People Are Hurting

Do you see the unopened can in this photo?
I didn't see it at first.
All I saw was the huge white pumpkin!
That's how it is with people, too.
We don't always see what's almost hidden underneath.
The hurt that they are trying to hide isn't obvious to us.
We only see what they do, look like, or see what they have.
Who they really are, escapes our notice.

People are craving the love of God today.
They might not know it but they are!
What they need escapes their notice.
If there is someone in your life that irritates you exceedingly,
it could be that they are really, really hurting.
It could be that they need some love.

But maybe *you* are the one who is hurting today.
Maybe you've hidden it so well that you don't even know that the pain is there!
If I could give you a smile or a hug, I would.
But I can't, so I write down words as I pray.

Words.
Words can be powerful.
God *is* powerful.
Maybe the two together can make you feel loved.
Encouragement and acceptance-
just might be able to flow from this screen to you.

Whoever you are, God loves and cares about the real you;
the you that nobody seems to really see.
He cares about your pain and I do, too.
Understanding and patience dwells in our God.
May it flow from me to you- right now.

Father Knows Best

He knows what you need.
He knows what America needs.
The prayer of my heart is this:
Peace on earth
Good will toward men.

This Is A Big Deal!

Yes, but there is something and someone even bigger than us.

He can be trusted with the smallest and biggest details of our lives.

Your Night Will End

For any of you out there who are still feeling ill in your body:

Your night WILL end!

Healing and happier times WILL come again!

Don't let those little problems become magnified under the lens of illness.

Problems just DON'T deserve your attention right now.

Let's allow God to take care of them, okay?

You just take care of your body and HANG IN THERE!

This won't last forever.

I promise.

Trouble Loading Photos

The last few days I've been having trouble loading new photos.
They turn out really huge!
Are any other bloggers having trouble?

What Is The Church?

Dear friend,

If you regularly attend a church building service or ritual,
please don't feel any condemnation coming from this post.
Please, don't feel defensive.
I love you and I bless you and I want only to encourage you in your walk with our Lord.
You might be perfectly happy in your church attendance and you might not be sensing that anything is missing in it for you.
If so, rest in His love and know that this post is *not* for you.
But if you are sensing that the Lord is calling you to do something different,
then this post might be for you and I pray that you read it only if you feel led of His Spirit to do so.

******************************************


What Is The Church?



In these days, many precious people are going home from their traditional church services feeling like something is missing... What is it? Some stay home and feel more edified for doing so but then they fight the guilt of tradition because they feel the "right" thing to do is to "go to church". What's going on here? What is God doing? I believe it's our spirit crying out for something more! And I believe what we really want is more of Him!

Today, the Spirit of God is speaking to many about leaving religion and traditions behind and entering into a relationship with God alone. He's also speaking to many about true fellowship and relationships with one another. The light of His presence is shinning into the hearts and minds of His people in a new way! I think it's exciting! This shinning is leading many to ask, "What is church all about anyway?"


First off, the Lord is showing me what the church *is not*.

Is The Church A Building?

Multitudes of people the whole world over equate the word "church" with a building. It could be a grand cathedral or a white building with a steeple on top but either the architecture of the building or the sign up front will lead people to think, "There's a church". Christian people will say such things and atheists will say them, too. Even in Sunday school literature, you might see a picture of one of these buildings and children are told, "This is a church."

But is the church a building? No, the church of the living God is made up of His precious people! God's presence once dwelt in Solomon's Temple but now He dwells in us! Most of us know this truth but the reality, mystery and clarity of this fact is still unfolding for us. It's awesome! What the church *is* and the glorious purpose *of* the church has been innocently clouded by many misunderstandings. But that's okay. Misunderstandings happen daily and they don't hinder our God. His light, and His glory can penetrate the densest fog!


Did you know that history shows us that the "building as the church" concept did not take hold in the minds of the people until buildings began to be erected for the sole purpose of the church to meet in? Repeatedly in the book of Acts we see the church spending time together in each other's homes and throughout the written history of the early church we read such things as, "The church in your house and the church in his house." I believe the apostles knew that God's heart was to have His people continue to gather in homes or in the open air. Not as a law but as a natural out- flow of God's Spirit. Since we are to be His temple, what need would there be for a special building to be set aside?

Some well meaning people have thought that "house church" is the answer to our cry but Jesus already gave us the answer. When the Samaritan woman asked Jesus *where* the proper place to worship was located, He told her that a day would come when it wouldn't be a physical *place* but a worshipping in spirit and truth. I think that is very significant! My friends, that day has come! Thank you, Lord!

Is The Church Something We Do Or Go To?

Don't you love to read about how Jesus traveled, preached and healed everywhere: On mountains, in the plains, in homes, and in the temple. Do you think it was ever boring? Do you think people ever fell asleep? :> Our Jesus went to the people and He's still going to the people- in and through you and me. Although the people were known to go *to* Jesus at times, He didn't raise up a building for people to come and hear Him and He didn't "hold services" either. He seemed to live in one place for a while and then move on. Of course the key is that Jesus did what the Father told Him to do and obviously, the Father told Him to move around. What is the Father telling us to do? What if each and every one of us reached out to all the people that our Father told *us* to reach out to? The poor, the sick, the lonely, the adulterous woman? What would happen?


Do I think any good comes from having church buildings or services? Sure! Wherever God is, good will follow! Do I think church buildings and services are *bad*? Dear friends, this is not a bashing of the modern day traditional church! We are all called to different places at different times. God is not hindered by the period of history that we are in. He worked through people in the dark ages and He's working through people now. God can work through anyone and any system. But what if He is calling me to something more? What is He saying to you? That's what I want to know.

Lord, we bless you in whatever you are wanting to do. Your will be done.
******************************************************************************
If the topic of this post was of interest to you, you might want to read my post "Let's Fellowship" from 1/1/08. You might also enjoy reading the book, So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore. This small book is available to read online and can be found in my side bar. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me in a comment or an email. But let's remember that the main thing is not what's right or wrong. The main thing is Jesus!

Happy November First!

And how about some flowers to help us celebrate another day of living?!

:>

Well friends, I think I'm going to stick with a (somewhat) daily post format.

Any objections? If so, leave me a comment or send me an email.

Even though I was gone for 10 days last month, I had the most posts ever!

How did that happen???

Knowing you're here helps me to write so thanks for the comments!

It doesn't even matter to me if you just come and look at the photos.

And if this is your first time here and you're really not into devotional type blogs- that's okay, too. I know God is blessing you someway or somehow.

Maybe it's through a song or a hobby or through the people you care about.

But I know that whoever you are- God is touching you and He knows and loves you and that He wants to know you more.

A Prayer For Healing

Father, you know there is a lot of sickness going on out in blogland right now.
Some of us get to feeling lonely and forgotten during times of illness.
Please touch and heal us and remind us of how much you love.
Thanks

Don't Worry- Be Happy!

There always has been and always will be, plenty to worry about!

Let's let someone else do it!

(Hint- He's really powerful!)

Are ya with me?!

Every One Is Different!

I'm a people watcher- an observer.
( Does that mean I'm nosey?)
:>
While visiting my grandchildren this month, I had the opportunity to observe the people in their apartment complex.
So many different types of people live there.
They come and they go.
Some stay- a lot.
They stop at each other's doors.
They sit in each other's door ways.
They play together.
And they are all so different yet they all are in each other's lives.
Oh, I would imagine there's some stories of irritation that could be told!
Tales of stretching and growing are probably being written on a daily basis, as all these different ones interact and learn from one another.
But it was a reminder to me of God's creativity with all living things.
There is not just one type of person that has some imaginary stamp of God's approval!
He loves us all.
He made us all.
And we're all special.
Let's just remember that every one is different.

The Journey Continues

In my journey, I have experienced so much deliverence!
This morning, I'm thinking about freedom from judging others.
It used to be that I would often look or listen to someone and then claim that they were *falling away* from God, were not *right* with God or they didn't simply didn't know Him at all.

Yuk!

Now I look at my own life with a critical eye and I wonder....
How would I have judged me if I were looking at me right now?
Did that makes sense? ;>
I would probably say that I was too frivolous, too isolated, AND deceived.

:<

I remember once hotly declaring that I would "never be content!"
and that I would always want more!
I saw contentment as lukewarmness.
I felt like I should always be striving, pressing, fighting and agonizing over some spiritual grief.
And those who weren't?
Well... They were missing it.
Oh, I'm so glad that God loved me back then.
It helps me to love others now.
Here's to deliverance!!!

Do You Long To Know The Truth?

Do you long to know the truth?

Well I have good news!

The Truth is a person and His name is Jesus!

You can spend a life time sweating over doctrine and trying to come to a knowledge of the truth or you can know The Truth now!

Just ask Him to make Himself real to you.

It's a whole lot of fun!

I Have So Much To Learn!

It's a good thing I have a Great Teacher!

The poorest student doesn't hinder Him!

Nothing does!

I'm so glad that we can all learn together!

Amen?

Have a great day, everyone.

Comparing Ourselves

Why is it that we often fall into the trap of comparing our lives to others?

We might think like this:

"Her best friend lives next door to her, but my best friend *doesn't* live next door to me, therefore she has a better life than mine!"

(Never mind the fact that *she* has had multiple health problems since birth and has probably suffered more than you ever will.)

:<

Or maybe it's her husband that makes her life seem so enviable?

(Forget about the fact that she's already lost both her parents and she suffered cruel abuse as a child.)

:<

What is it that looks so much better than what we have?
Money?
Outward beauty?
Talent?

Discontentment is a robber!
Let's accept who we are and what the Lord has given us.
God accepts us.
Let's accept ourselves.

You my friend, are a wonderful person!
You're one of a kind and full of wonderful ways.
We don't need her life!
We need OURS.
(Let's have fun celebrating it, too!)

Are You Convinced Of God's Love?

Are you convinced of God's love?
Do you think that He loves you, BUT...
No! He loves you, PERIOD.

He loves you.
He loves you.
He loves you.

Please believe it.
It's amazing how everything seems to fall into place when we are convinced of His love.
It's then even easier to love others, too.

Do You Feel Lonely?

Do you feel lonely?

We've all heard of people who feel lonely even when they are in a room full of people. What gives?

I used to feel lonely all the time.

I think the reason I was lonely is because I was wanting something that I didn't have.

I was convinced there was someone who *should* be in my life and that spot was not filled. The result of that mind set was lonliness.

A full life that should have been resulting in happiness- wasn't.

I was miserable.

I somehow thought that God's will for my life included people that He had not given me.

As I look back at silly ole me, I remind myself of a little girl who refused to eat her vegetables because she wanted her desert!

Can you just imagine my long legs kicking and the miserable look on my face? :> How embarrassing!

I now know that God can be trusted to bring me to the people He has chosen for me. Setting our hearts on something that isn't ours, is not fun.

Coveting makes us discontent! Yuk!

HIS will- will be done in my life and yours.

It *IS* being done.

That's the clincher.

It *IS* being done.

It's not some far off day when life is all we think it should be.

If our situation is "supposed" to be different than what is is- He will change it.

He is mighty to save and strong to deliver from all things- including loneliness.

May you be blessed with contentment and trust today as you walk with Him.

Open Doors

It is SO not fun to try to open a door that's stuck.
It brings a lot of frustration and exhaustion.

Open doors are a lot more fun!
They swing right open and lead you into what ever is next.
A sense of purpose fills your heart as you take those forward steps and look around you...

If you're trying to force your way through a door that seems stuck or perhaps just a little rusty, I want to encourage you to step back.
We often think that every "worthy" door should allow us admittance but the Lord knows which doors to lead us through.
He knows what you need.

I hope you are blessed with freedom of movement today.

~ Hearts ~

Be Free From Condemnation!

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death!

Your heads are hanging too low my friends!

Lift up your heads!

Feeling guilty and condemned only slows you down.

His cleansing is thorough, complete and lasting.

Receive it and believe it!

~ Hearts ~

Lay It All Down

Give it up

Lay it down

Cast your cares

Upon His crown

Yes, there's definitely a theme here of late.

It flows from what I have learned and from what I see others learning.

I think it's a good theme.

Deliverance from striving

Freedom from worry

Resting in HIS power instead of trying to muster up some of our own.

That's LIFE in HIM!

I hope you can experience His life today and go on your way rejoicing!

Stop Trying

Stop trying.
Just live and let HIM live through you.
Yes, waiting is required.