The Kingdom of Heaven is Near

The Scripture for today is Matthew 3:1-6 3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

This weekend, Gary and I had the opportunity and privilege to be a part of World Mandate 2014.  The theme for the weekend was “That All May Know”.  That ALL would  know about the love and salvation found in Jesus Christ.  We enjoyed incredible worship and a variety of godly speakers.  One of the speakers was Jimmy Seibert, the founder and senior pastor of Antioch Community Church, the church that started World Mandate 26 years ago.  During his message, Jimmy taught that each generation has had the opportunity to be the LAST GENERATION.  Each generation has had the opportunity to spread the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth.  Each generation?  My generation?  My children’s generation?

There were barely 120 people left with Jesus at the end (Acts 1:16).  Today, there are 2.1 billion people in the world that identify with Jesus in some way.  1 billion people believe that Jesus Christ is “The Way, The Truth and The Life”.  From 120 brothers and sisters to 1 billion – what an INCREDIBLE MOVEMENT of the Gospel.  1 billion brothers and sisters saved – the Kingdom of heaven has come near.  Yet, God’s kingdom is not fully realized  – there are another 6 billion brothers and sisters living in darkness.  6 billion brothers and sisters who do not know the love of their Father in Heaven, who do not live under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.  6 billion brothers and sisters who need us, Jesus’ Kingdom people, to reach out to them and share the good news of what the love of Christ has done in their lives.

These numbers – 120 to 1 billion believers; 6 billion more that are lost in darkness; - these numbers are pretty overwhelming to me.  How do I, an ordinary woman in a suburban town, make a difference in God’s kingdom?  How do I help bring others under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ?  Honestly – I don’t know.  But I know where to start.  I will BEGIN WITH PRAYER and I will CONTINUE WITH PRAYER.  I will pray for the rule and reign of Jesus in my life; I will pray for wisdom and discernment in determining how I can be the hands and feet in God’s kingdom; I will pray that I heed Christ’s call to join him in his reign coming.

Dear Jesus, I thank you for your rule and reign in my life.  Thank you for allowing me to join you in your work throughout your kingdom.  Give me a soft heart for your lost ones and help me to love and serve “the least of these”.  I love you, Jesus!  I worship you Father!  I adore you Spirit!

Kelly

Saturday's Blog

Welcome to the POG Blog! Today is Saturday which means YOU get to start the discussion on today’s scripture!  What is it saying to you today?  How does it relate to your life right now?  How does it relate to the message from Sunday?  Enjoy reading, meditating, and sharing your thoughts with others today!

Today’s Scripture is:    Psalm 61

¹ Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

² 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. ³ For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. ⁵ For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶ Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. ⁷ May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

⁸ Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

"You didn't know any better - but you do now!"

I Peter 1:13-21

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing.

You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

You call out to God for help and He helps – He’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, He’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought.

Even though it has only lately – at the end of the ages – become public knowledge, God always knew He was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, Whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

“What today, Father? What do you want me to read and see and hear from You? what does this have to ‘Hallowing Your Name?” Amen.

I used to think that Hallowing God’s Name meant to not speak the Name of God in a profane way. To keep His Name special. To stand up for Him when someone “cusses” with God’s Name. But as we have been learning in this current study of The Lord’s prayer, I see it is so much more. “I didn’t know any better – but I do now.” I claim to be a “Christian” and therefore, I am a walking advertisement about God. The way I as a “Christ Follower” live will either bring honor and glory to God, or will slander Him. When people watch me and my life, do they say, “If that is what being a Christian looks like? – Then thank, you, but no thanks.”   I so do not want to smear my Lord and Savior in that way. I want people to look at me as a “Christian” and want to know more about God and how He is a wonderful Father Who loves them and saves them!

I look at the following verses and perhaps I used to think they were full of “rules” or “demands” or “restrictions”. But now, with a different lens, they carry a reminder to remember that how I live reflects on Jesus – and therefore, that is why I should desire to change the way I live, instead of slipping back into old grooves that mar His Holy Name… and if I put my name into the verse, it is a big wake-up call to seriously consider the implications of how I do bring honor or do not bring honor to my Father in Heaven.

"Dawn, don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now.

Dawn, allow yourself to be pulled into a way of life shaped by My life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. I, God said, “I am holy;  ---  you be holy, too, Dawn.”

You call out to me for help and I help – I am a good Father that way! (so if I call out to my Good Father for help one minute – I dare not slander His Name the next minute by the way I live.)

Dawn, your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of Me. It cost Me plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. I paid with My Son’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought.

I always knew I was going to do this for you, Dawn. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, Whom I then raised from the dead and glorified, that you can trust Me, and that you know you have a future in Me."

“Father, help me on this journey, to be fully conscious of You, Your Holy Name, and how my life will point people TO You, or AWAY from You. Please forgive me for the many times I have NOT made Your Name Holy and how my life may have caused someone to NOT want anything to do with You. Thank You for giving Your Son, Jesus Christ to save me. And help me, from this day onward, to be aware of how I treat You and Your Name.  Amen.”

9.16.14 "Hallowing God’s name …"

Ezekiel 36: 22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.  23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

I’m sure that I’ve recited the Lord’s Prayer thousands of times over my life and never once connected these words of praise and reverence … “Hallowed be thy name” with the verses in Ezekiel 36.  In these verse, God is extremely unhappy with his people in Babylon.  They are not “hallowing” his name, but are living as the heathens that surround them.  Through their actions they are "profaning his name among the nations".  Yet, despite this, the God of the Israelites (our God) is a God of grace and mercy.  He promises them many wonderful blessings (see tomorrow’s blog) and He promises to restore “hallowed-ness” to his name through his people.

So, as we recite the phrase “Hallowed be thy name” at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, we shouldn’t take for granted that we’ve got this covered.  Our personal praising of God surely hallows Him, but that is not enough.  We also hallow His name through our thoughts and our actions while on here on earth.  When others see who we are and how we live our lives, we reflect our God.  We must continually live our lives showing honor, glory and hallow-ness for our God!

Blessings, jdh

9.15.2014 "Name above all Names"

  Dear Lord Jesus,

Please help me to listen and hear your message through today's scripture verses. Help me to let go of all that is clogging my mind, cleanse me of everything but you and your words.

Amen

Philippians 2:5-11

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So this is what came to my mind after reading this.  My simple interpretation:

Jesus became like a human, so that humans can become like Jesus, in that we too shall have eternal life and glory with him!

Jesus is exalted above all, and his name like Our Heavenly Father is to be honored above all, and one day it will be by everyone.

Trying to understand this more, I need to make it as simple as possible.

Jesus is God.

He became like a human and that meant giving up his powers. He was limited by his physical body, but his Spirit was stronger than his flesh and helped him to endure temptations of the flesh, like hunger and thirst.  It helped him to endure the suffering he went through and death. His flesh died, but rose back to life by the power of His Spirit.

As a man God worked through him to show the people that He came from the Father and does nothing without the Father.

Now Just as Jesus humbled himself and was obedient to death so that he could be raised to life and sent us his Holy Spirit, we also must die to ourselves, our human nature ; so that by grace the Holy Spirit of God can live inside of us and help us to have the same mindset as Christ.  

I understand this in my mind, but explaining it, so it makes sense to others; especially those who have never heard all of this, is not so easy.

Then actually walking and living in the Spirit is also difficult because we are also battling with our flesh!

As Pastor Delton shared his own inner battle story with us, in his sermon, I was thinking of my own inner battle that I had early Sunday morning.

I woke up early and wanted to get up and read the rest of the book Humility- by Andrew Murray.  The overall message of the book is that we must die to ourselves in order to live by the Spirit of Christ Jesus. I had only the last two chapters to read, but as I read My mind wandered to things that I needed to get done before my family woke up.  So I read a few pages and then put in a load of laundry.  I read a little more and did a few other things.  As I was finishing up the book, the last chapter was about actually living a holy humble life.

I began thinking first of all the things that I don’t like to do, starting with chores at home. My laundry room had been in need of cleaning for weeks, but I never took the time to really clean it.  Today, the Spirit gave me strength to do what my weak flesh wanted me to put off.  I thought about Jesus being like a servant and washing his disciples feet, of being persecuted and suffered so terribly for us;, for me. He didn't want to go through all that if there was another way, but there wasn't. He loved us so much, that he put us first, before himself!

I felt convicted that I was not living a life of humility, but letting my selfishness and pride guide me, and not the Holy Spirit.  So after cleaning the laundry room and doing a load of laundry, I decided to make my family some breakfast.  But now, again, I am bragging so you can see that I became a servant to my family.  Pride! It always wants to shine. Shifting my thinking from wanting praise and acknowledgement, for my own glory, to one of humility and becoming nothing to myself so that I can be a vessel for God to shine through for his glory. So that His name is honored and praised, not mine!

Jesus was my motivator today, his prompting, and his word helped me to try and walk by His Spirit. It’s a beginning.  Like a baby learning to walk. Walking in the Spirit, changing bad habits of the flesh to good habits of the Spirit, happens one step, at a time.  Letting go of the old self takes time and work, but we are not alone in this it is by His power and strength that we are able to be like Christ here in the flesh. Our job is to obey, God’s job is to work through us. We just have to let him!

Well, it's late Sunday night and I need to send this off to our faithful blog editor.

I'm not sure if it makes any sense to anyone, but I hope it does.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

Patrice

Saturday's Blog

Welcome to the POG Blog! Today is Saturday which means YOU get to start the discussion on today’s scripture!  What is it saying to you today?  How does it relate to your life right now?  How does it relate to the message from Sunday?  Enjoy reading, meditating, and sharing your thoughts with others today!

Today’s Scripture is:    Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ²     He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³     he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

9.11.14 "See How Much the Father Loves Us"

Lord, thank you for this new day and a new opportunity to celebrate the indwelling of your Holy Spirit and the power to live as you direct.  Amen  

Luke 15:17-24 (NIV)

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Charlie Mackesy is a British artist who was searching for the meaning of life when a friend brought him to Holy Trinity Brompton, the church in central London from which the Alpha Course grew.  Though he was initially put off by everything in the service, Charlie decided to give Alpha a try.  During the course Charlie became a Christ follower and experienced the love of God the father in a very profound way.

He was particularly moved by the parable of the prodigal son, which is our passage for today. Many times since giving his life to Jesus, Charlie has sketched, painted and sculpted the image of the Father hugging his son.  He believes that the image of the father’s embrace, communicates the very essence of God’s love and grace in each of our lives. You can see one of his sculptures of the prodigal at this link. http://charliemackesy.com/sculptures/marlborough-bronze.jpg.php

Several years ago, Charlie gave one of his bronze renditions of the prodigal to Holy Trinity Brompton where it stands on the altar as a visual reminder of how much God our Father accepts and loves us.  Every time I see Charlie’s depiction of the prodigal, I am moved to tears because I realize that I am the one in the Father’s embrace.

Lord, thank you for being my Father and for showing me the greatness of your love and forgiveness today and each day of my life. Amen

jhf

09.09.14 " Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" ~ Jesus

Matthew 6:25-34 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I really love this passage.  What awesome reassurance to know that we are so greatly loved by the CREATOR of the Universe.  It is so easy to get caught up in the rush and anguish over things so not in our control.  My very best friend and I communicate at least twice a year.  Our birthdays…we were born 11 days apart, in the same hospital, same delivery room, same doctor.  I’m the oldest and when it works to my advantage I let him know it.  When it worked to his advantage he’d also let me know it.  We grew up together, grade school through high school only separating during college and then still hooking up (as the kids say) whenever possible.  Christmas or New Years was the other event that inspired us to connect.  This New Year, 2014 was very special for him.  He declared he was finally going to retire.  This was it.  My friend could have retired at least five years ago, but he explained things weren’t quite right.  He had at that time just remarried and he had plans of building or buying their retirement dream home.  He wanted to accomplish this and pay for it all at the time of his retirement.  No debt, no worries.  Good bye tension, hello pension.  He was very excited because he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I spoke with him again in early February ahead of our usual schedule.  During a routine annual check-up the doctors had discovered a spot on one of his lungs.  Within just a few short weeks our worst fears were realized, it was cancer.  Suddenly everything changed.  Our now more frequent communications were more deliberate and meaningful.  At first we tried to avoid talking about the possibility of us not doing all that stuff in retirement we’d plan to do together.  The instinct is to fight and avoid the negative.  We all make plans to live.  But even though we still laughed about the stupid stuff we did growing up and still wanted to do, we found ourselves talking more about the future, a future beyond those feeble little earthly plans we made.  We began to talk more about eternity and how silly it was to worry so much about the little things we consumed our days with.

My best friend retired earlier than expected on June 30, 2014.   Less than a month later on July 22, 2014 he stepped into eternity.   No more debt, no more worries, peace in the mighty arms of GOD.

Almighty CREATOR of the universe, thank YOU so much for best friends, good times, and the opportunity to learn and share what is really valuable in our earthly walk.  Thank YOU for spelling it out so beautifully for us in YOUR word and in the lives of those we love.  Thank YOU most of all for sending YOUR SON to secure eternity for us.  In CHRIST name we pray, Amen!

Jim L.

9.8.2014 "Why do we Pray?"

9.8.2014   Why do we Pray?  

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you alone are God. You are the creator and sustainer of all. Help us Lord to be still and to focus our thoughts on you alone. Teach us what you want us to know from this passage.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Matthew 6:5-8    NIV

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Why do I pray?

Do I pray to show others how much I love God and how much I know?

Are my prayers between God and me alone or are they for others to hear and tell me what a nice prayer that was?

Do I pray to glorify God and God alone because He alone is worthy of all my worship and praise?

Do I humbly yet confidently come to Him bringing Him praise and my prayer request?

As I ponder these questions I realize these verses are talking about my motives when I pray.

It is all about my motives.  When I pray with others I need to have my focus on God only so that I concentrate on Him even as I pray with others not in front of them.  When I pray with my focus on God He will see and hear me and will reward me.  Do I seek to please God alone with my prayers? Is that my true and only motive when I pray?

It is such a privilege to be able to pray to the God who created everything.  He is Almighty God and all Powerful yet He desires to spend time with me and He loves me to earnestly come to Him in prayer and He even rewards me.  He wants ME to come to Him, to love Him, and to ask Him for things I need in a personal, engaged way.  I can read or recite a prayer or pray for the same thing over and over but I need to be personally engaged with all my mind and heart.  I cannot just say words but I must think about them and mean them.  He is my Father and I can just talk to Him.  He loves our time together and I do too.

God always listens to me and hears me when I pray.  What a wonderful God.

I need to be sure my motive is to love God and to earnestly desire to spend time with Him when I pray.

Will you join me in examining your prayer time with our Holy God?

Charleen

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for listening to us and for always hearing us when we pray.   Thank you for loving us and that we can come to you anytime in any condition and you will welcome us and rejoice that we are there.   We love you and ask you to help us have the right motives when we pray.

In Jesus Name we pray,    Amen

9.4.14 "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching!" ~ Jesus

Heavenly Father, thank you for this time we have together.  I thank You for the many blessings You’ve poured into my life, known and unknown, and praise You for the work you’ve begun in me.  Quiet my mind and thoughts, that I can hear only You.  Amen.  

John 14:23-24

New International Version (NIV)

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Jesus ties love directly with obedience in these verses.  It’s a very clear cut statement.  Obedience to Jesus’ teaching is so important that the Father’s love hinges on it.

How do I obey Jesus’ teaching?  First I have to understand the teaching.  I have to actually study and internalize it.  In my life, studying and learning requires regular attention and action - it has to be done over and over again, on a regular basis - so that the studying becomes automatic action.  We have been blessed with God’s Word written in the most popular book of all time, The Bible.  Clearly, Jesus is telling the disciples to remember and internalize everything He had taught them.  And, in case there was a smidgen of doubt about who He was, he reminded them that His Words are the very same as God the Father’s Words.  They didn’t have the written Word of God as a reference – in some ways they had something better!  They had a front row seat to Jesus’ life, His sermons and miracles.

He continues to say that if I don’t love Him, I won’t obey Him.  The loving comes first.  How do we love someone?  We generally have to know something about them, have a relationship with them.  Again, he reminds us from a different perspective that we must spend time with Him in order to love, and then be able to obey Him.

Jesus clearly asks more from us than just faith in Him; He asks obedience to His teachings.  Does this mean that if we aren’t perfectly obedient that we have lost his love?  No, that’s why Jesus didn’t leave his disciples with only His teaching.  He conquered the evil one on the cross and with His resurrection, so that our imperfect faith and obedience would be just a piece of the puzzle of loving Him.  We are saved BY GRACE through faith and obedience.  And even better, we are loved, SO LOVED that He lives within us!  How can we NOT strive for obedience?  To be given the gift of the Creator’s love… what a prize!

Thinking over these verses reminded me of MercyMe’s song, “Greater”, “There'll be days I lose the battle, Grace says that it doesn't matter, 'Cause the cross already won the war, He's Greater, He's Greater, I am learning to run freely, Understanding just how He sees me, And it makes me love Him more and more, My God is greater (He's Greater, He's Greater), Than he who is living in the world”.

You can listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdQ0vCGDGag

Dear Father, thank you for your love, thank you for your Son who set the example of obedience for us on this earth.  Send your Holy Spirit to us so that we yearn for your teaching, to be obedient to it, and to feel and claim your love.  We invite you to live in us.  Amen.

kristi

9.2.14 "...be it known to you..."

  “…be it known to you…”

Daniel 3: 16-18 (ESV)

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

The first thing that jumped out at me was the overall confidence and firmness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s words...FAITH.  They’re so confident in the Lord…and who they are…that they even tell the king that we don’t even need to talk with you about this…the Message has it as “Your threat means nothing to us.”  Then they give testimony to just who God is…that He could certainly save them or He may not, either way… “be it known to you, O king,”

They took a stand…a stand of faith..a stand of obedience to the one true God…no matter what the consequences…” he will deliver us”!

I don’t think that many of us will face being thrown into a furnace…but how often do we let things slide by in our life that compromises our faith…our relationship with the one true God.  When have I been called to be obedient…but chose to go my own way?  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have just gone ahead and bowed down to the graven image…presumably save their hide…but then, they would have missed out on being a part of His will.  I don’t want to miss out what He has planned…how about you?

May we all walk through the rest our days with faith and obedience  like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Sure would like to hear your thoughts!

Blessings to You & Yours!

jim

My Life’s Path – Not Always Straight

The Scripture for today is Proverbs 3: 5 - 6 ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Sunday’s message really resonated with me – Daniel, “Long Obedience in the Same Direction!”  As I think of Daniel’s long life spent in captivity and his faithfulness throughout that captivity, I reflect back over my own walk of faith and the spiritual path I’ve been on.  After my baptism and confirmation at the age of eleven, I briefly continued to attend church at First Lutheran Church in Texarkana, Texas.  My path at that point was a straight one as I had opportunities to learn more of my Christian faith and grow in my understanding.  After moving away at the age of 12 or 13, I spent the next 18 years unchurched.  My path at this time was non-existent.  Although I believed in God and was baptized, I did not have a relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Like the Israelites, I was wandering in the desert – a desert without the life-affirming presence of the Holy Spirit.  I was in Babylon, a Babylon of my own making.

BUT, God never gave up on this wayward daughter.  He continued to love me and tried to reach my stubborn heart.  He was always faithful, always patient, and always in pursuit of me.  His gentle knock on my heart’s door finally came to fruition just before Christmas 1994.  My life was so successful in the eyes of the world – I had a great marriage, beautiful children and an incredible military career.  But inside, I was so aware that something was missing.  I decided to attend Hope Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach, VA with my husband and children that Christmas Eve.  After Christmas, we continued to attend Hope Lutheran.  Once again, I was back on the path.

As I reflect on the last ten years, I realize that although my path has had highs and lows, detours and wrong turns – I have been heading in the “right direction” as Pastor described it on Sunday.  The sixth verse of the passage in Proverbs 3 really spoke to me, “in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”  This has been very true of my life as I sought a deeper relationship with Jesus.  As I worshipped God, prayed to him and studied his word, acknowledging him as the Lord of my life, he made my paths straight.  He guided me, walked alongside me, delivered me, and disciplined me.  Although I am still very much a work in progress, he is still faithful to this formerly wayward daughter.  He LOVES me!  He PROTECTS me!  He GUIDES me!

Dear Jesus, I thank you for your love for me.  Thank you for never giving up on me.  Thank you for your daily presence in my life – guiding me along the path you have laid out for me.  I love you Jesus!  I worship you!  I praise you!

Kelly

08/29/2014 "DESPERATELY SEEKING HIM"

DESPERATELY SEEKING HIM Luke 11:9-13New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Ask+Seek+Knock=ASK  You think Jesus is trying to prove a point?  He says Ask, Seek, Knock!  Now I may not be the smartest person but I think He wants me to ASK.  Jesus’ tone is to ASK and to be confident that God will respond and give what is requested.  Jesus tells us in Luke to identify what we want, name it and to be explicit.

He instructs us to ask what we want persistently.  Ask confidently that God will give us what we ask for.  I think there is an ongoing theme here.  John 14:13-14 says “¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

I think I might be getting the picture.  He doesn’t just say ASK.  He says Ask, Seek, Knock.  Or as pastor said Sunday-PURSUE!  It’s continual.  Keep asking, Keep seeking, Keep knocking.  Don’t Quit.  Don’t give up until I get an answer.  Show God how important it is to me; and God, like a loving Father, will provide for my needs and give the Holy Spirit freely to me because I asked.  We can trust Him.  He won’t give it like a friend or family member that does it so I quit asking or bothering them.  No, God will give us what we need because He loves us.  He wants to show us how important it is that we learn to DEPEND ON HIM, as a source of good things.

If we constantly seek God, He will be found!  But we must constantly seek Him.  We can’t just seek Him when we are in trouble or have a problem.  We need to continuously Ask, Seek, Knock.

This leads me to our small group study the other night.  It dealt with prosperity.  Do we call upon God during times when things are going good?  Do we get complacent when we are healthy, everything going great, covering expenses etc?  Do we forget that God is the reason that things are going so well?  Do we give thanks because things are going so well?  Or do we just call on God when we have problems, troubles, are sick etc?

Jesus tells us to actively seek/pursue God.  In good times & in bad.  Ask and He will provide.  It may not (probably won’t) be on our schedule or time frame.  And it may not be exactly what we asked for.  But when we look at the bigger picture-God’s picture, then we realize He did answer.  He did provide, He did open the door when we knocked.

Do you ask?  Do you Seek?  Do you Actively Pursue God?  I would love to hear about your pursuits.

Father, I come today asking, seeking, knocking, pursuing you.  Please forgive me that I get complacent, get comfortable and don’t call upon you giving thanks and praise when things are going well.  Please forgive me if I only call upon you when I am in need.  I Love You!  I depend on You!  I need you in good times & bad.  You are my Lord & Savior, without you I am nothing.  I ask you to use me as your vessel ministering to all that I come into contact with today & in the future until I sit at the right of Jesus.  Amen

Jerry

08/28/2014 "Take a Drink of the Living Water and Live!"

Take a Drink of the Living Water and Live!John 7:37-39 (Amplified) Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice. If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, “From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water. But He was speaking here of the Spirit, whom those who believed [trusted, had faith] in Him were afterward to receive. For the [Holy] Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified [raised to honor].

I love these wonderful words from Jesus! “Who ever believes in me, from his innermost being shall flow …springs and rivers of living water”

I learned some interesting facts about our need for water: - Water dissolves nutrients and minerals and helps to move them around our bodies. -Water flushes waste products from our kidneys and livers, -Water lubricates our joints and keeps our eyes, mouths and nose tissues moist. -Water regulates our body temperature and protects our internal organs. -Our lungs are 90 percent water, our brains are 70 percent water, and about 60 percent of the human body is water.

This metaphor of Living Water, is easy to understand. Like fresh water, the Holy Spirit, flows through those who Cleave to Him, Trust in Him, and Rely on Him.

He renews the mind, revives the spirit, cleanses the heart and refreshes and repairs the body! And just like we need clean, fresh water to live for a healthy life We need the Holy Spirit to live a healthy and fruitful spiritual life. But it’s not just for our own refreshing, he means for his Holy Spirit to flow through us, and like water in a river it moves on and flows out. We need to be open vessels that His love and grace flows through and flows to those who are thirsty and need Jesus! I usually start each day with a fresh class of water. It wakes me up, and it gets my digestive system going.

Along with a glass of water, I have my personal quiet time with God. Before the dog and the family get up and are each wanting help with various things; I seek God and his word to wake up my spirit and enter into His Presence.

This morning’s “Jesus Calling” devotion reading, was about how much God loves spending time with us, and that he wants us to spend time with him for the pure pleasure of being in His Presence. When we spend time with God, he is blessed!

Pastor encouraged us on Sunday to “Pursue God”. That really hit me, and I had to ask myself, ‘Am I Pursuing God?’ ‘Do I cleave to Him? ‘Do I long for Him?’ Am I thirsty for the Holy Spirit? Todays devotion also convicted me, ‘Do I enjoy being in God’s Presence just for the pleasure of being with Him and for the purpose of blessing Him?’

Other parts of Delton’s message also spoke to me. He said, “We may each have our own Babylon (struggles, and problems) that we go through in life. Some are for a short season, others may last a lifetime and it’s not always fair!” But God doesn’t want us to give up, he wants us to go on living our life, the best that we can, not in our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He urged us to Pursue God, no matter what Babylon we are facing. And, that with God we will receive the hope that will help that will carry us through our own Babylon.

This message connects with today’s Scripture, because Jesus is our hope, His Holy Spirit, is the Living Water, that we each need to survive, and not just survive, but to prosper and have a future with Him!

Dear Jesus, Thank you, for the gift of the Holy Spirit! Help me to pursue you with my whole heart and to drink you into my inner being! Please help me also to be an open vessel for your Spirit to flow through to those who need you! Amen.

Patrice

08/25/2014 “Praise will confuse the enemy!”

Psalm 42: 1-7 ¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ³ My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ⁴ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One^[d] with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. ⁷ Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Depression (as defined by Merriam-Webster): “a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way.”

This is not a happy passage.  Some might even say it is fitting for a “blue” Monday.  Clearly the author is in a state of depression.  We have heard a lot lately about depression with the untimely passing of comedian Robin Williams apparently by his own hand.  No one is immune from it, not even those that seem to have everything they could ever want.  Some of us appear to cope better, but we have all had to deal with issues that seem insurmountable, hopeless.  Where is GOD?  We can’t feel his presence, we began to fear, doubt.  Negativity and depression feed on themselves and the longer we stay there the deeper it gets.  I’m not sure what you were feeling when you began to read the blog this morning but I would be willing to bet you’re a little down right now, just from reading about depression.   How powerful is that!

I submit there are reasons why we all have bouts with depression.   We live life in a state of constant conflict.   Consider Job 14:1-2 “Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.   That’s life summed up in just two very short verses.   If you are reading this, it is highly likely one day these very words will be spoken at some point at your own funeral, as they have at hundreds of thousands of other funerals for a great many years.

But let’s also consider Ecclesiastes 3:11.   Here we are told that GOD has set eternity in the human heart.   We have been designed to be forever, yet we live in an environment that is counter to what we have in our hearts.  Everything around us is in a state of decay yet deep inside we struggle with the question of whether we too may be just temporary.  For the optimist, this is good news because that means whatever trouble I’m going through now won’t last forever.  For the pessimist, it is indeed depressing because it means that no matter how good things are happiness is just not sustainable.  It too is only temporary.

So what do we do?   How do we disrupt the cycle of conflict.   The answer is embedded in the passage, surrounded by so much pain.

⁴ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

⁵   …Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

For those of us who believe, no matter what we face, we must face it with eternal hearts!  That means as Pastor has said many times we must ACT like we are built for eternity even when we just ain’t feeling it.  We need to get up and get out of that dark place emotionally, mentally, and physically.  According to the passage we need to be in praise and worship.  As the songwriter says, “praise will confuse the enemy.”   We also need to be with those who are doing the same.  We should not be alone.  Depression metastasizes in loneliness.   We need to practice eternity to escape that which is only temporary.   The more we practice, the more instinctive it will become for us to automatically give praise and worship to our GOD when faced with depression.  The more we practice the easier and more natural it becomes to move away from the darkness and live according to GOD’s plan for us, which we know is an eternal plan.

ALMIGHTY GOD of the universe, we come to you this Monday morning with many troubles and burdens and so very much at risk to slip into depression.  Give us the courage to left our eyes and voices in praise and worship to YOU.  Reassure us great LORD of your magnificent plans for us.  Remind us of just how truly blessed we are and that no matter what is happening now, eternity is in our future.  In CHRIST name we pray, amen!

Jim L

Saturday's Blog

Welcome to the POG Blog! Today is Saturday which means YOU get to start the discussion on today’s scripture! What is it saying to you today? How does it relate to your life right now? How does it relate to the message from Sunday? Enjoy reading, meditating, and sharing your thoughts with others today!

Today’s Scripture is:

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Life in the Spirit

The Scripture for today is Romans 8:5-9

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

God breathed the breath of life into Adam and the first human being lived.  Ezekiel prophesied to the breath “Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into those slain” and a vast army came to life.  More than 367,000 human beings drew breath for the very first time today. 

Breath….. Life….. Birth…..Death.  Our bodies, fresh from our mother’s womb, are fragile and mortal.  As we live upon this earth, we suffer illness, injury, aging, and ultimately, physical death.  For some, our bodies are a place of torment as we struggle with pain and disability.  We focus on achieving healing and relief from suffering, sometimes going to extraordinary lengths to achieve health at any cost.  For others, maintaining our youth becomes an obsession.  We focus on the latest workouts, eat the “perfect diet”, and frequent the best plastic surgeons to alter our aging appearance - an endless quest that inevitably ends with our physical death.  Although we search frantically for the fountain of youth, none of us can stop the inevitable aging of our body.  Our bodies, although fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, are merely flesh – weak, mortal, fragile flesh.   St. Paul exhorts us in Romans 8 to live as more than flesh – not focusing on our physical body with its needs, wants and desires.  He warns us that if we are living in the flesh, we do not belong to Christ.  We do not have the TRUE BREATH of life within us. 

Breath….. Life….. Birth….. powerful miracles from our Creator and yet, they pale in comparison to the hope we have in Jesus.  In this earthly life, although we inhabit a weak, mortal, fragile body, we can have life and peace.  The breath of the Spirit living within us will sustain us.  If the Spirit of God lives within us, even though we will experience physical death, we will have eternal life with our Father.  We are assured by Christ that in our Father’s house there are many rooms and he has gone there to prepare a place of us.  Our Father’s house will be a place where we will dwell with him FOREVER. 

Life in the flesh = death.  Life in the Spirit = eternal life.  We thank and praise you, JESUS for saving us from death and breathing new life into us through your death on the cross for us!  Thank you, JESUS for the new life and hope that we have in you!  We love you, JESUS!  We worship you, JESUS!  Amen

Kelly

8.21.14 "Living Water: Old Testament … New Testament"

John 4:7-10

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])  10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

What a strange and compelling prophesy put forth by Ezekiel in chapters 37 and 47.  Where there was the expectation of salty, unsustainable water and absence of life, there could be found fresh water where “swarms of living creatures will live” and fruit trees grow on the banks of this river.  These trees never die and their fruit does not fail.  They continuously bear fruit and even the leaves provide healing.  This was a very special kind of water indeed!  This prophecy points to the ultimate source of “living water” unveiled in the New Testament – Jesus Christ!

In John 4:7-10, Jesus uses the same concept, that of living water, to describe to this Samaritan woman God’s ever-flowing gifts of grace and spiritual sustenance.  All she need do is simply ask.  He reaches across the social and gender boundaries of his time to show that God’s love and life-sustaining “living water” is available to us all … if we would only ask.

John

My Salty Dead Sea-Ness

Ezekiel 47:6-10 In a vision from God Ezekiel says,

He (God) asked me (Ezekiel) ,
“Have you been watching, son of man?”
Then He led me back along the riverbank.
When I returned, I was surprised by the sight
of many trees growing on both sides of the river.
Then He said to me,
“this river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.
The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure.
There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows.
Fish will abound in the Dead Sea,
for its waters will become fresh.
Life will flourish wherever this water flows.
Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea.
All the way from En-gedi to En-egalaim,
the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun.
Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.”

The Dead Sea is a body of water so salty that nothing can live in it. The river in Ezekiel’s vision, would freshen the Dead Sea’s water so it can support life. This is a picture of the life-giving nature of the water that flows from God’s Temple.  Jesus says He is this Living Water!   God’s power can transform us no matter how lifeless or corrupt we may be.  Even when we feel messed up and beyond hope, His power can heal us.

What are You saying to me this day, God?

I think God is trying to show me that my life, without Him, is like the Dead Sea --- and well, dead! Without Him, my Salty Dead Sea-Ness cannot support any life.   The way I live, the way I treat others, the way I try to fill my emptiness with everything BUT His life-Giving water just will not turn my Salty Dead Sea-Ness into a fresh, living life. And when I am not filled with Him, I spew the same Salty Dead Sea water onto others in my life, and mess up their water supply, too.

What pockets of my life are salty and dead, Father?

Where are You wanting to pour your Life-Giving water?

I am thinking about daily struggles that we all face. We get up in the morning, and right away are bombarded with Salty Dead Sea-Ness. Problems at home. Problems with kids. Problems with bills and finances. Arguments with spouses. Disappointments. Co-Workers who push our buttons. Addictions. Anger. Traffic. Depression. Hopelessness.  Our life is just one dead, salty pool of water after another. Maybe God is teaching us that we should call upon Him as each salty situation arises and ask HIM to come and fill us with His life-giving water – right at that instant! Why do we try everything else first? What if we ran to Him with funnels and buckets, ready to receive His water, and let Him  pour life-giving water into our salty – messed up situation? We don’t think it would really work, do we? Just calling out to Him, praying to Him, to pour His Life-Giving water – could it possibly work that way?

“Father, forgive me. Help me to understand, that only You are Life-Giving water. Only You can turn my Salty Dead Sea-Ness into a reservoir of fresh living water! Fill me Lord, with You! I want to stop running to other things to try and fill the empty, dead places of my life. Help me taste and see how good You are! Quench my dry and thirsty soul! The next time I am Salty Dead Sea-Ness please remind me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to stop and remember Your Word and this image of being Salty Dead Water.   Help me to ask You right then for Your Life-Giving Water. And then let me watch in amazement as You turn a Salty Dead Sea moment or circumstance into one that is Life- Giving, bursting with goodness and new life. Let me come to you with Buckets and Funnels - expecting an abundance of Your Life-Giving water - let me not show up with just a thimble!    "Life will flourish wherever this water flows." Thank You for Your promise of Life-Giving Water.  Amen.”

Can you think of a testimony of how God poured His life-giving water into an area of your life that was Salty and Dead Sea-Ness?  Please share!  God loves to hear His children bragging about how awesome He is!

-dawn

8/19/14 "Out of Dry Bones, Comes New Life!"

  Dear Lord, Please help me to hear your message to me today through your words and by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Out of Dry Bones, Comes New Life!

Ezekiel 37:4-10

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you , and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ “   So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them;; they came to life and stood up on their feet- a vast army.

This is another incredible True Story!

God uses Ezekiel to show him what his plans are for Israel. He used Ezekiel to prophecy (speak) to the field of dry bones to come to life. Not just to get up and move around as skeletons, but through speaking, made them come together with tendons and flesh on them, and back into living, breathing people again; enough to make an army!

The interesting thing in this story is that God used Ezekiel to make it happen. Why did he do that? Instead of just doing it for him, he worked through him. He was calling Ezekiel to trust him.

For me this means that God wants to me to trust my life to him. He wants to breathe new life into me. He wants me to let go of my past mistakes, and sins. He also wants me to let go of my fears and anxieties towards the responsibilities and challenges in my life.

Instead of procrastinating, and hiding from life, God wants me to embrace it and be excited about all the blessings, and opportunities that he has given me.

Instead of dreading the day ahead, as I have done in the past, God is helping me to look forward to each day with eagerness.

Pastor Delton always says, “I get to be the Pastor of Point of Grace Church”

My new attitude now is: I get to live! I get to be a follower of Jesus Christ! I also get to be a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, prayer partner, helper, teacher, board member and so much more. And, I get to do it all for God’s Glory. I also, get to enjoy His Glory, by being in his presence. Not doing it in my own strength, but through the strength that he gives me through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.

On my own, I’m scared to death, of all these responsibilities and things to worry about. If I let it get to me, it overwhelms me and I become paralyzed by it all. I become depressed and want to hide in my room and not deal with anything.

But God has revived me, he has restored me, I surrender my life to him each day and ask him to go through it with me, helping me to be at peace with him, with myself and with others, and to be strong in facing challenges I don’t like or want to deal with.

Alone, I am like those Dry, Dead Bones- Useless!

With God, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

I took a trip to Colorado this summer with my family. We drove high in the mountains and saw some of God’s finest creations. The wildflowers were spectacular and my favorite flowers, the Columbine; were so amazing, with their purple and white pedals. They seemed to grow where the earth had been disturbed by a road or in the rocks. One of the place I saw them was this old mining town, where the rocks from the mountains above had fallen and covered the valley. In the middle of this big pile of rocks was this beautiful cluster of Columbine. They were so bright and beautiful pushing up through all those rocks! They were a blessing from God and made me praise him for putting them there, for all to enjoy.

The flowers’ purpose was to grow and open to the sunshine and to be the best that they could be. It was in their design, their seed or roots. It was their destiny to decorate the hills and valleys of the high country.

The flowers’ new life, depended on the right elements of water, sunshine, and nutrients in the ground.   This year the heavy snowfall, cooler summer temperatures, and rain through out the summer season, all helped them to grow everywhere.

Pastor told us that God uses disasters to get rid of the old and make something new. Change, brought on by a catastrophe, an interruption or disturbance in our usual routine, is good in that it helps us to stop and think about everything.

As we come through the different seasons of our lives, we have to let go of some old things, in order to start something new and fresh.

God has a vision, a dream for each of us individually and for all of us together.   God does not want us to just exist, he wants us to get in the game and live the life he gave each of us to live. I am called to be the best at whatever he has given me to do.

He wants his church to be the best it can be also. We serve God, by each of us doing our best in serving in the areas he has called us to serve in, and to love and care for each other; not just at church on Sundays, but all through the week.

Out of the rubble, flowers grow with God’s help. Out of crisis, comes new life, with God’s help.   New Life brings revival and new opportunities to reach out to those in need of God’s love, mercy and gift of salvation.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Breathe new life into me today. Help me to be all that you want me to be, all that you designed me to be. For your glory!

Amen!

Patrice