September 30, 2008

focusing on the big picture

Monday showed a 777 drop in the DOW.
Many are fearful of a great depression.

Will we forget what our God has done for us?

During times like this let us bring into focus

the many blessings we enjoy today from the Father.

It will help bring into focus the many blessings

the Lord has in store for us in the future

as we continue our walk with Him.

“Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified;

do not be discouraged,

for the LORD your God will be with you

wherever you go."

- Joshua 1:9 NIV

September 29, 2008

evangelism and humility

It is a heart filled with the fire,

the passion of Christ,

radiating outward to others

but toned down a bit…

mixing that reddish hot inner passion

with the cool blue of humility

that results in a royal purple

of the Spirit of Christ.

“God is waiting for us to humble ourselves.

He opposes the proud;

He doesn’t bless their ministry.

When we trust in ourselves

and our brilliant ministry strategy,

He will have nothing to do with us.

It’s only when we rely on Him

— walking in His Spirit —

that He will reward our efforts.

As our Master said,

‘whoever lives in Me will have much fruit;

apart from Me you can’t do anything’

(John 15:5).”

- Author Unknown

September 28, 2008

heart of happiness

“When the heart is at ease, the body is healthy”

- Chinese proverb

“The thousand mysteries around us
would not trouble but interest us,
if only we had cheerful, healthy hearts.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche

“When you have read the Bible,
you will know it is the word of God,
because you will have found it the key
to your own heart, your own happiness…”
- Woodrow Wilson

September 27, 2008

again and always

“I am... a mushroom;
On whom the dew of heaven
drops now and then.”
- John Ford

“Lord reign in me
Reign in your power
Over all my dreams
In my darkest hour
You are the Lord of all I am
So won't you reign in me again.”
from:
"Lord Reign in Me"

September 26, 2008

altar of my heart

“Here we are to anticipate

something of the blessedness of heaven
amid the days of earth,

for to sit at His feet is indeed to be
in heavenly places,
and to gaze upon His glory

is to do what
we shall never tire of doing yonder.”
- W. Hay Aitken

“It is good and true to think

that every ray of the sun touching the earth

has the sun at the other end of it.

Just so, every bit of love upon God’s earth

has God at the other end of it.”

- Mark Guy Pearse

“May the flames of thy love

ever blaze upon the altar of my heart.”

- Charles Devanesan

September 25, 2008

all lovely things

“Our Father, we thank thee for all the beauties of the world,

for earth and sky and the reflection of Thy Spirit in human hearts.

Open our inner eyes to see all lovely things

and our inner ears to hear the music of Thy voice.

May all the thoughts and actions of each of us

speak praise to Thee today. Amen.”

- William A. Clough

September 24, 2008

peace of God

“As you read these words,

you may find yourself in a situation

that seems terribly unfair.

Your immediate circumstances are harsh

and hard to handle.

Your heart aches as events beyond your control

roll across your landscape like heavy boulders.
If that is your situation,

I want you to take note:

God knows, right down to the final nub,

exactly where you are in life.

He sees. He cares. He is aware.

And best of all,

He is touched by it.”

- Charles R. Swindoll

“Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds

in Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 4:6,7 NIV

September 23, 2008

conviction

“If your state be good,

searching into it

will give you that comfort of it.

If your state be bad,

searching into itcannot make it worse.

Rather, it is the only way

to make it better,

for conversion begins with conviction.”

- Bishop Hopkins

“Examine yourselves…”

- 2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

September 22, 2008

abiding joy

“In a world where there is so much to sadden and depress,

how blessed the communion with Him

in whom is the one true source and fountain

of all true gladness and abiding joy!”

- Archbishop Trench

September 21, 2008

to control me?

“The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt

until they are too strong to be broken.”

- Samuel Johnson

“The unfortunate thing about this world is that

good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.”

- Somerset Maugham

“Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.”
- St. Augustine

“Everything is permissible for me,
but not everything is helpful.
Everything is permissible for me,
but I will not allow anything to control me.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 ISV

September 20, 2008

comes from Thee

“Our Father, we know that everything

beautiful and true and good comes from Thee

and that everything ugly and false and wrong

comes from our trying to live our lives without Thee.

Help us to understand that we cannot be successful

in anything or ever happy or content

without Thy help.

Help us to understand that these bodies of ours

are nothing without the spirit,

which is the life, within.

Help us to learn to draw strength

and joy and courage for all our needs

from Thee. Amen.”

- William A. Clough

September 19, 2008

Do not be afraid.

“Too often we are scared,
scared of what we might not be able to do,
scared of what people might think if we tried,
we let our fears stand in the way of our hopes"
- Author Unknown

“Faith isn't believing without proof -
it's trusting without reservation.”
- William Sloane Coffin

“Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.”
- John 14:27 NIV

September 18, 2008

Pioneer plants, like the lichens and moss above,

can grow in areas where there is little nourishment.
They help to break down or soften up

the areas upon which they grow

providing more nourishment for other plants

thus allowing them to take root and grow.

We too are to be pioneer plants…

providing the Lord’s nourishment

through His Word so that others

may take root in the Lord

and thus also grow in the Spirit.

“The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ,

not the needs of the lost.

We are inclined to look on our Lord

as one who assists us in our endeavors for God.

Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign

and supreme Lord over His disciples.

He does not say that the lost

will never be saved if we don’t go—

He simply says,

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . .

He says,

Go on the basis of the revealed truth

of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching

out of your living experience of Me.’

- Oswald Chambers

(My Utmost for His Highest)

September 17, 2008

Kenilworth Ivy

This smiling little flower

can go un-noticed…

it is so small.

“Discipleship is built entirely

on the supernatural grace of God.

[It requires] the supernatural grace of God

to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint,

going through drudgery,

and living an ordinary, unnoticed,

and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus.

It is ingrained in us that we

have to do exceptional things for God—

but we do not.

We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life,

and holy on the ordinary streets,

among ordinary people—

and this is not learned in five minutes.”

- Oswald Chambers

(My Utmost for His Highest)

September 16, 2008

Yarrow was known as the Soldier’s Woundwort

and was used to pack deep open wounds.

It stopped bleeding, eased pain,

and helped prevent tissue decay.

For all its medicinal value it did not heal souls.

Only the Lord God Almighty can do that.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

- Psalm 147:3 NIV

However we can do our part

to help ease the pain of the human spirit

by doing God’s work…

through caring, love, and prayer.

“How far you go in life

depends on your being tender with the young,

compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving

and tolerant of the weak and strong,

because someday in your life

you will have been all of these.”

- George Washington Carver

“Be there for someone…

you know who…

God watches also

whose heart is so true.”

- Mike Roth

September 15, 2008

mine

“I sit and stare at what we’ve become
What is society doing what has it become
Can we blame our government
Or should we blame ourselves
Constantly buying everything we see on the shelves…”
- Nicholas Casillas
(Greed)

“There is enough in the world for everyone's need,
but not enough for everyone's greed.”
- Frank Buchman

“Put to death, therefore,
whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
- Colossians 3:5 NIV

September 14, 2008

The green here represents the secular
and the purple represents the spirit.

As we grow in the Spirit of Christ

our desires and wants of the secular

become less and less important.

We all differ in our spiritual growth

and every one of us, through sin,

maintain a connection to the secular world.

All Christians here on earth

vary in amounts of the purple and the green.

It isn’t until Christ comes again that

we will finally receive the new “Spirit filled” body

and be free of all sin forever.

Keep growing in the Spirit of Christ.

Your royal robe of purple awaits you.

September 13, 2008

“O Light that never fades,

as the light of the day

now streams through these windows

and floods this room,

so let me open to Thee

the windows of my heart,

that all my life may be filled

by the radiance of Thy presence.”

- John Baillie

September 12, 2008

dawn is coming

“A few months before his death on November 22, 1963,

this brilliant thinker [C. S. Lewis],

greatly used by the Spirit to lead many seekers

to the house of the Father, wrote,

‘Think of yourself just as a seed

patiently waiting in the earth,

waiting to come up a flower

in the Gardener's good time,

up into the real world, the real waking.

I suppose that our whole present life,

looked back from there,

will seem only a drowsy half-waking.

We are here in the land of dreams.

But cockcrow [dawn] is coming...’

I pray that the writings of this unique Christian

will continue to challenge many

in this age of despair and doubt.”

- Johan D. Tangelder

September 11, 2008

Kokomo is a Polydactyl.

That means he has an extra toe…

shown here on his left front paw.

This is considered to be a genetic fault

and cats with this feature should not be used

in a breeding program for any breed.

But just because he is different

and considered to be a genetic fault by man

does not make him any less loved by his owners

and the Master Creator Himself.

Kokomo is a treasure and, no matter what,

so are YOU.

September 10, 2008

open the way

The Holy Spirit is a gift given

to all believers in Jesus without exception,

and no conditions are placed upon this gift

except faith in Christ.

We receive this gift at the moment of salvation.

This is referred to as the indwelling of the Spirit.

However, in order to receive all of His power

that can be exerted through us,

and that we may be fruitful to Him,

we must be filled with and led by the Spirit.

The father of all sins, our pride, our ego, our “self”

is what keeps us from experiencing the fullness of the Lord.
We must open the way to our heart,

removing the defensive layers and barbs of self…

becoming and remaining obedient to God’s commands…

a vessel (His servant) of His outpouring love.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

- Psalm 19:14 NIV

September 9, 2008

broken road

“Will I believe you when you say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Help me to RID my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With the one breath You make me new
Your grace covers all I do.”
From: Walk by Faith
artist (band) – Jeremy Camp

September 8, 2008

the change in us

We all have within us the bright colors of glory

but we must become unattached from the world,

lose the green-ness of spiritual immaturity

and rest totally in the Lord.

Others will see the change in us

as we will stand out brilliantly

from the rest of the world around us.

“…we must die to one life

before we can enter another.”

- Anatole France

September 7, 2008

life’s work

“My nourishment comes from doing
the will of God, who sent me…”

- John 4:34 NLT

“Seek your life’s nourishment in your life’s work.”

- Phillips Brooks

September 6, 2008

Morning Glory

“Give us open eyes, our Father,

to see the beauty all around us

and to see it in Thy handiwork.

Let all lovely things fill us with gladness

and let them lift up our hearts in true worship.
Give us this day, O Lord,

a strong and vivid sense

that thou art by our side.

By Thy grace

let us go nowhere this day

where Thou canst not come

nor court any companionship

that would rob us of Thine.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.”

- Peter Marshall

September 5, 2008

grow in the Spirit

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

- Psalm 139:23,24 NLT

Help me to grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

September 4, 2008

change?
(American Lotus seed pods

in various states of maturity)

If we want to change the world

we must become less worldly,

turn ourselves toward the light,

and dispense the seeds of Spiritual growth.

The change we so desperately want

must originate with us… within our own hearts.

Then, and only then, can we dispense

the seeds of change to others.

Plant the seed and the Lord will see to the harvest.

Trust in God and He will cause each of us, and others,

to bloom with the glorious inner light of

spiritual change.

(American Lotus bloom)

Praise the Lord

the Father of all creation.

September 3, 2008

lead me to the Rock

“You’re going to wear yourself out—

… This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.…

may God be with you……

if God commands you to do so,

then you will be able to endure the pressures.”

- Exodus 18, 19, 23 NIV

“From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

- Psalm 61:2 NIV

September 2, 2008

a still small voice

“And he said, Go forth,
and stand on the mount before the LORD.
And, behold, the LORD passed by,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD;
but the LORD was not in the wind:
and after the wind an earthquake;
but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire;
but the LORD was not in the fire:
and after the fire a still small voice.”
- 1 Kings 19:11,12 AKJV

The Lord has any number of ways to get our attention.
If we are quiet,
sometimes He speaks to us
in a still small voice.

Be comforted and restored…
listen with your heart.

The result is like taking the time to look
very carefully, without distractions,
and finding the simple, but glorious,
tiny simple, common Cinquefoil amidst
a yard of green grass.

September 1, 2008

fountains of Living Water

I used to have a problem with the term self-control
as mentioned in the Bible when the Bible also inferred
that we should “die to self”… giving the Lord full control.

Instead of “self-control” which implies we are in charge,
I have come to believe that we should practice
“control of self”
implying that we should seek not to be in charge
but instead seek surrender of self to the control of the Holy Spirit.

To me, at least, there is a difference… a big difference.

Give control of your life to God
and let the fountains of Living Water
gush forth in a spectacular display
from the Holy Spirit within you.