Searching the Scriptures

1 Peter 4:

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Trials, challenges and tribulations will come your way - they are inevitable.  But it is how we face the challenge is where we as Christians to rejoice.  Well, that is not so easy - I know where we first go. Its oh, heck no I am not doing it.  Or maybe WHY God why.  

I just got a list of procedures, and when I looked at it - I thought - Oh, hell no.  But really in the scheme of things, it is minor.  I don't want to do them.  But I will do them.  My first thought though, honestly was maybe I should retire.  I am tired of this crap but then there are other obstacles like money.  So, I shall pull up my big girl panties and face the day, this is nothing compared to the sufferings of Christ, but he did it for us.  

And sometimes, we need to give God glory for the minor challenges of life.  He still walks with us, even in the little matters.  And then he is there for the bigger ones. 

With everything that is happening in the world right now you might find it harder to be a Christian.  There may be a future time where you are cursed for being one but know that in the Power of Christ you are blessed and the Holy Spirit is with you.  Do not give in to the demons of the world.  Remember who you are in God and that God is with you 24/7.

Finding the Holy Spirit

 I was lucky.  I found God and Jesus when I was very young.  I need someone in my young life who loved me unconditionally and they found me.  I enjoyed Sunday School - there wasn't a Sunday I didn't go unless I was sick.  

Now though all I see on social media are meditation sights, alternatives to the Holy Spirit basically.

Even though I found Jesus early - I am talking under 10 years of age, there were times where I felt that heart rush of finding him again.  Once in July of 1977 - you see my born-again friends convinced me that on 7/7/77 the world as we knew it was ending.  I was prepared I took Jesus as my savior and well, the world didn't end,

There have been motivational speakers who have made the heart flutter to and each time I know it's the Holy Spirit reminding me that it is there.   

Why does it seem like a society we are moving away from God - the whole half time show debate was so unnecessary - we have had plenty of things happen in the half time shows that were controversial.  Has politics split this country so bad that we can't love anymore.   

I liked the half time show - so what if I don't speak Spanish - there was great dance music - I never understand half the singers anymore - sure sign I am getting old.  

My favorite part - Lady GAGA.  I love her.

So much fun.  Why can't we just have fun anymore. Everything seems to cause a problem.  

Well, I am going to try to follow the Holy Spirit this month.  Reflect on Lenten Readings.  Maybe share a few here.  That is how this blog started.  

Back in 1969 John Lennon did a song entitled "Give Peace a Chance"  The song champions for the cessation of war and the promotion of peace among all people in the world.

He was calling for love and tolerance in a bid to achieve world peace.  He was calling on all peoples to put an end to the trifle differenced that have caused so much pain and suffering and embrace a united front that aims at promoting love, unity and peace.

That was 1969 - I guess we haven't changed at all.

Earth, Wind and Fire

As I drove to work this morning the news was filled with "natural" disasters.  A quake in Mexico and Hurricane Maria.  We have been having terrible fires out west - that's what made me think of Earth, Wind and Fire.  As a Christian, should I be scared?  I never thought so, I never believed that the world would "end" in my time because my Grandmother always told me it was.  All the time, this was it - that was another sign and guess what - I am still here.

Indeed, we are told in the Bible that the time is near, but that was written over 2000 years ago.  But that is why we are always suppose to be "good" Christians and practice was Jesus taught us, so that we are prepared.  

When I read - from Matthew - " For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes." you gotta wonder.

Instead I feel that we have been poor Stewards.  God left us the earth and basically, we have trashed it.  We done things that have caused it.  I believe in global warming.  I have seen us get better, we have put guidelines out there that helped with air pollution, but there is still so much damage out there.  

I won't go into all, you know what they are.

So what is the answer, I don't have it. 

All I can do is pray.


Dear God:
We have been poor caretakers of this earth, help us to realize this and be better humans.  
I pray for healing Lord, all those who are suffering losses in all these natural disasters.  
I pray for love Lord, that we may truly love our neighbor and not fight them.
I pray for leaders of all the countries may they be discerning.
I thank you for all we have and I pray blessings on those in need
I pray this all in Jesus name. Amen

Debbie Downer or Lucy Liftup

It's no secret that I have been feeling down lately.  I would even venture to say that I am feeling depressed.  Not clinically, not a forever depression, but blue.  Like I like to tell my BFF, Cathy, that I have  "the old man sitting on the corner singing the blues kinda blue".

Most of it comes from my job  I am currently part time and that just doesn't help to pay the bills, which just makes me sad.  Then I search for a new job and I don't feel qualified for anything or maybe I should say I am scared to try.  Then when I do go to work I have 8 hours of work to do in 4.  I feel rushed, I have a lot of pressure to do it right but mistakes happen and that upsets me.

So when anything gets to be too much for me I turn to the Bible and God for help.  I looked up scriptures on depression, but next to it was discouragement and despair and I thought, yeah that's it.  I found Psalm 3:3
But You O Lord are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.

The "lifter of my head".  I love that, I feel like I have been walking in despair with my head down, and although there are downers in life, there are also lifters.  So, who am I - a Debbie Downer or a Lucy Lifter.

I would say that most days I am trying to be a Lucy, but today I was a Debbie.  I let a crowd get to me, I let people talking to me and asking me questions unravel me.  I became a downer until someone pointed it out (Tammy) and showed me the positives in my negatives. 

Don't tell Parke

Let me give you a situation that has arisen here at home.  Two love birds are building a nest in a window I have above my back door.  I see new life and I am excited that they chose my door.(Lucy Liftup)  Parke on the other hand sees, in his words, "Two pigeons that are going to shit all over the back porch." (Debbie Downer) Parke has been constantly chasing them and destroyed there nests, but as I type this blog they are flying back and are building the nest again.  Every so often as I look up I see a feather here and there and I smile. 

Lastly let me share this from my Everyday Life Bible -

"When people disappoint us, God wants us, instead of becoming discouraged and depressed, to decide to lift up our heads and eyes and look at the possibilities, not the problems around us, trusting Him to lead us into an even better situation--because He has one for us."

No matter what, I have two choices 1) to quit 2) to keep on going.  If I keep on going I again have 2 choices - either to live in constant depression or to live in hope and joy.  Hope being the key word for me there.

Do I feel better now that I wrote it all down. No, it is a work in progress.  Baby steps.   But now I don't feel so alone.  Not quite as scared.  I have hope and I have God, the lifter of my head.

I Surrender All - Listening to God

John 6: 66

Yes, John 666 - says

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

What? They turned their backs on Jesus and no longer followed him? Did this really happen and when. Well, let's look at John 6. First Jesus feed the 5000 with two fish and 5 loaves of bread. Then Jesus walks on water. Miracle after miracle Jesus does and then turn away. It was the next teaching that offended them.

John 6: 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life.49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The Jews began to argue - how can this man give us flesh to eat. They took it literal. They couldn't understand that the way to the Father was through the Son.

The disciples even tell Jesus this in verse 60 - "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” But Jesus tries to explain to them - The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

But it is at the point some followers fell away - the twelve stuck with Him - even the one who will go on to betray Him.

Surrender the Flesh - Live in the Spirit

Easier said then done. Sometimes when I study, or listen to some uplifting music, or especially go on a retreat - I experience a Spiritual high. All is right and I am going to march forward with the Holy Spirit marching before me and I can do no wrong, right until life happens. Yup - the road is paved with good intentions.

For too many years I lived in the flesh and not the spirit - I did what made me happy, but in truth I was not happy. I couldn't find happiness as I went dating from man to man. I wasn't happy at work and I wasn't even truly happy at church.

One time I went to a Baptist Church's special Woman's Conference - I went up front for a special hands on healing time. When I got to the preacher - she blew into my face and said you - you have a gift from God. What gift I thought - my thought was don't tell me I have a gift-tell me what the gift it. Around the same time I went to a psychic, not that I really believe in them, but I use to love seeing this one lady who was a particular funny character. She looked at me and said, oh....you have the gift. So now I got THE gift, but I still don't know what the gift is.

I am still not sure what this gift is that they both talked about, but I try to use everything God has given me. I teach Sunday School, I sing in the choir and I write - I write this  blog and sometimes I just write for myself. Is that my gift, I guess God will let me know.

What's my Mission

Some people have a mission and they try to pull you into their mission. I found that to be true with a recent sex trafficking committee at my Church. I think is was just a thought that if there is a committee - Bev will be on it. But I didn't feel the call to be on this committee - others did and I am glad.

I just listened to the Pope talk to Congress, and I love this Pope and his call to help the poor is wonderful.

I think God instills in everyone a different mission or ministry. If we all had the same gifts I think that would be boring - I think God gives us different gifts so that we can all work for the good of God and the community.

Maybe mine is teaching, but you never know who you can teach on a day to day basis. Not all learning happens in the classroom.

Surrendering

Surrendering it all to God, might be the hardest yet easiest thing to do. The trouble with me is that I didn't get this until my 50's - I say so many times to God, why couldn't I have know this earlier. And He simply says, "You were not ready".

How do you surrender - Let go and let God.

Rick Warren says it best - "You know you're surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don't have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more."

So let's pray

Dear God:

I am nothing with out you, I surrender all to you, instruct me, show me the way, and better still help me to listen to you. Every day in Every way. Thank you Lord, for being with me. Thank for the blessings you give me everyday and may my eyes and heart be open to seeing them. Amen

Intimate time with God leads to a Peaceful Mind.

Peace is the Love of God and the receiving of the Grace of God.

Finding this peace can sometime be quite a feat.

James 1:21 tells us - "So get rid of all uncleanliness, and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness and in a humble spirit receive and welcome THE WORD which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to Save Your Souls.

Back to the word.  The only way to learn it  is to get those Bibles out and study the word.  It doesn't even have to be a specific part of the Bible.  Maybe you want to study a particular topic - use the guides that in the back of the Bible to help you do that.  Either way read the Word daily.  I like to use a daily scripture book by Joyce Meyer to start my day,

The Word can save.  I wish I would of known this so may years ago, I believe my life would of been so different.

Take this scripture - James 1:19 - Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to take offense and to get angry.

I should say this scripture over to myself every day - I am so quick to anger sometimes.  Lately I have been getting better.

Plant the word deep in your heart and water it daily and let it grow!


Prayer:

Dear God:  I  have made a decision that whatever it takes I am going to have peace in my life.  Help me find it and hold on to it.

 Amen

What I Learned on my Vacation - Part 2

Peace is a quiet heart.

Peace comes with your relationship with God.  Relationships with people can be anything but peaceful.

I hate to hear the phrase "Go in Peace" and you might think that odd, but let me tell you a story. I once knew a women who could push all my buttons.  She once was a friend, who held a position of some authority.  But she abused our friendship.  She would work me up to a frenzy, until I was so angry I could not handle it anymore.    Before I would get to the point of hitting her,  I would walk away and she would say - "go in peace" she knew that became an additional button to push on me.  Our relationship became anything but peaceful.  She was mentally abusive and cruel.  We need to get away from people like this.  I finally did.

Around God we have perfect peace.  The more we study and learn the more peaceful we can become.

Now let me tell you a funny story.

After my 3 days in Hershey at the Joyce Meyer Conference I came home with this great peace.  I came to work, which can me sometime be a tense and stressful place to work.  We have a co-worker who makes everyone angry with her lax work ethic.  She comes and goes when she pleases and the rest of us must work 8 to 5 and if you a few minutes late you hear about it.   So on my way to work I prayed to continue the peace I was feeling.  A funny thing happened.  First when the first incident happened I turned and calmly said; "You know I was thinking about this and if this causes so much unrest maybe we should go to the boss and tell him and if he doesn't do anything about it, so be it, but we would at least get it off our chest."   Later, when another incident happened and people were getting a little loud I said, "I won't let this bother me, if she wants to act that way, ok, but I am not going to act that way."

Around 3PM the girls in the office said "OKAY, THAT'S IT - NEXT YEAR YOU STAY HOME AND WE ARE GOING TO HERSHEY TO SEE JOYCE, YOU ARE JUST WAY TO CALM"

So, I have been sharing my thoughts with them and I think it has helped, just a little.  Little baby steps though are the best sometimes, to take.

Luke 5:16 - But He (Jesus) Himself withdrew (in retirement) to the wilderness and prayed.

You see, even Jesus made sure He had alone time.  He ministered to the people, but he also would step away to be alone and pray.  If Jesus could do this, then so can we.  And when I say ALONE, that is without your phone, facebook, TV or your tablet.  Intimate time with God leads to a peaceful mind.

Prayer:

Dear God - I find Peace in Loving you Oh God, I am ready to receive your Grace. Amen