheated on, cursed and hurt, but I have never, never been disappointed in Jesus.

Thankfulness

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This past week has been such a blessing and I thank the Lord for every moment.

The week has been filled with so many things that I am truly grateful. There was such a mix of ups and downs, good times and.. well.. Its all Good.. Right??

My heart is so full. I thank the Lord everyday for making all this possible.

A Friend I can Trust

I have not posted this week as our family has been busy visiting with my son who is visiting from Texas, however, I did want to share some blessings.

I have been blessed by some that read this blog and have been contacting me. I have a part of some emails I want to share, please feel free to comment below to help and encourage our new friends.

Dear Friend...

Dear Friend,

I know this is a lengthy letter. This is the longest letter I have ever sent. If the topic wasn't so important, I wouldn't have sent a piece of such length.

This poem triggered the thought that I need to write this letter sooner rather than later.

My Friend

My friend I stand in judgment now, and feel that you’re to blame somehow. On earth I walked with you day by day, and never did you point the way.

You knew the Lord in truth and glory, but never did you tell me the story. My knowledge then was dim; you could have led me straight to Him.

Though we lived together on earth, you never told me of the second birth. And now I stand condemned this day, Because of what you failed to say.

You taught me many things, which are true; I called you friend and trusted you. Now I learn it’s too late, but you could have saved me from this fate.

We walked by day and talked by night, and yet you showed me not the light. You let me live and die, though you knew I’d never live on high.

Yes, I called you friend in life, and laughed with you through joy and strife and yet on coming to the end

 ...  I cannot call you my friend!          -Author, Unknown

"If you saw my house was on fire would you try to save me?

Just as you would attempt to save me from fire, I want to help save your soul from eternal torment.

Would you take a moment to allow me to?"

A Welcome Home

In truth a family is what you make it. 

It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, 

but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, 

by the commitment of time, caring,and love you show to one another, 

and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.

Love Is....

I have been reading this awesome book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan
It is all about how our Awesome God, maker of the entire universe, loves US!

How we should love Him with the same ‘Crazy Love’ as he loves us

He loves us No Matter What!!  All throughout the Bible his people come to Him for deliverance, then go off and disobey, worship false gods and continue to sin, yet our God hears them when they are calling out in weakness and makes them strong again.

Walk in Love

Love is a very familiar word to us. We use it freely. Someone might say, "I love hot dogs, or I love my dog or my truck, or I love my husband, or I love God."

Do we love our dog in the same way as we love our husband? Is there a difference in the way we love hot dogs and the way we love God?

Our culture uses the word love to mean just about everything except what the Bible means by it.  We are easily misled into thinking love is primarily a feeling, or an emotion. We associate it with lust or sex; we talk about "making" love. The word "love" used here to describe erotic love, sensual love; what you feel when you "fall in love," a passionate attraction to another person. That kind of love is not even mentioned in the Word of God, though it is a common form of love today. In all of Scripture, love is first of all an action.

It can be a challenge to walk in love as Christ loved us when we’re surrounded with people who have turned their backs to God and are living in and promoting sin. When we are faced with the pressures of the economic crunch along with the wickedness of immorality and the deceptive minds, it feels like an impossible task. 

Gods Love

God's love is the greatest thing in the universe. The Bible speaks of this great, great love.

God loves his people so much and throughout history we continue to disobey him, run from him and his Word. Yet he continues to pursue and woo us with his love, mercy and grace.

That is such an incredible thought.  The one God of the universe, Creator of all things.  Creator of the plants, the animals, the stars, sun and moon LOVES US.  He wants us to walk with him.

Gods Promises

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just wanted to share with everyone that when my son Justin left this earth, it was unbelievable to me. 

I still do not know what he thought was so awful here that he had to leave us.  I know that I too felt this way myself and at a different time I wanted to leave here.

I cannot know what Gods plans for us are but I do know that God promises us that there will be a day when all will be revealed. I pray that glorious day, when he will wipe all our tears away and we will only know Joy and happiness beyond our understanding.

In Memory of Justin

I Love you, Justin Carl.  

Today you would have been 24 years old.  This day we would have celebrated your birth.  Today we still grieve your death. We still can’t know what was in your thoughts surrounding that day. I can only imagine the pain and hopelessness you were feeling.  I hope and pray today and always that, although, you were in darkness on that day, the memory of you will help others not to take that path.

You will forever be missed, loved and held dear to our hearts.

The Wonder of God

One of the wildest aspects of Christian thought lies in the simple truth that God is everywhere. And if God is in fact everywhere, then God is in all things, and all things are in God

Since the scientific revolution of the fifteenth century, there has been an increasing tendency in Christianity to see God as separate from Creation. To the common view, it's no longer God sending the sun across the sky each day, but the Earth's rotation, and no longer God raining down blessings on our fields, but water precipitation. This has led to a wholly unnecessary gulf between science and religion, and results in a division of our "spiritual life" and  our daily lives.

According to this thought, God is fundamentally uninvolved. The universe is like a wind-up toy, left to go on its own, while God attends to—whatever. Once formed, natural laws work without any continued intelligence or consciousness, the true mindless governors of an inert and dumb universe.

The Bible on the Divine Presence:

In Christ were created all things in heaven and on earth
everything visible and everything invisible.... Before anything was created, he existed, and he holds all things in unity.—Col 1:15-17

...the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him.
—2 Chr 2:6 

Who laid [the earth's] cornerstone
when all the stars of the morning were singing with joy,
and the Sons of God in chorus were chanting praise?...
Which is the way to the home of the light,
and where does darkness live?..
Who carves a channel for the downpour,
and hacks a way for rolling thunder?
What womb brings forth the ice,
and gives birth to the frost of heaven...?
Whose skill details every cloud
and tilts the flasks of heaven...?
Who makes provision for the raven
when his squabs cry out to God
and crane their necks in hunger?—Job 38:6-7,19,25,29,37,41

The heavens declare the glory of God,
the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork;
day discourses of it to day,
night to night hands on the knowledge.—Ps 19:1-2

If I flew to the point of sunrise, or westward across the sea

your hand would still be guiding me, your right hand holding me.
—Ps 139: 7-10

Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.—Jn 1:2-5

The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world...I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry.—Jn 6:33,36

In him we live, and move, and have our being.... "We are his offspring."—Acts 17:28 

For from him, and through him and to him are all things.—Rm 8:36

There is one God who is father of all, over all, through all and within all.—Eph 4:6

God is love, and anyone who lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.—1 Jn 4:16

But the truth is that science itself is shedding that view Science invites believers of all faiths to question who? what?, and why? At a deeper level 

Who sustains our continued survival through precipitation on our fields?

What does the constant rotation of the Earth on its axis mean to those of us who depend on it for life?

What is the source of the Big Bang, or First Cause? 

Why are we here?

For Christians, the answer is as simple as it is profound: God

The vibrant message from the Bible and lately even science is quite different.

The Bible states that the heavens are alive declaring the glory of God (Ps. 19).

Christ is the One who "holds all things together," (Col 1:17). Ever since the double-slit experiment which proved that even individual photons of light have awareness, even science recognizes that consciousness permeates the universe at the subatomic level. And a universe, in which not just plants, animals and humans, but subatomic particles, and the rocks and stars composed of them are also alive, is a universe which Christians should find familiar.

Jesus said that even if the crowd kept silent when he entered Jerusalem, the rocks and stones themselves would start to sing (Lk 19:40), and David described all heavenly bodies singing for joy. It seems that every part of the Universe is aware in some way of the immanent presence of God.

Another wonderful discovery of science was the cloud-chamber, which revealed that subatomic particles do not have an independent, continuous existence, but come in and out of existence billions of times every second. This has an important theological implication is that Creation did not end in the past, but is continually flowing forth. Countless times every second, every subatomic particle in the entire universe is being re-created.

God's questions to Job from the whirlwind no longer sound like metaphors— "Whose skill details every cloud, and tilts the flasks of heaven?" —but rather, a humble presentation of himself as the passionate and compassionate Sustainer of every aspect of Creation.

The Gospel of John reveals the "Cosmic Christ," that is, Christis identified not only as Jesus on earth, but as the whole creative and redemptive movement of God throughout space and time. Thus, Christ is the Word which brings everything into existence (1:2-3), the Light that enlightens all humanity, (1:9) the Bread of God that sustains all life, (6:33) and much more.

Most great truths of Christian faith, and perhaps most great truths, period, are expressed as paradox. God is completely One, and yet, Triune and Infinite. Jesus is fully and completely human, but fully divine, as well.

The Church proclaimed a panentheistic vision of the Trinity, developed from St. Paul's writing in Ephesians: "There is One God and Father from whom all things are, one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things are." God is in all things, for they spring from him, and all things are in God, for they subsist in him, yet he transcends all as well as emanates in all.

Throughout the centuries, Christian have encountered God as both "unapproachable Light," and the "still, small voice" within, seeing the wild things of God in all things. The Christian meditation method called contemplative prayer, or contemplation, practiced by innumerable monks and nuns (and now laypeople) from the times of the Desert Fathers to the present, goes deep within the heart to meet God, ever-present within, though without thoughts, words, or images, because he is beyond them.

In his magnificent prayer, The Breastplate of St. Patrick (also called the Lorica) Patrick expresses a fervent awareness of the presence of God in heaven, in Christ, in nature, in faith, in history, in angels and saints. Patrick first "arises in the strength of" the Oneness and Threeness of God, and then immerses himself into the divine strength in the hosts of heaven, in faith, in servants of God, and in nature:

I arise today, through the strength of Heaven:
light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendor of Fire,
speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea,
stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.

God's presence in these qualities culminates in the Breastplate's soaring call to the universal presence of Christ:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Another theological term which refers to God's penetration and permeation of the cosmos is "process theology," which emphasizes the divine Presence unfolding in the processes of this universe of space and time. As St. Paul said, of "groaning in one great act of giving birth," to reveal God's children (Rom 8:19-22).
Theosis and Incarnation show how intimately and lovingly God involves himself with the process of human life. And the Big Bang and hundreds of billions of galaxies flying through space show the grandeur of the process of God's creation.

All of this points to something inexpressible—it's important not to latch onto a particular theory of reality and miss the Reality itself. Yet the mind yearns to understand something of the dance of the God who is beyond all, and the manifest Creation. Meister Eckhart used the analogy of a drop of water (the Universe) in the ocean (God). The drop "is" ocean, has the qualities of ocean, and ocean permeates it. But the ocean is not a drop, and can never "depend" upon a drop.

God is in Creation because he is the very Ground of Being, and lovingly sustains it, not because he is it. We are the process, called to join God in all his work. We are not alone, but God is with us. In all things!  Amen!

Praise the Lord!

"Praise the Lord"

Many of us say this every day, all day long as the Lord blesses us.  Some say it just as a saying... like ‘holy mackerel’ or ‘oh my word’

I read a devotional that addresses just that. It came at the right time for me. Lately, I have been hanging on the recent events of my son, Justin. He would have been 23 on July, 20.  The Lord gave me strength, peace and surrounded me with those that loved me and showed me that the Lord is with us always. This was such a blessing. Months later, I am still practicing ‘praising the Lord’ with the good and the bad.

For the Word of God says~~

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Psalm 100:1-5

What do you have to be thankful for? Look around you, inside, outside. Look at your family and friends. Look at how wonderfully you are made. Consider the One who created the earth and everything in it. Do you have even one thing to be thankful for? 

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD! (What, you can't carry a tune? That's why it says joyful noise and not tuneful song!) He is your loving Father and wants to bless you because you are his child!

God desires and deserves your praise.

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." 
Hebrews 13:15

Have you ever had to buy a present for a person who has everything? Some people are very hard to please and others have already bought themselves everything they ever wanted or needed. You just want them to know that you have thought about them.

What can you give to God? After all, He's the One who took nothing and made everything! Besides, how can you get a present to heaven? I don't believe the postal service would delivery there?

There are a few things that we can give God. One thing is praise. Praise is the fruit of your lips. God deserves your praise. I have read in the Bible where praise has power.

What flows from peoples' lips has power, just as weapons have power. The walls of Jericho came down with the shouts of the Israelites (Joshua 6:5). One time just the praise of the Israelites conquered the enemy (2Chr 20:21-22). Praise can shake loose the power that is within us.

When things are going wrong in our lives and we are in a bad mood we can praise the Lord. Try it.

You can't help but feel better! Things happen inside us when we praise the Lord. Remember we must ‘wait on the Lord’

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

What else can you give the Lord?

 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)

Give yourself~~ Jesus calls us to ‘Come” 

Jesus said,”Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."……  

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest “.

Seeking & Praising

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Suggestions for Prayer:
Read Psalm 103 as a prayer of praise to God.




I will continue on this study with the following suggested verses:
Scripture mentions other spiritual sacrifices that believers should offer.
Romans 15:16, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:10-18, Hebrews 13:16, and Revelation 8:3

May God Bless you,

Tracy

Thank God Every Morning When you get up

One Thousand Gifts is a celebration of grace and a recognition of the power of gratitude. 

... If you’re limping along the spiritual road  Click here for more from Ann Voskamp

More Thanksgiving to the Lord.... 

62.  Trees, flowers, scents of summer

63. Working in the garden

64. Mom and Daughter time  

65. Blessings from the Lord to provide what is needed at home

66. Good Food

67. Raychele getting her first Job

68. Fresh Fruit

69. I am thankful for Christian Friend who post scriptures at the time they are needed most

70. Teaches at Church on Sunday morning

71. Thankful for our passionate Pastor who loves The Lord and teaches us how to serve Him

72. Thankful for another day the Lord has made

73. Growing in the Lord

74. For the Grace the Lord gives me everyday

75. Little baby Jackson 

76. Praise the Lord Joy in giving thanks to you everyday!

77. Thankful for the Spirit in me that helps to guide me each day

78. Thankful that Michael got his job out of College and Loves it

79. Long lost friends that make you feel warm all over

80. Nieces and nephews that bring such joy

81. Positive encouraging music at the right moment

82. Reminder of JOB suffering and the faithfulness of God

83. Something cold to drink

84. A place to lay my head

85. Morning Coffee with the bird singing

86. The beautiful landscape that the Lord has made

87. The sound of the waves splashing on the beach

88. Amazing photos

89.  New hair cut

90. Mom and daughter laughing together

The purpose of everything

Everything that happens, good or bad, has only one real purpose: to provide an opportunity for you to be of service to God; an opportunity to do well and to be of humble service to life itself.

I was talking with some people today and they were playing games on the computer.  We all know how addicting these can be at times and they just suck up all your time.

I said well what do you do? How does it work? And they just spin their wheels and get these coins. So I ask what do you do with all the coins?  Nothing.  Ok, so what’s the point?  Several responses  all the same..t here isn’t one.

Does everything you do have to have a point to it. Does it really matter?

Hmmm..  *thinking**   My answer is Yes it does, it does matter!

I am not saying we should not have some play time but I do believe that Everything we do everything we say it all has to point to Jesus.  Thank him for the time you have to yourself and mediate on him. To live as Christ is to Glorifying God in each and everything we do and say.  He commands this from every believer.

It does not have to be something earth shattering, just being you every day.  God does call some to teach, preach and travel to minister to others. Some are called to happily serve.

On the way home in the car I had on Klove radio and this song came on and it goes perfectly with this thought.

 I truly believe that God created us all. We are not an accident. God has a plan for each and every one of us. We all have a purpose in life. 

We are created to Know God through Jesus Christ.

I tell you the truth; no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3).

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

We are created for God's glory.

Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made (Isaiah 43:6-7).

We are created to praise and Worship God.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever (Psalm 86:12).

We are created to grow the fruit of the Spirit. The type of person we become is more important than your successes and failures in the world.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

We are created to spread the Gospel and tell others about Jesus’ love for them

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples (Psalm 96:3).<-p>

Make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted (Isaiah 12:4).

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

We are created to use and develop the gifts God has given to us.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully (Romans 12:4-8).

Do not minimize your role in Life. 

All Christians collectively form the body of Christ. The body is formed of many different parts (Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). All are important. It does not matter what part of the body you are.

May the Lord Bless you,

Tracy