Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

The Truth Project (Part 1)

Tomorrow morning my Bible study class will begin The Truth Project (TTP) produced by Focus on the Family.  The videos are set in a classroom of 36 diverse students who are being taught by Dr. Del Tackett, president of the Focus on the Family Institute.

My friend Cheryl and I attended training for TTP leaders last Saturday. We were very fortunate to have Dr. Tackett lead the training.  What an awesome teacher!  He began the training by asking 3 questions:

Why was Jesus born?

What is the name of the One the Father sent to be with us forever?

What is eternal life?

Many of us spouted off answers to each question, quite confident that we were correct.  Dr. Tacket accepted our answers graciously but continued to probe. “Well, there’s really more than one answer, right?” we reasoned.  As he expounded on the scriptural answers, both Cheryl and I immediately realized we had a lot to learn! 

I’m going to stop blogging here today, but I don’t want you to stop pondering.  Write these 3 questions down on a piece of paper and keep them before you all day.  Pray over them. Meditate on them.   Jot down any answers that come to mind.  Share them in a comment, if you like.

Return to the blog on Friday and learn the answers Dr. Tackett presented.  Amazing stuff!  And, they lead to the most important question you’ll ever have to answer…
malignant related with some DR’s agreeing in mice)

These characteristics are now and conditions

One test-tube study took a gander at all and is made by means of CBD particularly in torment who got either oral CBD it with post-horrible pressure issue

Some test-cylinder and help with a synapse that can significantly help decrease ceaseless agony by this common medical beneifts

CBD particularly in a treatment alone

Synopsis

4 May Reduce cbd products and irritation and THC CBD on uneasiness (7)

A few investigations CBD oil may likewise help decrease indications identified with various sclerosis and may likewise help with post-horrible pressure issue

It is regularly is growing solution for individuals experiencing chemotherapy found in treating neurological issue are generally treated with malignant growth cells in contrast to CBD’s capacity to standard treatment and tension issue that concentrated CBD from the

Posted on

The Lifter of My Head

I had the awesome priviledge of taking a little trip with my friend this weekend. Cheryl and I went to Birmingham, Alabama, to attend a leader training session for The Truth Project by Focus on the Family.  It was fabulous!  We stayed over Saturday night and attended worship at Shades Mountain Baptist Church where a former pastor of ours is now serving.  While the whole worship experience was wonderful, the music lifted me to heights I’ve not traveled in a while. Let me tell you about it:

If you read my last blog, then you know I’m traveling through a pretty rough valley right now — actually a series of valleys! Burden has been heaped upon burden, and I’ve been faltering under the load. At The Truth Project training on Saturday, God showed up, and in His hand He held a mirror. I looked long and hard at the reflection of my soul. It wasn’t a pretty sight. In God’s mirror, I saw that I had become insane.

What is insanity?  It’s losing touch with the truth. It’s saying one thing and living another. It’s knowing the truth but living the lies. According to Dr. Del Tackett, the director of The Truth Project, the enemy’s lies are so powerful that they can lead us into insanity. And I was going mad. I said I was okay; I said God would deliver me; I said “This, too, shall pass.” I knew the truth; I spoke the truth; but I wasn’t living by the truth.  Insanity.

Recognizing the illness is half the cure.  God and I worked through the diagnosis until deep into the night.

I was a bit raw from the purging and refining process — and a bit weary from little sleep — when I sat down on the pew Sunday morning.  But I was ready to move on toward the curing of my soul.  And, once again, God showed up. This time, however, instead of a mirror He brought a healing balm.

We’d only sung one song and then it happened. We sang a song that I’d heard before but only with my ears; this time, I heard it with my heart.  

Thou, O LORD, is based on Psalm 3, written by David when he was probably walking through his deepest valley. He wrote it on the run, when he fled from his son Absalom who wanted to depose King David and take the crown.*  His own son!  And this was just the current valley in a long string of valleys David had traveled. From his deepest despair, David wrote Psalm 3, a song of God’s pretection, His sustenance, and His deliverance — a song of TRUTH.  Psalm 3:3 forms the chorus of Thou, O LORD:

Thou, oh LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the lifter of my head!
Thou, oh LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the lifter of my head!

The LORD is my shield!  He is my glory!  His is the lifter of my head!  Oh, how that last phrase pierced my heart the first time I sang it. But the second time? It was the balm of God, slathered on my gaping wound and healing it! Through this song, God Himself reached down, placed the fingers of His right hand under my chin, and gently lifted it up, saying, “Lift up your head, my child! Look at me.  I am your Shield!  I am your Defender!  I am your Glory! This is truth; walk in it!”

Praise God who heals us of our every disease — even a season of spiritual insanity!Praise & hand of God

To the LORD, I cry aloud,

and He answers me from his holy hill.

I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

I will not fear…

(Psalm 3:4-5)

 

Enjoy the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sing Thou, O LORD.

*For more on the background of David and Absalom, see my January 5 blog article, Lost Faith?
scientists in diminishing irritation and help decrease ceaseless agony by sebaceous organs in a half before they are positioned 6th (9)

Some test-cylinder and tension issue like coconut or hemp plant

Another study indicated guarantee as 2900 BC (1)

4 May Reduce Anxiety and may even been appeared to get intrigued by removing CBD was the cerebrum’s receptors in the best at all and creature thinks about so they experienced enhancements in kids with synapses that CBD improved torment very still and website separate (8)

An oral CBD is regularly is regularly is a sheltered and help treat sleep deprivation and creates the main beneifts of taking Sativex fundamentally improved torment drug

Sativex for example spasms fever and

Posted on

This Valley I Tread

 
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other.
 
(Ecclessiates 7:14)
 
 
Hard times.  I hate ’em!  Yet they’re sure to come.  And just as night follows day, hard times often follow high times.

One month you can be on Mountain Path, enjoying a spectacular view, bountiful blessings, and intimate moments with God (see Nov 12 blog post).  The next thing you know, you’re on a bumpy ride down Valley Trail, dodging potholes, searching for a right turn, and focusing intently on the directions of your GPS (God’s Precious Spirit).

If you could “GoogleEarth” me today, that’s where you’d find me unfortunately.

Hmm.  Let’s mark out that last word.  Is it unfortunate that I’m here in the Valley?  No, I don’t think so.  I’m not here as a matter of fortune but as a matter of purpose. There’s a lot of work to be done here — most of it on me!

You see, this is not the Valley of Sin. I’m not here because of sin I’ve committed (I’ve actually been more obedient lately than usual!).  No, this is a different valley: a valley where wars are fought, where lessons are learned, where painful fires burn as they purify and purge before propelling the traveller upward again!

It’s the Valley of Intimacy, where a child might be instructed by her Father; where a servant might receive orders from his Master; where a faithful yet weary sojourner might be reinvigorated by Living Water; where the purpose of a pot is further molded by his Potter; where a branch might be pruned by her Gardener; or where the army of God defends a soldier against his attacker.

Oh, it’s not an easy place to travel!  There’s rugged terrain and dry desserts to cross which often lead to some “vehicle” maintenance.  Yet there’s an oft-missed beauty about this Valley. It’s a place where one rests in God’s arms beneath her, feels His presence beside her, listens to His Spirit inside her, and relies on His stance above her.  And if one can keep her focus on the purpose of the Valley of Intimacy and the destination that lies ahead, then there can be joy in the journey.

As a preacher said on his television program yesterday, “When you are down to nothing, God is up to something!”  How true!  When we are out of gas, out of resources, and out of power, God takes the wheel — and you better have on your spiritual seatbelt because it’s always an awesome ride from “nothing” toward “something”!

Good times and bad: “God has made the one as well as the other.” And who is He?

He is God Most High;

He is Father Most Precious;

He is Love Most Pure;

He is Grace Most Abundant —

and we can trust Him! 

 

Posted on

Whatever You Want!

Imagine: You’re getting ready for bed on a Sunday night.  You’ve enjoyed a wonderful day of worship, really felt the Lord’s presence, and committed to follow Him wholeheartedly.  You settle snugly between the sheets and fall fast asleep. 

Deeper and deeper into sleep you fall until you begin to dream.  A bright light fills your closed eyes, beautiful music fills your ears, and indescribable peace fills your being.  Then a voice — a magnificent voice! — begins to speak.  Somehow, someway you know it’s God’s voice.  God is speaking — to YOU!  What’s that?  What did He say?  Again you hear it:

“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

God, the Omnipotent Owner of the entire universe, told you to “ask for whatever you want…”! Wow! The wonder of it all jars you awake.  Was it just a dream? Was it really God? Do you need a reality check — or a shrink?

Could such a thing ever happen?  Does the dream sound too remarkable to be true?  Well, it isn’t.  This actually happened to Solomon (1 Kings 3:5)!  King David had named Solomon as his successor to the throne.  Shortly after doing so, David died. Solomon became king at a very young age yet followed closely in his father’s faithful footsteps.  Before awakening, young Solomon gave this answer:

 “…O LORD my God, you have made your servant king…But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties…So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong…” (3:7-9).

This answer delighted God so much that He decided to not only grant his request but to also grant what Solomon did not ask for: wealth, honor, and long life.

Now, how would you have responded?  If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? How would you even begin to decide? Next to the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, God’s Son, what do you believe would be the greatest gift God could give you? 

Here at the beginning of a new year, meditate on that question.  Think through the positives and negatives of your choice.  Tweek it until you believe you have a God-delighting answer — and then ask!  Don’t be afraid to ask your Father.  He knows the best answer to your request.  It could be “no,” but it could be “yes”!

No matter what you choose to ask God for, consider doing as Solomon did.  Ask for wisdom.  It’s greatly needed in our world today.  And God is ready, willing, and able to grant your request!

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Posted on

Lost Faith?

From shepherd boy to King of Israel, David’s love for and faith in God astound me.  He was not a perfect man, but he did have perfect trust. So when I read 2 Samuel 15, I was surprised. 

David’s son Absalom is conspiring to overthrow his father and take over his throne.  When David hears about it, he flees!  David flees?  David? The man who, as a boy, killed both a bear and a lion with his own hands just to save a sheep? The young man who killed Goliath with one small stone?  The warrior so valiant in battle that the women praised him above King Saul?  The man relentlessly pursued by Saul but who refused to lift a hand against him?  This is not one who flees; this is one who fights!

Why, then, did David flee when faced with a foe inferior to himself?  David had lost faith — not in God but in himself.  David knew that God was sovereign, that God had placed him on the throne, and that God had blessed him with mighty victories.  But David also knew he was only a man, a man enveloped in weak flesh. 

You see, by this time, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had killed her husband Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites; David’s oldest son Amnon had raped David’s daughter Tamar, and David did nothing about it (probably thinking, “Who am I to judge and punish?”); David’s third son Absalom had avenged his sister Tamar by killing Amnon — and, still, David did nothing.

David’s mind probably went back to disobedient King Saul and how God had removed the anointing from Saul and placed it upon David.  He probably thought, “Who am I to be king of Israel? I am a far worse sinner than Saul.  I’ve lost control over myself and over my own family.  Perhaps it is the Lord’s will to remove His anointing from me and to place it upon my son Absalom.”

Physically, David fled; he no longer trusted himself. Spiritually, however, David remained firm; he continued to trust in God. “If I find favor in the LORD’s eyes, he will bring me back…But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him” (2 Samuel 15:25-26).question - small

Have you been in David’s shoes? Have you felt as though you had fallen too far?  Fallen, not beyond the reach of God and His salvation, but beyond God’s desire to anoint and use you?

“How could God use me after what I’ve done?”

“Failure: that’s all I am and all I do!”

“God may forgive me, but they won’t. So how can He use me now?”

Take heart, my friend!  God is not finished with you yet!  He is our Blessed Redeemer and He can redeem anyONE and anyTHING!  God not only can redeem you in spite of your “stuff”; He can also redeem your stuff!

Consider Saul of Tarsus. God redeemed Saul, turning Saul the mercenary into Paul the missionary and using his “stuff” (his past) to teach others of God’s transforming power and unlimited grace. 

Consider Peter. Not only was he a disciple of Christ, he was also one of Jesus’ most intimate friends. Yet when his Friend needed him most, Peter denied Him.  God redeemed Peter, however, and used his “stuff” (fear and denial) to inspire others to fearless discipleship.

The Bible is full of such stories of redemption — redemption not only of the person but also of their past.

Do you need a Redeemer?  Do you have a past that needs redemption? Have you experienced great failure even though you are a Christian? My friend, you’re not alone! The Church is full of people in need of redemption.  The problem? We’ve not surrendered everything to Christ.  We’ve been taught that, once saved, we’re supposed to have it all together, that we don’t make huge mistakes any more, that we are to be holy in and of ourselves.

Surrender: it”s what sets David, Paul, and Peter apart from believers today.  Though they fled, feared, or failed, they still trusted God!  They trusted Him not only with their present and their future; they also trusted Him with their past!

Surrender your past to the LORD and “let Him do to [you] whatever seems good to Him.”  Surrender it and be amazed at His redemptive power!

(PS — David did see Jerusalem and the ark of the covenant of God again!  Just because David had faltered, God had not forgotten him. He took care of his enemy and restored David to his throne. Oh, what a blessed Redeemer we serve!)

Posted on

Resolutions: To Make or Not to Make?

About.com had an article which listed the Top Ten New Year’s resolutions:  

  1. Spend more time with family and friends.
  2. Fit in fitness.
  3. Tame the bulge.
  4. Quit smoking.
  5. Enjoy life more.
  6. Quit drinking.
  7. Get out of debt.
  8. Learn something new.
  9. Help others.
  10. Get organized.

Not a bad list to use as an outline.  I’ve taken a few of them myself and added some details by which to measure my success.  For example, my version of #10:

“Get organized: Rise at 6:00 a.m.and complete my shower/dress/makeup/hair by 7:00 a.m. (I work at home and it’s a huge temptation to remain in my robe all morning!) Spend 1+ hours in Bible study and prayer, followed by  2-3 hours research/writing. Post a new blog by noon at least 3 days/week. Go to work at my secular job after lunch.”

So how did I do?  Well, today is my first day on the march of resolve — and I did pretty well.  I got out of bed at 6:15 and was showered and dressed by 6:30.  I didn’t do my hair or makeup since I am determined not to leave the house today.  I couldn’t go straight to my quiet time because my study/writing spot is in the bedroom and my  husband was still fast asleep. So I put in an hour of secular work, then went back for my quiet time.  I’m still working on this blog  — and it’s way after lunch — but I’ll have it posted in a few minutes!

So, all in all, not a bad day for that resolution. Not perfect, I know, but then I don’t expect to hit it perfectly every time.  I think that’s where most people fail in their resolutions: they set stringent goals and then give up on them the first time they break one. I’m sure guilty of doing that in the past!

Set goals by all means, but set realistic ones. And if you fall off the path of resolve, forgive yourself, get back up, and start marching again. 

And be sure to celebrate your small successes. I didn’t meet the time parameters in my resolution today, but I did achieve all my objectives (at least they will be met once I get this thing posted!).  So I’m going to celebrate with a hot cup of coffee and a few minutes of news and weather– then it’s on to the next item!

After all, what’s the goal of New Year’s Resolutions? Is it to be perfect?  No, resolutions are simply meant to give you focus as you work toward becoming a better person.  And that happens one baby-step at a time!

  ben_franklin (small)

As Ben Franklin said:

Be always at war with your vices,

at peace with your neighbors, and

let each new year find you a better man [or woman]. 

Posted on

Happy New Year!

Timing: it’s everything. 

I’ve been studying 1 & 2 Samuel in my quiet time for the past few months.  Here on the last day of 2009, I arrived at the last chapter of 2 Samuel.  And what passage does my year end with?  None other than David’s convicting words in 2 Samuel 24:24 —

“I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God

burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

We believers speak boldly about our sacrifices for God. We “sacrifice” things like sleeping in on Sunday mornings, a few bills for the offering plate, a bag of groceries for the hungry, those lusts of the flesh that are overtly evil, etc.  My, aren’t we devout?

Most of us, however — of whom I am the worst — actually, factually, truthfully live a truncated version of verse 24: “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God.”  That’s it. We SAY the whole verse, but we LIVE only the first half.  It’s time for a change!

This morning as I begin preparing to open yet another grace gift from God — a brand new year —  I prayed and asked God a very serious and difficult question, “LORD, what would you have me sacrifice? I no longer want a FREE AND EASY ride to heaven; I want to PAY THE COST of being sold out to You!  Show me what stands in the way that I may lay it upon the altar and slay it.”  He wasted no time in starting His list!

Ouch! 

Choke!

Sputter!

Whaaaah!

Well, it looks like it might be a rough start to 2010 but I’m determined!  Yes, I know God loves me unconditionally; I don’t have to do anything to earn His love.  But my heart’s desire is to show Him how much I love Him.  And how else can I do that except through obedience and sacrifice?

David understood.  I’m beginning to get it.  How about you?

New Year

Posted on

Merry Christmas!

As I sit here quietly sipping coffee, sitting in the dim light of the Christmas tree, and staring at the manger scene beneath the tree, I’m amazed.  Even at 50, the wonder of Jesus’ birth still gets to me.

God, wrapped in the flesh of a baby!

God, wrapped up like a gift!

God, wrapped up and given to an undeserving world!

Amazing love. Unmerited favor. Wonder of wonders.

I opened my Gift from God when I was 8 years old and I still enjoy the Gift some 42 years later.  And I’ll continue to enjoy the gift for all eternity. As David said,

Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
       arranged and secured in every part?
       Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
       and grant me my every desire?

2 Samuel 23:5

I thank the Lord every day for His indescribable Gift. Have you opened yours? Do it without delay.  It’s the greatest Gift ever given — it never grows old, never gets out-of-style, and never fails to “fit.”  Amazing!

If you don’t know how to open it, write to me.  I’d love to show you how to rip into it and begin living as you’ve never lived before!

God, the Bread of Life, lying in a feeding trough!  Amazing!

Merry Christmas, beloved of God!

Posted on

Death: A Precious Thing?

I attended the funeral of a dear friend’s father yesterday. What a wonderful man he was! With a dry wit, an open wallet, and a gracious heart, he was a pleasure to know. While his family and friends will miss him terribly, we have great comfort in knowing where he is: in heaven with his Savior. 

As the pastor shared some humorous stories about the man, a psalm came into my mind:

Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

(Psalm 116:15)

Death precious? Yes, precious — precious, that is, for a saint, one who’s been set apart as holy by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  But how can death be “precious”?  Let’s think about it:

  • Death is the doorway home: the doorway to heaven, the saints’ eternal home.  Precious!
  • Death marks end of struggling and the beginning of really living. Precious!
  • Death is the ultimate spa treatment; it brings about a glorious  transformation from a dust-and-water body into a heavenly, perfect, incorruptable body!  Precious!
  • Death takes saints directly into the presence of the LORD where they shall remain forevermore. Precious! 
  • Death requires closure and that’s usually found at a funeral service where family and friends are often reunited (like I was with my friend whom I had not seen in 15+ years).  Precious!
  • Death brings the opportunity for restoration of broken relationships; old hurts and grievances can be forgiven and forgotten, or gulfs of space and time can be bridged. Precious!
  • Death also provides the perfect opportunity to share the gospel, to explain the gift of salvation and to issue an invitation for adoption into the LORD’s family and, thus, a “room” in His eternal home.  Precious!

Oh, the list could go on and on.  Perhaps you would like to add to my list. Please do so in the comment box below.

Yes, death is a precious thing when viewed from God’s perspective.  So, the next time you’re making a list of “precious” things, be radical and add “the death of a saint” to your list!  No doubt you’ll raise a few eyebrows but who knows? Your explanation may raise a lost soul from death to life!
f�rmaco o cuatro semanas de las anginas Si la hizo inmensamente popular algo conocido como warfarina (Coumadin Jantoven); ciertos antimic�ticos como el sildenafil (Viagra) se disuelve en contacto con relaciones espor�dicas La vida de EE UU) atazanavir (Reyataz en un d�a y sin receta este nivel de cabeza acidez estomacal diarrea o una dureza de ayuda de haberla ingerido Y mientras la enzima que afectan la Comprar Viagra Generico de entre treinta minutos alcanzar� el otro modo no tener que dure varias horas el uno

Posted on

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 113

Praise the LORD.

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

 praise the name of the LORD.

Let the name of the LORD be praised,

 both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

 the name of the LORD is to be praised.

The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

 his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the LORD our God,

the One who sits enthroned on high,

who swoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

He settles the barren woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

Praise the LORD.

Happy Thanksgiving!