Down to Earth

Israel

2012-01-06T19:57:00.001-08:00

http://www.cufi.org/PDF/Israel101.pdf

2012-01-06T19:51:00.001-08:00

Rooted In Christ

2012-01-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 17:
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

Colossians 2

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world rather than on Christ.

2012-01-06T19:16:00.001-08:00

feast on His Word.

2012-01-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

If you use what is given to you, you will gain more. If you fail to use what is given to you, you will lose even that which you have. Matt. 25: 14-29

As 2012 comes in I sense a knowing. I am intend to use this blog to privately keep track of the rhema God sends me.

Wise king...

2011-04-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

peaceful day

2011-04-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

I am blessed with a very peaceful day. The Bible says that Jesus comes to give us peace.

" I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] "
JOHN 16:33

I thank Him today for it.

reflections

2011-02-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have had an epiphany that I really have lost touch with "me". Not that it is of the greatest importance to me at this time and there lies the problem. I am comfortable with my current self identity or lack thereof. I must admit, it is through my worth and relationships to other people that I view the world and myself. I am "Mom", "Mother" and "Grandma". I am an employee, a co-worker and a housewife. I am a daughter of an Earthly parent, my own "Mom" and a Heavenly Father. I am a "Child of God". I am a "Christian". I am a conservative. I am a friend to many. I am a trusted sister. I am a mother-in-law. ;) I am the pack leader and the "alpha dog" to a golden retriever and a kelpie. I do not mind being any of these. I am blessed to be content. But, there is a bubbling under the still waters. A remembrance of a river that once ran here.

Free to be me

I am reborn,
a new improved me,
a child of God
finally set free

Psalm 116

¹ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
² Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

Iphone is here.

2011-02-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

Let's see if this heps me blog and follow blogs..one can only hope. I have two blogs I really am into!

I Do. Me Too... Adventures in Wedding Planning http://idometooweddingplanning.blogspot.com

and

Getting face to face with God http://seekinghim-facetoface.blogspot.com/

favor

2011-02-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

"His favor is like dew on the grass."-Prov 19:12

True love

2011-02-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

My son Kevin is engaged! My future daughter in law is Morgan Martin...We are indeed blessed...

thinking of spring!

2011-02-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

2011-01-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

if you are wondering why I have wheezer on as my tune, it is simply because I like it...lol wish I was on an island in the sun.....Some of my favorite memories have happened in the sun. I am suspicious that I am showing the effects of it on my face now though. :) I am inspired to try the latest gimmick claiming to erase fine lines and wrinkles.. I even like the Sesame Street theme song just because it mentions, Sunny Days... and I love the light of Jesus. so looking forward to Heaven...eternal sonshine

refreshing Spirit

2011-01-19T13:34:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 29: 10b I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.

messy

2010-10-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

No matter how hard I try, I mess up. Sometimes my mistakes are out of ignorance and sometimes they are out of just plain disobedience. There is no sugar coating it. I wonder if sweet and low is an acceptable substitute?

2010-10-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

Luke 7:23
And blessed (happy-- with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, apart from outward conditions--and to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [ whatever may occur].

New Season

2010-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

   Seasons are easily defined periods of time that are everywhere we look. New seasons of life, weather patterns, financial situations, marriage, all can be defined in terms of seasons. I currently prefer not to look at the intermediate time line. Somehow projecting my life on an infinite time line is more comfortable than looking at the finite period marked by birthdays and family events, that would force me to admit, I am entering the "autumn" of my life
   But Christ gives me the opportunity to mark my life in the infinite. The end of our existence here on this Earth will not be" the end"... I, and you, have eternal spirits. God extends an invitation to all of us, often quietly, always consistently, without fail to spend that eternity with Him. His hand is extended to all of us, without prejudice or without malice. The Bible tells us that God does not respect any person above another based on Earthly measurements of value. He does however, tell us that we can receive favor from Him. But that is an equal opportunity for all of us based on our individual or corporate behavior. He does not grant favor to me and then refuse another the same level of favor for the same level behavior or attitude. He is no respecter of persons.

"For there is no respect of persons with God," Paul declared (Rom. 2: 11).

   It is sometimes difficult for us to imagine just how "holy" God is. Isaiah found out in a vision that his lips were even so unclean and filthy, that they were not even worthy of praising the Lord. Issiah's lips were cleansed by an angel searing them with a burning coal to purify them.

Isaiah 6:5
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Pair this with Romans 3:23 that tells us that not one of us on this Earth is worthy of God. NONE. And you quickly see the shape we are all in!

^"23Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives."

    The analogy I used once upon a time was, "What is worse, stealing a penny or a hundred dollars?" Of course the answer is , neither. Stealing is stealing. As humans we wish to quantify things. We measure and group. Smallest to largest.Good, better and best...Does God?

   In Romans 3:23 He qualifies sinners as ALL of us. That is a measurement. And in John 3:16 He also uses a measurement. He says, That God so loves the World, that he sent His ONLY Son to be sacrificed so that NONE would persih. It goes on to say, "¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him."

   In this season, I have come to the full knowledge that we, ALL, have a need to not only be forgiven, but must also walk in the full embodiment of that, if we individually, are to experience true freedom. Freedom from condemnation, freedom from being bound by not only my own actions and but from others actions toward me.

I get it.

In Luke 4:17 Jesus stood in front of the religious leaders of His time, opened the Torah to Isaiah 61 and read,

¹" The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners,."

   After finishing He sat down and declared the scripture fulfilled , THAT DAY, in front of them.

   I say brothers and sisters, COME! Join me in proclaiming the Year of the Lord's Favor. God's word never returns void. This invitation still stands. God will not withdraw it until the last soul that is His is collected.

I once had a visit from the Holy Spirit and He showed how ALL the twisting and turmoil on this Earth is so insignificant. We can be at peace here, among and with each other, Put aside the yokes we take on, the hurts and the offenses. Walk free. Leave them. Forgive and be forgiven. it is divine!

too busy to blog

2010-07-15T03:29:00.000-07:00

Lame excuse, huh? Well, kind of. I have just regained my baring from a 9 day camping trip in the Smokies, in a TENT. We have been home a week and we are off again. This time to a race track to camp for 2 nights. The Smokies were beautiful, the family companionship was sweet and the food o.k. I have not dedicated my heart to this blog. perhaps one day I will. Until then, flip flops will travel!

2010-06-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

rejoice! I am keenly aware that I am surrounded by wonderful people, wonderful sights, wonderful sounds, all to God's glory! My woods is full of life. Birds chirping incessantly accompany the sound of my computer keys as I type. The neighbor's (SO NOT MINE) cat stretches lazily on my deck, as it sleeps upside down on a patio chair. My pink impatiens seem to be growing right before my eyes as they overflow the basket they call home. I have just had a heart warming discussion about kefir with a good friend. I am curiously watching a pair of birds as they flit in and out of the weeds on my hillside. My imagination engaged as I wonder if there is a nest secretly tucked among the weeds. I am grateful the cat is asleep for their sakes.It is a great day to be alive. I wonder where my pink flip flops will take me today?

Blogger Interrupted

2010-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well a hiatus may have been must the "thing" I needed! After a 3 month absence from the mundane, I have returned with a new found zealousness, that I knew was gone, but couldn't quite remember where I saw it last. Evidently, it was left in a garden center. At least that is where I recently found it. I have spent the past few weeks working in a well known local garden center amid the pansies and the daisies. Hard work seemed so familiar that even though my muscles ached they sang, 'finally!", I was wet, sweaty, tired and happy. Who knew? There amid the sights, sounds and smells of the greenhouses I found not only my smile, but my self esteem. Not only was my body challenged, but so was my mind. Remembering all the flora is not an easy job, especially when you have been on a decade long absence from the biz.

Now to catch up without falling behind. Quirky? yes~ True? yes ~ blog on

I not only received a free tan, but I am 17 pounds lighter... :) grateful for the experience.

http://www.gardencenterohio.com/

it is beginning to look like Spring!

2010-03-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Graceful enjoying one last roll in the snow.

I hope this is gone by tomorrow!

almost gone

two signs of Spring! An empty birdfeeder and a disappearing line of snow

Daffodils!!!!!!!!

poking through!

Touched%20By%20An%20Angel

2010-03-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Touched%20By%20An%20Angel

2010-03-07T10:26:00.001-08:00

My heart belongs to Kenya

2010-03-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

This is an exciting week for me. I sponsor a child, 11 year old Kambi, through Compassion International. His home is 6 km north of Mombasa, Kenya. This week a few bloggers are accompanying singer Shaun Groves on a visit to sponsored Kenyan children. I would have loved to have went them. I will be hanging out watching for new twittering and tweeting. :) A few bloggers have began sharing about their plane ride and the airport. They seem excited. I know that this may be the closest I ever get to my son, as he calls himself. Just knowing someone else who got to go to Kenya with Compassion.

http://compassionbloggers.com/trips/2010-kenya

think I am kidding?

2010-03-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

In Like a Lion!

2010-03-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if a snow covered world counts as a "lion". It is a white world out of every window in my house. I crave color! There has been true sunshine maybe twice in a month. I am considering the purchase of buying a full spectrum light box! I am hoping for the Lamb of March to appear. I yield. There are places in my yard that would eagerly eat a yardstick. Someone come dig me out! Please. This was a view out of my kitchen window in Feburary! I hope the Lion of March is Aslan! Death to the Snow Queen!

Creation Museum

2010-03-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Lilies of the Field in Israel

2010-03-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 13:5

2010-03-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."

In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord told His disciples to "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matt. 6:28-29). The "lilies of the field" are not the flower we call a "lily" in this country, for they are not found in Palestine. The "lilies of the field" are the scarlet poppies which bloom from a bulb after the spring rains.

Lilies bloom for only one day and carpet the plains and hills of Palestine with colorful blossoms. In their brief life they are clothed with a beauty which surpasses the beauty of the robes of kings. Yet, with all the glory of the lily, when they died they were used for nothing better than for burning in order to raise the temperature of a clay oven (Matt. 6:30).

If God gives such beauty to a short-lived flower, how much more will He care for man, the crown of His creation?

promises

2010-03-01T19:29:00.001-08:00

"Promise me you'll always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, if we are ever apart, I'll always be with you." ~Christopher Robin

To My Daughters

2010-02-28T02:15:00.000-08:00

I Haiku, Do You?

2010-02-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

white street light turns on
spreading halographic pink
warms cold snow below

bored writer here

2010-02-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

Well, my addiction to words seems to be the master of me. In order to quench it I have agreed to become a book reviewer through Book Sneeze. I am really excited. It is a win-win situation for me! I love reading, especially when the books are FREE. I love giving my opinion! Book Sneeze features Christian and conservative publishers for the most part. I was excited to be accepted by them. My first book should be here any day. It is actually by a national figure I admire. Judge Napolitano. I had an opportuniity to see him speak recently and now I regret not going. I look forward to reviewing his book. I am so desperate for something to write I have sunk to doing Haiku! Hurry Mr Postman, bring my book.

I hope this doesn't happen to me! (excuse the one cuss word please)

2010-02-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

I am so inspired by people who can create good blogs. I often wonder, who reads them? Who were they created for? I love writing. I love words. I love reading. Blogging seems logical for me. The Bible says, "Do not despise small beginnings." So here I go.

confession

2008-11-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I wrote in a blog in September that I needed to stay off of the Advocate's forums. I tried. I confess, my resistance is low. I can gratefully say that my posts have changed in attitude. My heart has been changed. My conversion is real. I recently saw an article from China where they were using electrical shock in clinics to dissuade Internet and computer junkies. I know a few people who could use something similar.

I have always loved words. It has taken different forms at different stages of my life. I also love expressing thought. And I appreciate other of like minds. I am also an avid reader at times. this only adds to the draw.

But back to my forums problem. Here is the hook. One of the constant topics is the existence and essence of God. I admit I am a sucker when it comes to defending the person I consider my best friend, Jesus. The eternal challenge of the adversary, is the challenging His (God's) existence. It is the corner stone of challenges to the Christian faith. The rest kind of spread out, as tentacles fromthis very axis.

I personally have grown accustomed to the luxury of existing inside the very existence of God. I move about on a minute to minute, day by day, tandem, inside Jesus' world. I suppose this is what is referred to as "Living In Christ".

I was recently given a start when the words, "I will spit you out of my mouth" came to my mind one evening. I, and every other Christian enjoy the edifying verses, but when the correction comes, it is a different story. I went to the online Bible I use and looked up the words. I read my own Bible over and over. I was vaguely familiar with the words, but did not know the verse or context of them. I found the words in Revelations 3 in the letter To the Church in Laodicea. "because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth". I was puzzled and looked at almost every version Bible Gateway has, (there are many). As I studies the words, I asked the Lord, is it for me? Is it for my country? I pondered. I decided to heed the warning and turn from my own lukewarm ways.

At the same time, there are many other things going on in mine and my family's life. I have several family members that need a new church home. We have been discussing a certain church in town. My daughter and her new husband are drawn to it, because they attended a church of the same denomination in Franklin County. In addition, my mother's pastor recently retired and moved to Tennessee, so she needs a new church. I personally, am praying for a church where we can all worship as a family.

I received a call from my mother that she had indeed visited this particular church last Saturday evening. She invited me for this Saturday. I accepted. I invited my daughter and her husband, they accepted. I looked up the church to view the details and gladly found that the VERY church my new son in law is hesitant to leave, is the sister church of this one. There is even a link to his home church on their web site. I also found that there are audio links to the last two years of sermons by the church's pastor, so I decided to listen to last week's out of curiosity. I also decided to use the time as my devotion time tonight. So, of course, I got out my Bible and sat down in the rocking chair to follow along.

Lol. I have to giggle at this point. The sermon was entitled,"No Thanks, I'm Good" and it was on Revelation 3:14-22, the Church in Laodicea. Of course, lol. Well, since I really did not "get it" completely last week on my own, I listened avidly. The pastor expounded in ways I could not have ever heard without this sermon. He answered the questions I had been pondering.

My point? God is as close as the air I breathe. I am very grateful to be blessed by the kiss of God everyday I am alive, but I am not special. He is not mine alone. He is in the lives of all believers and in the lives of unbelievers as well.

The verses I mentioned above end with this.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

If you have an ear, listen today! He is knocking.

If you wish to hear the sermon for yourself visit this link.

http://www.vineyardgrace.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=275&Itemid=27

and as for that Chinese therapy,

China offers therapy to 4 million internet addicts

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3437769/China-offers-therapy-to-4-million-internet-addicts.html

redirected

2008-09-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I have been spending entirely too much time on my local newspaper's forums. The same posters are there day after day. Their opinions are well known, as are my own. Debating has turned into snide comments and sometimes blatant insulting each other. Some even resort to name calling and harassment of other's opinions that are opposite of their own.
I myself have sank to some moments I do not wish to recall. I loathe being baited. I have an adversary that tries his darnedest to intentionally solicit negative attention from me. Sometimes he succeeds. I try to carefully choose my words. My basic instinct is to tell him where to shove his opinion, but my manners win almost every time. I imagine I make him feel the same way, except he has no problems letting me have it. I have received insults and an occasional cuss word or two.
Politics, religion, taxes and the Constitution are frequent topics. All the tabues are present. I am a "conservative' the other side of fifty. I wasn't always. In fact, in my younger days I voted straight Democrat and considered myself a "flower child". I admired the hippies and ran with the crowd known for having relatives in the Hell's Angels and for trying to get away with anything they could. I also was aware that some of them said things like, "Smile, God loves you."
Fast forward, and today I was reminded ONCE AGAIN, by a chance encounter in a WalMart store, that God loves ME. Tonight I met a woman, JoAnn, who has a "market place ministery". She is obedient and when the Lord puts it on her heart to speak to someone, she does. I just spent two hours in the household chemical aisle listening to God through her words. I now have a clear vision of what I am to do about a personal problem I have. I am depending on God to handle the problems, but I am just going to stick to doing the right thing and not worry.

Some of you might question her sanity and mine. I know the voice of my Lord. He said in John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

It is true. She told me what I literally needed to hear. God loves me and knows ME. She also reminded me of the verses about love.

The Greatest Commandment

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'^[f] 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[g]There is no commandment greater than these."

32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=12&version=31

As I go to sleep tonight, I will pray that God blesses JoAnn, and I will think on these verses. I will have to rethink this forum thing. Perhaps I am not loving my neighbor as well as I think.

Thank you Jesus. Good night