Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Our view of God...

It is interesting, when people come together, and you hear how they view God. For those who see Him as God Almighty, ever faithful and true to His words (Jesus is the Saviour of ALL men; Jesus came to take away the sin of the world; He is not willing that any should perish, and more), it rejoices my heart. When there are those who say, instead, that He desires that all will be saved, if only they will choose Him as Saviour (otherwise they are doomed to eternal torment), making Him out a liar, I am saddened. I do not argue, for it is not up to me to try and convince anyone. He revealed the glories of His plan of the ages, by His Spirit, and it is the only way we come to know anything. As He has said to me, "What do you have/know that was not given to you?" The answer, nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, I know Him as Lord and Saviour because HE drew me; being dead in trespasses and sins, I wouldn't, couldn't, make any such "decisions for Christ." (Sorry, Billy Graham, but that is not scriptural.) Enough for now. PTL for the freedom, in a blog, to be able to speak/write what is in my heart, resonating in my spirit. And PTL for the Father's love for ALL His creation. Yes, all shall come...each in his own order. Hallelujah!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Mrs. Magillacutty Goes to Hell and Back...

This is a story written by a dear friend, who has given me permission to share it. Once you have read it, I trust you will see why I thought it worth adding here...and what fun it is to read (as well as be instructed thereby)...

Mrs. Magillacutty Goes to Hell and Back
by Jan Antonsson

Sept. 4, 2006
Neosho, MO

This short story is dedicated with love to
Bob and Mary Blattner, who took us to Israel twice!

Ida Mae Magillacutty was bored,

and so she did what she always did when she had nothing else to do. She signed on to the Internet and logged on to a Poker Game site, where she had an account. She told herself as usual, that she'd only play long enough to win back what she had lost, IF she lost anything. She never bet much, but this evening, she couldn't lose. Winning hand after hand after hand added money to her account, until she had the unbelievable amount of $400 in her bankroll. This was making her as nervous as losing usually did, because that's a lot of money. What would her friends at the Third Baptist Church think of her now?
The slightly wicked thought crossed her mind that maybe one of them was playing in this very game. Who would know? She smiled, remembering the old joke that Catholics don't recognize Protestants; Protestants don't recognize the Pope, and Baptists don't recognize each other in Liquor Stores or Online Poker Games. Chuckling to herself at how easily she dodged that bullet of guilt, she looked at the cards she'd just been dealt for the new hand. Ida Mae gasped out loud when she saw she was holding 4 Aces! Four Aces, how rare is that?
The Aces on the screen actually caused her hand to shake slightly as she clutched the computer mouse. She worried,
"Oh my, what shall I do now?" She got up and hugged her kitty Miss Priss, who purred contentedly, but offered no advice. She stroked her other kitty's head, but Taffy had nothing to say either because she was having, well you guessed it, "a cat nap." Ida Mae picked up her half drunk cup of tea and gulped it down, trying to think what to do next. "If I bid right away, they'll know I have Aces," she reasoned, since bluffing was a skill she hadn't learned, and she was so new to the game, she was sure the other players had guessed her good fortune. Good thing they couldn't see her, because she was decidedly NOT wearing a poker face.
She decided to just bide her time and play along, making small bets, to let the pot get bigger. Another player must have had a good hand, because he or she kept bidding it up.
"Surely, nothing would beat 4 Aces, would it?" she worried. She looked it up in her "Beginner's Guide to Poker," and was relieved to see that she did have a winning hand. So, when it came her turn to play next, she bet her entire pot, $400 big ones. She was so nervous, she could scarcely breathe. The guy or gal who had been betting the most called her hand, but when she revealed the 4 Aces, she was the winner of the entire pot, $5,000!
That was an enormous amount of money, and
Ida Mae knew she had to stop right then! She elected to take her money and run. She logged off, turned off the computer, and sat there stunned for a minute. After making herself another cup of tea, into which she put a drop or three of brandy, she had a terrible thought: "My God, I'm a gambler. Horrors, what if someone finds out?" And right after that, a worse thought hit her, "Does this mean I'm going to hell?" Her friends from church were VERY big on hell, not to mention her boss, Miss Upchurch, who seemed to think that any infraction of the rules would send you there in a quick hurry. This was horrible!
Ida Mae wasn't sure what she thought about hell, but
she surely didn't want to become known as a gambler. It would get her tossed out of church and probably fired from her job as well. Worse, what would God think of her? What to do? What to do?
She hardly slept that night,
dreaming she was tossing and turning on a huge poker table with green baize covering, surrounded by poker chips; the devil was lurking nearby, pitchfork in hand, grinning and saying, "Come on down. The weather's fine down here, Ida Mae honey. You're mine now." She woke up with a start, covered in sweat, trembling from head to foot. She had to deal with this like a good Christian should, but how?
Perhaps God took pity upon her; yes, let's just say that. What happened was that the next day,
when she went to work, she saw a flier on her desk, faxed to her by the Pastor of her church, Rev. Gooddeeds. It was an announcement of a trip to Israel the church was sponsoring, and offering a discount on the trip to the first 10 people who signed up. Would you believe that her $5,000 winnings would be just enough, with a little spending money left over? "Wow," she thought, "This is just what I need. Maybe if I go to the 'holy land' God will forgive me for this terrible thing I have done." So, she called up Pastor Gooddeeds and told him to count her in. She was among the first 10 who called and thus qualified for the discount.
That decisive action eased her guilt over the gambling for quite a few weeks, but then
when the war started between Israel and Lebanon, she was terrified. Who knew that bombs could reach all the way from Lebanon to the Sea of Galilee? Or maybe even further? Maybe this was God's way to punish her. What if she was killed in Israel, and then went to hell anyway as judgment for the sin of gambling? "Oh horrors, this is awful!" she moaned, but she'd already paid her money, and couldn't back out. And the worst part was she couldn't tell anybody what was troubling her.
One good thing was that
Mrs. Goodie and Miss Percy, her friends from church had signed up for the trip as well, so if she died, she wouldn't be alone. Finally the trip was upon them. She packed carefully, only taking what she wouldn't miss if a bomb blew up her bags.
Much to her surprise, the flight over was long, but uneventful. She couldn't sleep on the plane, however, and was really punchy when they arrived in Tel Aviv.
She and her two friends finally got through customs, and after some rude questions and much bag and purse searching by the Israeli officials, they boarded the bus to take them to their hotel.
Because of the bombing in Northern Israel, the tour guide explained they'd be starting the trip in Jerusalem and hopefully, the war would be over in time for them to visit Mount Carmel and the Northern part of the Sea of Galilee. He assured them that the Israeli Defense Force was competent, diligent, and perfectly able to keep them safe. He added, "No terrorists are going to keep us from living our lives or you from seeing our beautiful country." It sounded good and Ida Mae was reassured, slightly.
They stayed the night at the Jerusalem Hilton Hotel. No bombs were forthcoming; the food was excellent; the beds soft, and tired from the trip, Ida Mae and her two companions slept very well indeed.
The next morning,
after a marvelous buffet breakfast featuring Israeli produce, including a zillion kinds of olives, many types of breads and rolls, cereal, yogurt, eggs, smoked fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, and lots of coffee, they boarded the bus for the Old City of Jerusalem. Ida Mae and her friends loved all the items for sale and the vendors hawking their wares. It was sort of like a Walmart outside, she thought, because you could buy almost anything from padded bras, to fresh spices, bread, clothes, shoes, luggage, and souvenirs, most of them made of olive wood.
They had lunch there at a little outdoor deli. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fine. After walking the stations of the cross, and visiting several holy shrines, they finally boarded the bus to go back to the hotel.
Driving along through the streets of Jerusalem was an exercise in repentance and faith, for never had Ida Mae seen such wild and reckless driving. The little cars whizzed along so close to the bus that she was sure they'd be crushed under its wheels. At one point, at an intersection, the bus driver opened the door and the Israeli guide began to shout and gesture at another bus which was blocking their way. He spoke Arabic, which she didn't understand, but from the gestures and smoke pouring out his ears, she was sure a fight would ensue. The fracas passed as quickly as it began, and they drove on peacefully.
When they passed through what looked like another urban neighborhood, their guide stood up, turned on his mike, and announced,
"Well, now you can tell your friends back home that you've been to hell and back. This is Gehenna." Ida Mae didn't understand what he meant and so she stuck up her hand and asked.
"Oh," he explained, "Gehenna is the Greek word for the Valley of Ben Hinnom, where we are right now. It's what your American Bibles refer to as 'hell,' but in the time of Christ, it really was the city dump where the garbage was incinerated. The fire was kept burning day and night."
Ida Mae was stunned, because if hell was where the bad people (probably the gamblers) went when they died, how could this be hell?
"Why didn't Pastor Gooddeeds tell us about this? Doesn't He know?"
She stuck up her hand again and asked,
"You mean THIS is hell?"
"Yes, ma'am," the guide answered with a wicked grin on his face. "This is 'hell.' You're driving through it. Now you can say you've been to hell and back."
He laughed out loud at his joke, but Ida Mae was confused and more than a little angry. She felt duped, relieved too, but boy did this raise a lot of questions.
She thought of nothing else as they drove back to the hotel, enjoyed a delicious dinner buffet, and then prepared for bed.
She couldn't talk to her friends about this because they didn't know any more than she did, and they were as afraid of hell as she was. After they fell asleep, she got out of bed, put on her clothes, and went down to the hotel lobby where she found a comfortable seat hidden behind a plastic palm tree. She whispered, "Lord what happened today?"
She was hoping He would show up in person like He did at Christmas, but this time, she heard His voice in her mind's ear.
"Ida Mae, do you really think I failed in my mission on earth?"
Not knowing exactly what He meant, she asked,
"Which one?"
"Taking away the sins of the world."
"Oh, no, Lord. You couldn't fail," she stammered.
"Then why are you so afraid you'll go to hell when you die? Didn't I die for your sins?"
"Yes, You did, Lord, and we all appreciate it so much, but well, I keep sinning, like that gambling stuff, and the brandy and all that. And sometimes, I don't really want to go to church, but I do it because I'm afraid You'll be mad at me if I don't. For sure, the Pastor will."
"Ida Mae, do you think that my blood is a sufficient antidote for your sins? Or, did I waste my time and yours on the cross?"
"Of course You didn't; I mean Your blood is sufficient to take away sins, but what if I keep on sinning?"
"Then my blood keeps on taking away the sin, but you know what the real problem is Ida Mae?"
She shook her head
"No."
"The problem is," the Lord continued, "that you don't know that I'm the one who keeps you from sinning from the inside out. When you depend on yourself, you will always fail, but I can't fail. Can you trust me?"
Ida Mae feared this might be a trick question, because
if she said she did trust Him, and kept on sinning, then she had lied to God, but if she said she didn't trust Him, then she had insulted God to His face.
She put her head in her hands and began to cry softly,
"I don't know, Lord. I don't seem to be able to do anything very well by myself."
"That's the point exactly," the Lord said, and though she couldn't see Him, she knew He had a smile on His face. "I love you; I died for you; I live in you, and I am going to personally see to it that you make it to heaven when you die, which by the way, isn't going to happen on this trip."
"But why have You let Pastors scare us to death with hell?" she protested.
When He didn't answer, she knew that the conversation was over. She would liked to have that question answered, but really,
she had the best answer of all, which is that Christ died for her sins; hell was a literal place on earth, not something she had to fear after she died, and that made her very happy, and Christ Himself had promised to bring her safely to heaven when she did die.
Ida Mae went back to her room with a smile on her face, put on her night gown and crawled into bed for the best night's sleep she could ever remember.
The next morning, she told her friends,
"It's a beautiful day to see Israel. Let's enjoy this trip and not worry about bombs or sin or hell, for God is going to take care of us now and forever. Amen."

The End

And all the people said, "Amen!"

Jan and Lenny Antonsson
The Glory Road

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Ahhhhh

In an old Union Life magazine, I came across another way of looking at "Ahhhh...", by a Bruce Willis...
"In the early days of the charismatic, house-churches, we sang a song that used the word, "Ah!":
Ah! Lord God. Ah! Lord God,
Behold, You have made heaven and earth
By Your great power and outstretched arm.
There is nothing too hard for You,
There is nothing too hard for You.
Whatever happened to the Ah!...
When a botanist looks at a flower, he describes its many parts: petals, stem, stamen, etc., often using Latin words which confuse the amateur.
When an ornithologist studies a bird, he does a similar thing, thus blinding the uninitiated with science. When a theologian ponders the nature of God, he, too, uses technical jargon, outdoing the botanist by employing both Greek and Latin!
When a child, or the childlike, sees a flower, a bird...sees God, what is his response? Often it just cannot be expressed in eloquent words. So the ultimate "word" comes naturally into play..."Ah!" Or could it be "Oh!", or "Oooh!"
Once we lose our sense of speechless awe and wonderment at God and the things of God, we rapidly descend into the institutionalized habit of having to explain everything, thus paradoxically making it more obscure, deadly!
Lord, help us to avoid this malady, and never tire of expressing, "Ah!...Lord God!"
How true it is. But have found something even sadder - using today's slang to describe the wonders of Father's creation. There was someone who, upon returning from Grand Canyon, said, "It was really neat!" Neat? Not stupendous, or glorious, or awesome, or magnificent, or...the countless other adjectives that we use to try and put into words the wonder of that place...No. simply, "Neat!"
Alas, alas...

Saturday, December 8, 2007

AH - At Home

What a delightful and touching discovery...
AH...not a sigh of relief, but an acronym for "At Home".
Home is where the heart is.
Home is a place of welcoming love, non-judgmental acceptance, kisses, and hospitality - elements that produnce a profound sense of belonging.
Such is not always the case in our own homes - for some, home is exactly the opposite of this description. Sad...but we rejoice that, in Christ, this description almost fits (I say almost, because in Him, the "home" is even better. Wonderfully better).
"Make your in Me, and I make Mine in you..." John 15:4
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word [and His word is not difficult]. My Father will love him [PTL, He surely does!!], and We shall come to him, and make Our home with him."
Now isn't that joyous "glad tidings"!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sharing thoughts...

Sharing thoughts

This is something from a previous blog. It had some thoughts that wanted to share, and so...decided I would copy and past this one here. Worth repeating... Anyway, a friend sent me to a site where I could hear the music, and see the words, to a wonderful song about God's love. It is a bit long, so will share the last verse [and refrain], which says it all:
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints and angels song.

Recently, I watched a video, Agent of Grace, about Dietrich Bonhoeffer...it is a stirring reminder of cost of discipleship, and the peace and joy, in the midst of suffering Toward the end of the movie, shortly before his execution, he says these words: "... after the war, Christians will speak a new language, one which was relevant to the rest of the world, a language that would be powerful, and often shocking, because it would say to the world that God has declared peace with men." Glorious words, prophetic words, of our God and Father, Saviour and Lord, who is working ALL things after the counsel of HIS will...which is the salvation of all. Amen.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Interesting...

Interesting is the term I used to describe something I read today in a Letter to the Editor. It went as follows:
"We are coming into a new season. The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ (sic). To some, Lord and Saviour, sent by God to save ALL (emphasis mind) from our fallen state. This free gift is for you and for me. Let us remember: Jesus is the reason for the season.
Saw this on a bulletin board this morning, and it got my attention. Author unknown.
Suppose I live my life for God, and believe in heaven and hell.
Suppose you live your life apart from God and do not consider heaven and hell.
Suppose we both die.
Suppose you were correct, and there is no heaen or hell. What have I lost?
Suppose I was correct, and there is a God, and heaven and hell. What have you lost?"
What struck me as interesting is his first statement that Jesus was sent to be the Saviour of all - but somehow the all is overlooked in the following list of "Suppose..." (not his words, but, apparently, he agreed with them).
I rejoice that Jesus Christ is indeed the Saviour of ALL!! Not a "wannabe" Saviour; not a "Gee, I wish I could have saved all" kind of Saviour, but, glory to God, SAVIOUR OF ALL!!!
"As in Adam all are dying, even so in Christ are all being made alive, each in his own order" Not all at once, but in His timing and in His way.
Once I asked Father why it was that all His own people, anyway, did not see His glorious plan of the ages - and even became angry when such a possibility was mentioned. His response was a question to me: "What do you have that was not revealed to you?" Ah, yes - any truth I have has been the gift of Him, by the Spirit of revelation.
And so...in HIS time, in HIS way, according to HIS plan, all shall be known. Amen.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Glorious news!

What more glorious news could there be to the human race than to know that God is great, He is glorious, He is majestic, AND, He is love, mercy, peace, life, and joy to each and every one in His creation. All at once? No, for scripture tells us that while "ALL are dying in Christ, and ALL are being made alive (zöe - God's life) in Christ," it shall be "each man in his own order." I Corinthians 15:22-23a. What a joy to know this, and be blessed with how some have been able to put it into words so succinctly...

JACQUES ELLUL, FAMOUS FRENCH PHILOSOPHER, WRITER (1912-1994)

(Universalism, Ultimate Reconciliation, Universal Reconciliation, Apocatastasis, The Larger Hope, The Greater Faith, The Doctrine of Inclusion, Restoration of All, The Victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ)

"Am I a pessimist? Not at all. I am convinced that the history of the human race, no matter how tragic, will ultimately lead to the Kingdom of God .

I am convinced that all the works of humankind will be reintegrated in the work of God; and that each of us, no matter how sinful, will ultimately be saved. Salvation is universal because the love of God encompasses all.

If God is God, and if God is love, nothing is outside the love of God.

A place like hell is thus inconceivable. The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is not one of salvation. Salvation is given by grace to everyone. Christians are simply those charged by God with a special mission. The meaning of being a Christian is not working at your own little salvation, but changing human history.

It is inconceivable that the God who gives Himself in His Son to save us, should have created some people ordained to evil and damnation. There can only be one predestination to salvation. In and through Jesus Christ, all people are predestined to be saved.

Our free choice is ruled out in this regard. God wants free people, except in relation to this last and definitive decision. We are not free to decide and choose to be damned." "Being saved or lost does not depend on our own free decision. An explicit confession of Jesus Christ is not the condition for salvation. Salvation is always for everyone, by grace. All people are included in the grace of God. A theology of grace implies universal salvation."

JACQUES ELLUL (1912-1994)

Professor at the University of Bordeaux

Until God calls, we do not hear, and do not know of this wonderful salvation He has provided; when He calls, then...we respond, and Christ comes into our life, and then we know...In time, His time, all will be called, and then God will be All IN all. 1 Cor. 15:28 Amen!

Incidentally, it would be helpful to remember that Jesus did not speak English...the word "hell" is an English word, and has taken on a meaning never meant in scripture...

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Truth...or hype...

"Would you like some facts suggesting that humans are not responsible for the current very small change in temperature? Most of the global temperature increase of the last 100 years occurred before most of the man-made CO2 was produced. Of human-produced Carbon Dioxide (CO2), human impact on global temperature may be as little as 1% of that one degree increase. CO2 in the atmosphere is thought to be the biggest contributor to temperature change, yet do the enviro-police mention the truth that 97% of atmospheric CO2 is from volcanoes? Its known that sunspot activity is one of the larger influencers of global temp changes. Do you recall that some 30 years ago we were told global temperatures had actually been dropping since 1945, and scientists warned of "another Ice-Age"? Temps are cyclic overtime as many periods of warmer/colder temps are noted in historic literature and maps." (Much information is available... try going to "The Global Warming Deception", filmed by the BBC...among other things.)

It would seem that many people would rather believe the worst, no matter the lack of facts, than consider why there has been such fear mongering. From "Ice Age" (up until the 1970s) to, now, "global warming - and severe consequences." Even here, it might be wise to "follow the money," as they say.

As with ALL things, I see God in control - as He has been from the beginning - of EVERYthing! Man is fickle, and looks for reasons to fear, to cause fear, to empower himself. Amazing - the vast majority (even of Christians) fall in line with such thinking. Enough said...

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The treasure in us!!!

Smileycons!

Yes, the treasure - TREASURE - IS in us. We are TREASURE BOXES!!!
2 Cor. 4:7 says, "...we have this treasure in earthen vessels..."
Col. 2:3 says, "In whom (Christ) are hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge..."; and the Amp. Version has, "In Him, all the tresures of [divine]wisdom [of comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]and [all the riches of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and hidden]"
Since we are ONE W. CHRIST, then we have that treasure IN us...
The word "treasure" is the Gr. "thesauros", and our word [of each of us] is in this thesaurus.
A thesaurus = a lexicon, treasury, storehouse; a book which contains words and all their various meanings, shades of meanings, nuances.
Therefore, each of us is a "word" in that "treasury". We live out [express] all the ways that our word can be expressed.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Hard things

War, any war, is ugly - and there has never been a war in which there hasn't been a number of people against it. There is loss of life, terrible loss...and yet...and yet, sometimes a war must be fought (at least as long as we are in a fallen world, there will be "wars, and rumours of war") - and so there are many who feel that the war in Iraq was one of those wars, that must be fought.

In this country, there are strong opinions on both sides, which, sadly, are being handled and manifested in a terribly ugly way (yes, another kind of "war", and just as "ugly"). What is interesting is this piece from a writing about the war in Iraq, written by a man who has been there, watching, hearing what the military there are saying, and doing. I share this portion of his article:

"The fight isn't only shared by the Americans and the Iraqis. Ten days ago, the Marne Division assumed control of the Wasit Province. Camp Delta, the base our troops operate from, which is home to American, Georgian (from the nation not our beautiful home-state), El Salvadoran, Kazakh, Polish, and Romanian units. Beginning this month, an entire brigade with three battalions from the country of Georgia will deploy to Iraq and help us conduct combat operations.

The Georgians asked to join the fight, and their government has given them no restrictions other than to treat them like every other tactical brigade. In the fifth year of this war, a country whose military is only four years old, is stepping up and joining the fight.

Just this weekend, I met a 37-year old specialist from Sweden who joined our Army because he believes the United States is "the best country in the world." [Would that those blessed to be born here and experience the wonders of what this land has to offer, agreed with this man, instead of expressing hatred and anger against it.] Once a Swedish journalist heard about him, she flew to Iraq to tell his story. Not only does this soldier receive fan mail, but many Swedish men want to join the United States Army because of his contributions to freedom. After this deployment, he wants to become an officer or join the Special Forces. His belief in American ideals moves me."

Along with everyone else, I pray for the end of this war, a successful end, where the Iraqi people will have the opportunity to begin to experience the freedoms we have here. A hard battle - but then, anyone who knows American history, knows the horror, the length of that war, the battle against those who did not want the Revolution to succeed, in order to have this United States of America. I rest in knowing that no matter how it all seems to be playing out, it IS part of the plan and counsel of Almighty God, who will have HIS way, and end up with a creation even better than at the beginning. Do I understand? No, but I do trust! In the end, all will be His, for Jesus Christ IS the Saviour of ALL men. Each and every one. Glory to God!

Friday, September 7, 2007

A wonderful word

There is a truly glorious word in Greek that speaks of the completeness of Christ's work on the Cross. It is: Tetelestai. Tetelestai is a Greek word meaning 'paid in full'. Back in Bible times, when someone paid off his bill in the marketplace, he would run through the streets shouting "tetelestai, tetelestai, my debt is paid in full!"
When Jesus was on the cross, His last words were, "It is finished," or, in the Greek, 'tetelstai', meaning the debt is paid. In FULL!. He was referring to the debt for our sins. Jesus paid the debt for our sins in full on the cross. Totally!!! Always, for all time!
Mankind owes a debt for our sins that we can never repay. We can never outweigh the good with the bad. But the Good News is that we don't have to. Jesus paid the full debt. Not one whit left undone!!!
By the way, back in the 1600s, when the Bible was being translated in England, the common people understood that word, gospel, to be "the good, glad, merry news that makes a man fairly leap for joy!" Oh that we would hear that same expression these days. Alas, more often than not, the "good" news is presented as bad news. Poor God (a minister once actually said that) - He would like to have His own way, but...man's will is stronger.
PTL that is NOT true. God is God, and He is having HIS way - He shall have ALL saved (which is why Jesus Christ is called the "Saviour of the WORLD.")
Amen

Monday, July 30, 2007

As always. LIFE!!

It has been many moons since I last wrote anything - the computer went away for over 2 months. Now it is back, all is well (pretty much), and I can, once again, write some thoughts.
Much has been learned, as Father has taken me through some times of learning - learning to wait, learning to be ever more flexible (discovered I was a bit more rigid than realized); and finding His love, strength, and leading never fail. Painful? Of course, at times - but worth it.

Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and "going to church" (I put that phrase in quotes, since, to me, it is impossible to "go to church." As Charles Schulz put it, how can we "go to" what we ARE). It's actually living the Word (Christ) as His in us life unfolds day to day.
We are the apple of His eye; and even though we have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing, and picked us up on a hill called Calvary, and paid in full for our "damaged" fruit.
And, hallelujah, we are no longer "damaged" - we are now new creations in Christ, HIS workmanship, and He is fulfilling His will in our lives. Whatever the cost - and, of course, that can hurt...but only as long as is needful to form Christ in us.
AMEN!!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

What do we think of God?

What do we think God is like? It matters, for our view of God affects our theology, and our theology affects our view of God.
Andrew Jukes summed it up in this manner: "For our views of God re-act upon ourselves. By an eternal law, we must more or less be changed into the likeness of the God we worship. If we think Him hard, we become hard. If we think Him careless of men's bodies and souls, we shall be careless also. If we think Him love, we shall reflect something of His loving-kindness."
Malcolm Smith did an interesting survey - he asked quite a few people what they thought of God. A few said powerful, the rest said Judge - and not one said Love.
A sad commentary on how Christians think of Him...GOD is love!!! That is His essence. All the rest are attributes, and all are resting on the foundation of love. They do not come into action unless Love says, "Yes."
What a difference it makes, knowing HE is love, in how we treat, look at, others.
Amen!
Smileycons!

Monday, April 16, 2007

A beautiful day...

PTL and...was able to make the connection easily, and arrive at this destination. Ah, miracles still happen!
It is a beautiful day here, with the sun shining, and pleasant temperatures. Yes, it is wonderful. What saddens me is the news that someone decided to kill 20+ young people at Virginia Tech. I think, Father, why would anyone do that - what kind of hatred boiled up inside this man and caused him to want to murder?
I do not understand, but I do trust, and believe...Scripture makes it clear that it is HE who rules in the affairs of man (read Daniel 4 - even applied to Nebuchadnezzar, surely an evil rules). The Lord does not explain - and Jesus never made excuses for or tried to explain what His Father did, was doing, and would do.
Therefore, in the face of this evil, and of all the evil in the world, I stand fast, knowing that evil will be with us only UNTIL such time as it has wrought whatever the Lord had in mind for it to accomplish, and then...it shall be taken out, and "the glory of the LORD will cover the earth as the water covers the sea," and the end shall be even more wondrous than the beginning. Amen!!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Life

It would seem that the blog I had before (it is out there somewhere) has experienced some "plastic surgery" - without a by-your-leave, I am now with google's blog system. Is it more exotic, with more options? Of course. Was I completely satisfied with the earlier, "archaic" arrangement? Oh yes. However, the Lord opens opportunities for me to adjust to change - and guess that if I want to include some of what is over in that "other blog", can have people go there still (yes, it DOES exist) and read what I wrote...and then, if interested, they can come here. Maybe it will work that way. Who knows.
Anyway, I had planned a short and sweet, and wonderfully delightful, one-liner on the other blog, but...shall simply include it here: "Jesus Christ is God's kiss on the nose of the world!" Now isn't that something to make you smile, and rejoice?!!!