Faith

Rain Down On Me!

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IMG_1340I just went for a walk on this rainy evening. In taking in the sweet smells of rain intermingling with newly bloomed flowers, I began to wonder if this could possibly be the scent of heaven. Just then, I fully believe that God, disguised as gentle raindrops, began tapping me on my shoulder. Focusing my mind on Him, I heard Him whisper in my ear, a little lesson on rain. “Have you ever really thought about the miracle of rain—life-giving waters that I send from Heaven to first wash away the dirt and the grime and then to feed all MY many beautiful trees and flowers and plants,” he quizzed. “Brenda, my child, just like the rains I pour onto the earth to cleanse, give and sustain life there, I want nothing more than to rain down on you. I planted your seed years ago, but for you to become the fully-developed, blossoming, beautiful, breathtaking and fruitful one that I intended for you to be, you must allow me to rain down on you. You must trust in me that through my plans for your life, you will be cleansed and you will be fully drenched in My Living Waters that will not only make you live your earthly life in full bloom, consequently spreading roots and seeds that will grow My Kingdom here on earth, but will give you the ultimate eternal life with Me.” Lord, God, I praise you and pray that you rain down on me, today and forever. I give you my life for Your purpose. Direct my steps and let it rain. Amen and Ehmen!

 

Just Be

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Just Be

Don’t you just love that sometimes the most awesome things in life are those that defy logic?

Those that don’t necessarily make sense.

Things—like God and Heaven—that require Faith.

Things like the moon, the stars, the sunrises and sunsets that you don’t have to understand to enjoy.

 Things which require you only to be.

I hope that today, no matter what is going on, that you find time to just be.

 And to thank God that you are.

–Amen and Ehmen.

The Story With A Happy Never-Ending Ending

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HIStory

Recently as I was re-watching The Bible on the History Channel, I was captivated by the word “history.” It was if my brain hit pause with that word on the screen and it’s all I could think about for a few minutes. I woke up again this morning with that word on my mind. Thus, I pondered it for a bit.

History is the past and many of us spend too much time in the past; we keep busy trying to re-live it or change it and are often unable to fully enjoy the gift of today because of that.

But, take a closer look at the word. History. His-tory. HIStory. His Story. History is His Story and all things that are a part of His Story are woven together “for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose.”

Best of all, if you are one of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, His Story is guaranteed to have a happy never-ending ending.

“And they lived happily ever after….”

Amen and Ehmen!

The Compliment in Being Compared to a Donkey

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Though they are often the “butt” of many a joke, I have always had a special affection for donkeys. And, brenda and donkey 2every year around Easter, that affection grows. Have you ever wondered why Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem oh so many years ago on what we now call Palm Sunday? Why not a strong, valiant horse? A horse worthy to roam the king’s pastures?

This week, in reflecting on that very question, I thought I’d ask God himself. And so, during my God time earlier this week, that is exactly what I did. As I sat quietly with nothing but a Bible, a blank page and a deep affection for The Father, these are the thoughts that came to rest deep in my spirit.

“Child, do you remember the verses in My Word in which I told you that the first will be last and the last shall be first; those that remind you to be a humble servant? My friend, the donkey, is a fitting image of what I expect from my children. Humble, hard-working, peaceful. I don’t need pomp and circumstance from you. I just need a willing, servant’s heart.

I asked for a donkey to ride me into Jerusalem for many reasons, one being to remind all of my children that it matters not how the world sees you, but instead how I see you. This donkey, considered one of the least among his kind, was fit for a King. With a servant’s heart and attitude, he escorted me into Jerusalem and into my destiny and this is exactly what I ask of you, dear child—a servant’s heart and attitude that I can use to take me to the people of the world and into my ultimate and eternal destiny. I want ALL of my children with me in eternity. Even one lost grieves my spirit so. Think of those parents who have lost one of their children to drugs, alcohol or depression. Think of the parent whose child has run away, who they’ve lost all contact with. Oh how their heart grieves! Now, multiply that by infinity and that is how I feel about my lost children. My heart is not complete without them. My kingdom is not whole. They are MY children. All of them. No matter what they have done. No matter what they haven’t done. They are MY children and I love them. And, I need you, to help me bring them home. I need you to be like that humble, willing donkey that will take me to my children; to my destiny as Father of All. Go read the story of the Prodigal Son. I will open your eyes to new things, my child. And, go through this day aware of my presence. I’ll be right beside you all the way. It’s going to be a good day, child. A very good day.”

Thank you, God, for this. Thank you for the donkey and thank you for now giving me a reason to smile when someone calls me one. 🙂 Amen and Ehmen!

 

Friends on Purpose

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ruth scripture

My friend, Denny, is finally coming back to us for a visit. On this eve of her arrival, I thought I’d post a journal entry about our friendship. I can’t wait to see her. Oh, and I posted this picture, because we have often seen a lot of Ruth and Naomi in our friendship. Of course, I’m Ruth, because I’m younger and cuter. Just sayin’…

We had become friends almost instantly;  too quickly, according to some of our individual friends. Not that it mattered too much what others thought, because God was obviously and determined to put us together. And, neither of us were brave enough—nor willing—to say no to Him.

Of course, to begin with we both had questions, a lot of questions. Who wouldn’t, given the way we’d met and the fact that we had been drawn to one another practically from the get-go? How could an anonymous, virtual game of internet Scrabble, a chance meeting on a social networking site, lead to such a deep, tangible and very real friendship? What could God have possibly been thinking by pairing the two of us together and for what reason?

From the outside, we were just so different. Two very different women with different pasts and different presents. One, a single mom with two jobs and the other a semi-retired housewife. What’s more, we lived what seemed like a world apart—one in western Canada and the other in the southeastern United States.

But, on the inside, well, that’s where it all began to make sense. For on the inside, we were practically twins, soul mates whose bond was quick, yet undeniably powerful and steadfast. So powerful, in fact, that even against our common nature, we were drawn to each other, spending hours truly getting to know one another from the inside out. We talked about everything, from our childhood, to our adulthood, our pain and sorrow, our hopes and dreams, and most especially about God, who we both loved with all our hearts and who continued to make it abundantly clear that He wanted to be at the helm of our lives and that he wanted our lives to be intertwined forevermore.

No, there was absolutely no way this was a chance meeting. For two ordinarily private people highly skilled at hiding behind humor to finally lay down their weapons of defense—the very masks they used when they thought the rest of the world was looking—this most definitely had to be a God thing.

The next seven-plus years would prove that over and over again; and is the basis of a story that God has placed in my heart; a beautiful,  unbelievable, but very true story that is sure to touch hearts and to help people for years to come. And, though life keeps getting in the way of actually getting that story set in ink, it is with pen in hand that the journey of purpose continues. One day…prayerfully soon…you will be able to read it in its entirety.

In the meantime, welcome back, Denny. My heart and home are yours. Amen and Ehmen!

The Ultimate Valentine

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Collection of hundreds of Free Bible Verse from all over the world.

Collection of hundreds of Free Bible Verses from all over the world.

The Ultimate Valentine: He Can Be Yours Just By Asking…

Whether you are single or paired on this Valentine’s Day, this is a day we celebrate the very heartbeat of God: LOVE!

Remember what Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 34-40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

And, as far as Valentine’s go, you can’t get any sweeter or more perfect than our precious and glorious Lord who loves us beyond compare, without condition, forever and ever. And He’s all yours for the asking.

If you haven’t yet, why not today? The day of LOVE.

Just say something like this:

“Lord, I don’t necessarily understand it all and I’m not sure what to do next, but I do believe in You and that You love me so much that you sent your one and only son, Jesus, so that we all could be forgiven of our sins and have everlasting life. I believe He died on the cross for me, to save me. You did for me what I couldn’t do for myself. I come to You now and ask You to take control of my life. I give it to You. Help me to live every day in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and thank you that I will spend all eternity with you.

Lord, will you be my Valentine?”

Amen and Ehmen.

And a Happy Hearts Day to all!

Our Creative Creator

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Even though the billowing cloud, dark and mysterious, hung mid-sky, I couldn’t help butblue sky and clouds smile knowing in my heart what lay behind it. I knew this cloud was like a stage curtain in God’s own theater and that when He decided to peel it away, I would be completely awestruck. Just as this very thought passed through my mind, God must have decided it was show time and sent a gentle wind from stage left, quietly removing the dark veil and revealing the most beautiful blue sky accented with the fluffiest white clouds imaginable. The sun shone like a spotlight, highlighting the most vivid colors of the world all around me. Thank you, Jesus, for this display. Thank you for sharing your creativity with little old me and making my drive to work a memorable one. I absolutely adore you and will be on the front row of your audience anytime you’ll allow. Amen and Ehmen.

The Ailing Atheist Argument

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While I may never be able to convince an atheist that there is a God, I can guarantee you that an atheist will never convince me that there isn’t. Point to PonderAnd it’s not about what I know from books or people. It’s from personal experience that I KNOW. To live without God is unimaginable to me. Even one minute without Him would be too much.

Note: I posted this on Facebook last year on this day, the morning after watching a Bill Maher set at work. Up to that point, I guess I had never really listened to an atheist, but on that night as I listened to Bill mock religion as well as God Himself, I wondered what could have possibly happened to him to get him to that place. It made me sad to know that this existence is all he and those like him will ever know. 😦

Matthew 10:33 says:

But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

I can’t even imagine! And so thankful for that. Amen and Ehmen.

 

Plugging into His Power

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Pondering Out Loud

1 Corinthians 4:20
“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, it is living by God’s power.”

This was the daily verse provided by You Version today and something aplug into biblebout it just struck a chord with me; so much so that I stopped everything that I was doing, opened my bible and studied not only that verse, but all of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 3 and 4. I wanted to make sure that I understood the context for which this statement was made. Boy, are there some powerful things in those two chapters and I made many notes. I was surprised, however, that this particular scripture verse, which continued to resonate with me, goes completely un-noticed in the notes sections of the Life Application and Study Bibles. So, I prayed. I prayed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and wisdom in fully understanding the significance of this short, single sentence scriptural verse.

As per usual when I ask for teaching on a biblical principal, I grabbed my computer to open a blank document so that I’d be prepared to start writing. But, just as I did, my computer’s power cord came unplugged from its AC adapter—that little black brick that acts as an electrical bridge between the wall source and the actual computer. Because it had dropped to the floor, I had to get up and retrieve it and, as I lifted the plug, I immediately sensed that this was a teaching moment. And, so, here I sit pondering and whatever follows is my “pondering and praying” out loud.

So, just how does this computer power supply relate to this scripture: “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, it is living by God’s power?”

As I finished re-typing the scripture, the word “power” leapt off the page at me. In fact, the Microsoft “grammar police” actually underlined it for me and I honed in my focus on that one word. The first thought that popped into my head was that for one to truly understand and share the things of God, they must be plugged into God’s power. Ok, that’s a no-brainer, I thought, and I asked for more. That’s when the Holy Spirit whispered into my own spirit, breaking it down a little further for me and using the computer power supply to help me better understand.

From a technology and scientific standpoint, AC adapters are used with electrical devices that require power, but that do not contain the internal components to derive the required voltage from the main power source. This adapter “adapts” the power so that the device—in this case a laptop computer—can make proper use of it.

I then imagined myself as the laptop computer in this analogy. Without power and the proper power adapter, I am destined for failure. Sure, I may run for a little while on stored up power or even from a corrupt power source, but I will eventually shut down and die. My AC adapter—His Word and Spirit—serves as the bridge between me and the main power source, which is, of course, God. And, like the computer, I alone do not have the internal components to derive and make proper use of God’s power. To live in His Power, I must have His Word and His Holy Spirit within me. And that is the only way to truly possess and promote the Kingdom of God; to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Indeed, without Him—like the computer whose value and purpose plummets to nothing without power—we are dead and useless. Aha, point taken. Lord, help me to plug into Your power today and everyday. Amen and Ehmen!

Putting it in perspective

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I met someone recently. A refreshing your lady eager to help me with something work-Featured Image -- 351related. She sounds like a super, super busy person, and yet she is going well out of her way to help me get something done that is very important for my job. And she’s doing it because “she’s just happy to be able to help.” That’s not something I’m used to running into and her kindness just blew me away. And then she explained a little more about why her attitude is what it is. You see, when she says she’s “just happy to be ABLE to help,” she really means it. In the most literal sense. For just a few months ago, she was run over by a drunk driver while leaving work and it is nothing short of a miracle that she has lived to tell about it. My prayer is that God continues to bless this young lady in her healing. And I thank Him for bringing her into my path, not just for this much-needed answer to a problem, but for reminding me how precious life is and that it is all about perspective. God, thank you for this reminder. And, please, please help me to follow this sweet girl’s lead and just be “happy I’m able to help.” Amen and Ehmen.