One Nation Under...What?

It has become

pretty clear

that America

no longer stands 

together as

One Nation Under God.

Instead, it appears,

we have become

a nation divided between

a couple of political parties.

To have become a people

who allow a

political party,

movement,

or

lobbyist group

to define who we are

ethically, morally and religiously

is ridiculous,

if not,

down right scary

because none of them

accurately represent 

who God is.

If the Lord was here,

He would say - 

oh wait!

He IS here!

And He is saying,

"Come,

those who will,

and follow Me.

Together,

you and I 

will change the world

as we usher in the 

Kingdom of Heaven."

"Under God"

has always been

and continues to be 

the standard by which I live.

 He is the One

with whom I partner

and work.

Because, truly,

He is the only One

with the solution to

all of our problems.

Moral Conscience?

I find it interesting

(or perhaps more honestly, disturbing)

that (some) people do not hesitate

to like, share, repost, forward or promote

those things which express their

opinions or annoyances about things

which make relatively no difference in the world.

Yet, mostly, ignore

those things which, perhaps,

prick the moral conscience

and might be the very thing God is using

to nudge them into action.

There are people all around us

who need our help every day.

We have neighbors who are on

the verge of becoming homeless,

friends who can't pay their bills,

family members who are struggling to feed their children,

and members of our communities who are homeless;

all living quietly on the fringes,

hoping that nobody will notice, 

yet at the same time, 

hoping that someone will;

not openly admitting their situation to the people

who claim to love them

because those are the same people

 calling others in similar situations,

“Lazy, low-life scum who think the world owes them something 

and who abuse the system in order to stay where they are.”

(As if poverty is something people aspire to).

Sure, there are a few who have learned how to

 “abuse the system”,

but I say that they are the exception and not the rule.

And I am willing to bet that there are just as many,

if not more, people at the other end of the 

social/economic/political spectrum, 

the mega-rich, 

who have used and abused far more

 to get to where they are

and continue to do so on a daily basis 

in order to maintain their positions.

I submit that if those on that end of the spectrum

would give just a portion of their excess

to those at the other end of the spectrum,

the need for welfare and 

assistance programs in America

would cease.

And if every one of us

would give something to the person next to us

who has less than we do,

 homelessness and hunger

 would end in America as well.

In short, if we

loved one another

and took care of the least among us

just as Jesus commanded.

Instead, it appears, 

that we would rather go on with our lives,

 perfectly content with

 the yearly bag of canned goods 

we donate to the local food drive,

the loose change we drop into the red bucket,

the shoe box we fill and ship overseas,

and the angel or two we pull off the tree;

feeling satisfied that we have

“done our part”,

all the while willing that 

annoying little prick of moral conscience

to simply shut up and go away!

Rant With a Purpose

Every so often,

something will rise up so strongly within me

that it's impossible for me

to remain silent.

This is one of those times.

The "Christian Conservative" response

to the election results has been

heart-wrenchingly appalling.

If we would

put as much time, energy and effort

into helping our neighbors in need

as we did in screaming at them 

to go out and vote

and

as we do in

demonizing people, 

blaming the government for all of our problems

and griping about everything else,

I am certain we would actually

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

in each other's lives

and bring about real change.

One day a few weeks ago,

I took our last thirty something dollars

to the grocery store and purchased

some "staples";

milk, eggs, bread, etc.

The things I purchased needed to last

us for about ten days.

The next morning,

as I opened the refrigerator

to make my husband's breakfast

and lunch,

Holy Spirit said,

"(Someone) needs half of what you purchased yesterday."

So, I contacted that family 

and asked if they needed some bread, milk and eggs.

The response was a resounding,  "YES!"

They were out of money,

out of food 

AND 

they were having mechanical problems

with their vehicle.

I took the food to them that same afternoon.

A day or two later,

I woke up with the weight of the knowledge that

my husband was going to need gas for his vehicle

that evening if he was going to make it home.

 I whispered my request to God,

said, "I trust You Jesus,"

and went about my day.

That evening,

about thirty minutes before my husband was

to leave work,

a friend handed me fifty dollars and said,

"The Lord said you need gas money," 

I was able to deposit it into the bank

just in time for my husband to go and get gas.

A couple of days after that,

I was handed one hundred dollars

with the comment,

"Obedience is rewarded."

At first,

I had no idea what the comment meant.

Then the giver looked at me and said,

"As you help others, you'll be helped as well." 

WOW!

I hadn't given a second thought

to the fact that I had shared our food

with another family.

It was simply the right thing to do.

No, my response to Holy Spirit

had not solved all of their problems

(or mine),

but my obedience did allow

for both of our families 

to eat for a couple of days.

And yes,

it appeared to take away 

from my own family's provisions,

but I am certain

that if I had chosen

to ignore what

Holy Spirit said to me,

I would have missed out

on the other blessings He had for us.

What kind of people are we

that we would allow our fellow 

countrymen,

our neighbors,

our friends,

our families

to go hungry

simply because 

of harsh judgments,

 selfish ambitions,

and

self-righteous attitudes?

If 

"Christian Conservatism"

is the face of

 "Christianity",

I certainly want nothing to do with it!

Lord help us!

What Jesus Didn't Do

  

As I think about

the things that

Jesus did and

the example He set,

I am both struck

and

moved by the things

that He didn't do.

When people went  to Him

with their needs,

He did not reproach them.

He didn't ask,

"Have you heard the gospel message?

Did you go forward during the altar call?"

He didn't first 

point out to them all of their faults

and

accuse them of 

"not doing anything to help themselves".

He did not despise their poverty,

 demand that they account for

every penny they had spent

in the past twelve months,

nor did He hand them a cup

marked "Urine Sample".

He did not look at them in disgust, 

ignore them

or turn His back on them

because they weren't living their lives

the way that He thought they ought

or because they weren't

contributing enough to society.

No.

He did

NONE

of these things.

Rather, 

He looked at them,

He saw them,

He knew them,

He had compassion upon them. 

He fed them,

He healed them,

He was a friend to them,

He loved them.

He granted their requests.

He did ALL of this

without

conditions,

limitations,

or

restrictions.

And after He DID 

all these things,

He said to us,

"Do, likewise, 

all that I have done

and

MORE."

One More

We do well

to remember

that

Jesus 

did not

overthrow

the Roman government,

but rather

taught 

&

demonstrated

what we can

(and ought to)

do

to usher in

the 

Kingdom of Heaven!

Institutions of man

OR

the Kingdom of Heaven?

This woman's efforts

are in

the Kingdom of Heaven!

God Thoughts No. Seventy

For months

I've been thinking a lot

about 

what would happen

and what

the world,

my country,

my state,

my community

would look like

if every individual

took 

personal responsibility

for one's 

own actions;

did

everything and all

that they could do

instead of the

least

that they can do;

stopped relying on

politicians and "leaders"

to fix

everything

and instead

became a part of the

solution;

quit judging

and 

began helping;

in short,

lived according to

the

Law of Love.

Jesus,

first 

fed

His betrayer,

then told him to

go and 

do what he must.

He then 

told those remaining

at the table,

"Love each other.

Love each other

 in the same way that 

I love you.

This Love

will prove 

to the world

that you

(love, obey &)

belong 

to

Me."

(John 13)

Change

begins in

the individual,

not

in the government.

One Hope

My hope

was never

in either

(or any)

man.

My hope

has always been

and remains in

the 

Lord.

King 

Jesus

Plain

&

 Simple

Parables & Prophesy

The more she thought about

her dream,

the more the woman recognized 

that it contained

parables.

The first was

that in the midst

of her despair,

under the weight

of her burdens,

her deepest longing was to

be close to the Lord.

As she found herself unable

to bear the thought

of entering into

any one of the churches,

she was driven on

and into the empty building.

Her "aloneness" with God

reveals

that finding solace

and rest for one's soul

cannot be obtained

in any institution

or by subscribing to

man-made theologies.

The kind of peace which

the soul longs for

can be found in

and obtained by

Christ 

and Christ alone.

The second parable is

that as she sought peace

from the 

Lover of her soul,

He, in His ever merciful Love,

brought others to her

to help her in her situation.

As those who entered the building

were in the habit

of living in obedience 

to the Lord,

they were filled with

joy, happiness, praise & laughter

of which they were unable to contain.

They obeyed the Lord

without question 

or hesitation.

And by her being 

a stranger to them,

they did so without regard

to their own

personal gain.

This kind of

selfless, obedient life

is rewarded with the

overwhelming joy

which comes directly from

the Author of Joy.

Having been prone to 

prophetic dreams

since early childhood,

the woman recognized, also,

that within her dream was a prophesy.

As she thought about

the significance 

of what the people did for her,

she did some calculations of her own

and discovered that 

the amount she had received

in her dream

was, in fact, 

the exact amount that

would remove three

of the burdens from her life.

The significance of this fact

impacted her greatly

as her heart was elevated

to new levels of

Hope

&

Joy.

It wasn't over yet!

Oh how good

&

gracious

God truly is!

Promises

After waking from the dream,

the woman was filled

with hope;

hope that there were still

people in the world who

"did the right thing" 

and who still

listened to and

obeyed the Lord.

As she went about her day,

Holy Spirit kept whispering,

"Hold onto the promises."

And the more He whispered,

the more lighthearted she became.

Indeed,

the Lord had made

promises to her;

promises of

provision & abundance;

promises of blessings so 

full & overflowing

that she would have more

than enough to

share with and

to bless 

others.

"Hold onto the promises", 

indeed!

This is exactly what she 

intended to do;

to hold onto them

and not let go

until the Lord

brought these things to pass.

Because He IS faithful.

He does NOT lie.

His promises ARE true.

And the answer to her prayers is,

"Yes!"

 Amen!

Story, Dream, Parable or True?

Early Sunday morning, a woman set out for church.

Her heart was troubled as the weight of her burdens 

pressed down upon her.

She soon found herself on an unfamiliar street

lined with several churches 

of different denominations.

Feeling a little confused,

she could not bring herself to enter any one of them.

As she walked a little further along the street,

she came to a building which

 she felt compelled to enter.

It was empty inside

except for one over-sized chair.

She went in and sat down.

Just as she began to ask the Lord what

 He wanted her to do,

the doors burst open and people began piling in;

laughing, singing and praising the Lord.

A tall, African-American gentleman, 

wearing a big grin, walked up to her and said,

“Don’t worry. 

You are right where you are supposed to be 

and the Lord is pleased with you.”

As he walked away, 

another man walked up to her,

handed her a check, 

made out in her name, 

for $700, 

grinned and winked then 

went into the crowd.

Just then, a woman walked up,

handed her a check for $650, said,

 “Please hold this for a week before cashing it”, 

and went off into the crowd.

Immediately after that, 

an older, well-dressed gentleman approached her.

He handed her a blank, signed check and said,

 “Fill this check out for me please.”

The woman replied, “I can’t. 

I don’t know whom you want it made out to 

or for how much.”

The man handed her a pen and said, 

“Put your name on it because

 I don’t know how to spell it.”

While she was writing her name, 

the man was busily doing some calculations.

 He said out loud, 

“Forty-three percent”,

 and continued calculating.

 He then looked up and said, 

“Seven thousand. Make it out for seven thousand dollars.”

With astonishment and tears in her eyes, 

the woman asked,

“Why would you, all of you, who are complete strangers, 

do this for me?”

He smiled and replied, 

“Because it is the right thing to do. 

Besides, God told us to.”

He patted her on the arm and then 

turned and joined the crowd.

Another man approached her,

 silently handed her a check for $500 

and quickly walked away.

As soon as he did this, 

the people were gone.

The woman sat in the chair,

overwhelmed and full of

wonder & amazement,

joy & hope,

thankfulness & generosity.

Oh how good and gracious God truly is!

Simple Really

Looking

without seeing

Assuming

without asking

Declaring

without clearing

Judging

without knowing

Seeing

only half of the picture

Asking

not whether it is true or false

Clearing

the conscience

Knowing

you could be wrong

Things are not always as they seem.

Communication is the key.

To find the truth, ask.

It is not as difficult as you think.

Fanning the Flame

All relationships go through different phases.

Every relationship is tested.

Whether it be marriage,

relationship with our children,

parents, siblings, or friends,

all relationships can survive

as long as we're willing to stand firm

and to love & forgive unconditionally.

Today, 

 marriage relationships are on my heart.

I found this image on the internet last night;

and Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.

"Fan the flame of your own desire.

Focus on what drew you to each other

rather than on the differences you may have

or 

on the challenge you may be facing.

Dwell on the spark which first ignited 

your love

and allow your thoughts to fuel it."

The funny thing is that all this week

that is exactly what I have been doing;

fueling the flame of my love

for my dear, sweet husband.

I love that the Lord put 

what I have already been doing

into words that I may share with you.

You see,

the Lord loves us 

fiercely.

And since we have received

such a fierce love from 

the Author of 

Perfect Love,

every one of us

has been equipped

to give out that same kind of love.

But as with anything else,

we must choose to do so.

At some point in your relationship

with your spouse,

your heart sang the same song

as Solomon.

So why not focus on that song

once more and allow

your heart to soar

and your love to pour?

I am quite certain 

that you won't be sorry!

Let Go

I don’t believe in coincidences 

or that random things just happen.

Instead, 

I believe that everything happens 

for a reason 

and that all things, 

even bad things, 

work together for good.

Certainly, things happen because of 

choices people make 

and we live our lives every day, 

making decisions, 

often without regard to the future. 

Though we may not be consciously aware, 

even the smallest thing 

can have a most profound effect; 

while a big thing may 

have a seemingly small effect.

That poor decision we make today 

may not have any ill effects 

until years later, 

just as that small act of kindness today 

may not reap obvious benefits 

until we least expect it.

The things we do every day 

(good or bad), 

without any second thought 

may seem inconsequential, 

but they aren’t.

Everything serves a purpose.

Regardless of our perspective,

 all things are working together… 

for good.

God gives strength to His people.

 He blesses them with peace. 

(Psalm 29:11)

Though our situation 

and/or circumstance

 may be difficult and seemingly overwhelming, 

there is nothing going on that 

God hasn’t already given us 

the strength to overcome.

He can take any horrible decision 

or situation

 and turn it into good.

And not only are His methods perfect, 

but so is His timing. 

It may not feel like we can handle a situation

 right at that precise moment, 

but if it is happening,

 we can rest assured that God

 has already given us the strength 

to get through it.

Sometimes we are affected, 

positively and/or negatively, 

directly and/or indirectly,

by another person’s actions 

which invoke within us 

different emotions.

But remember, 

there is nothing

 that anyone has ever done

that Jesus’ work on the cross

 hasn’t already forgiven.

It is up to us to choose 

whether to harbor negative feelings 

(which make us miserable)

 or to let go 

and to allow 

perfect Love 

(which sets us free)

 to have it’s way in our hearts.

And truly, 

this IS

 what it all boils down to -

~ LOVE ~

Pure

Unrestrained

&

Unconditional

It is the Love 

that we have all

 been given by God.

So what right 

do we have 

to withhold it 

from one another?

God Thoughts No. Sixty Nine

With each difficulty,

challenge or conflict

that arise in our relationships

comes the opportunity to increase

our capacity to Love 

unconditionally.

Since Christ's Love-

His life, death & resurrection-

has so demonstrated 

and

completed 

His unconditional Love

for us,

how can we love one another

any less than He does?

He was serious when He said,

"Love one another".

Though it may not always be easy

~it IS possible.

Jesus told us that we would have trials

and difficulties,

but He said, also,

to not lose heart because He has

already overcome them all.

And because of His victory,

we too are victorious.

It is simply our part

to walk in 

Victory

 by choosing

to obey His command to

Love.

Student Work II

 Student A

"The Ups and Downs, The Waves of Life"

Pain and sorrow appear unbearable.

Love and joy know no bounds.

Confidence lurks somewhere inside.

Questions never ending.

Hope versus doubt;

the age-old war between good and evil.

Somewhere within

there is a song of truth,

a song of strength.

Dreams take flight and find a way.

Dreams crash and fall.

The daylight fades,

The shades of black and grey take over the soul.

Jokes and pranks,

Losing ranks,

Losing respect;

Losing ones self while finding another.

Fathers leaving,

Brothers falling,

Mothers weeping,

Sister lying,

While onlookers are sleeping.

Families growing,

Broken homes,

Needing to know you're not alone.

Waiting for a hero to save the day,

All the while,

You're fading away.

Going back is no option,

You've just begun to get comfortable,

Hiding in the shadows,

Sleeping in the gutters,

Standing behind the curtain,

Staying out of view.

Babies crying,

Birds singing,

Dogs barking,

Hope springing.

Water running,
Rain pouring,
The sun is out,
It's day again.
It's a second chance,
It's another try,
There is still hope.
Please don't go,
This isn't goodbye.

Student B

"Cynic"

Do what needs to be done,

Say what needs to be said.

Prove yourself of gain,

Be a superior;

Always watching your back.

Push others aside,

Taking what you need.

Prove yourself great.

Feed your greed.

You only amount to what you own,

what you have been sold.

Make yourself happy;

vanity and possessions provide this.

You're all that you've bought.

You're the knowledge you've paid for

and thieved.

God Thoughts No. Sixty Eight

I fell asleep last night

awoke this morning

saying,

"I trust You Jesus.

I trust You Jesus."

Indeed, 

I trust You Jesus;

therefore,

I will get through this day

and all of my needs

will be provided for.

When there's nothing else you can do,

say these words,

"I trust You Jesus"

over and over again,

until you realize

that it's the best thing 

you can do.

And see if it doesn't

help you feel more

at peace.

Because His peace

is the peace

that transcends 

all human understanding.

Pray-er

"Pray for each other, so that you may be healed. 

The prayer of a righteous person 

is powerful and effective."

James 5:15b-16

It is God's desire that we pray for one another.

Although He already knows all of our needs,

He delights when we partner with Him

in bringing forth His blessings to others.

This morning Holy Spirit reminded me that

when I put this into practice,

I am better able to resist

the temptation to become

overwhelmed by my own list of needs.

By focusing my attention

on the needs of others

and continuing in dialog 

with the Father,

my focus on self diminishes,

my burden is made light,

and I am filled with

Joy 

which transcends human understanding.

In light of this,

I am offering to pray for you. 

If you have a special prayer need 

or

would simply like me to pray for you 

on a regular basis,

send me a private email message

and I will be honored to do so.

You may include as many details as you 

are comfortable with

or

you may be vague in your request.

It is entirely up to you 

as it is my habit to pray

as Holy Spirit leads,

thus, praying the will of the Father

and not my own will.

May your day be blessed

and may your life be full of

indescribable JOY!

Hallelujah!

" Never stop praying." 

1 Thessalonians 5:17