Blog Archives

Bridge the Gap embrace new technology.

12/29/2017

Holidays make you think about your family. Can you imagine if those that have gone on before us could come back for a day? What would they say about what they would see? According to USA Today News there are at least five people born in the 1800's still with us today. Imagine what it must be like to just know horseback travel and then hear someone went to the moon? The contrast is so great you wonder how you can bridge that gap? However, one thing is for sure, changes will come.

We just celebrated Christmas and Jesus came into the earth through a virgin. Ready or not here He came. Some rejected the change like the Pharisees and Sadducees because He wasn't packaged the way they thought He would come. The word came to pass just like God said, yet it was not recognizable because of the way they saw things.

By rejecting the advancement of humanities discoveries we leave the morality of the new discovery to the world. The word of God governs even discoveries so they can be used in the right way. We as Christians should embrace the new things, so that we can be a part of how they are used. Be a part of the usage of the new technology.

It's not time to drawl back. God has given us a great opportunity to change things in this season.

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Spiritual Hoarders it's a New Year~time to clean house.

12/29/2017

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Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

Some peoples lives are like an episode of Hoarders. They have accumulated unforgiveness and bitterness, resentment and other forms of spiritual garbage to the point their temple is no longer the temple of God, but a trash dump. The fire of God needs to come in and burn all the trash, because of the putrid smell and contamination they carry. Someone who is filled with fear, doubt, jealousy and such are dangerous to be around. It's hard to get into the life of a hoarder. There is no room. Sometimes the room is so dark and the person has grown accustomed to darkness. They can't see the state they are in. We need to be the light and sometimes light is painful to those that have been in the dark a long time.

Philippians 3:8 (NKJV) "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ"

Jesus has begun a good work in us but we need to allow Him to finish the work. There are some things that can hinder His work in us. Repentance will open the door for Him to come in. Just like this picture above, the light has a hard time coming in when we are filled with things that are contrary to the Spirit of God.

What are you accumulating that is doing you more damage than good? Allow the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to come into your heart and expose the things that need cleaned and removed. As you clean them out, count them as gain for you will have more room for Christ. Many times loss is gain in the Kingdom of God.

I pray for you to be healed of anything and in all areas of life that would cause you to hang on to things that the Lord would have you to release. If it is something in your emotions or in your home may He give you grace to let it go. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Feel free to contact me and let me know how this prayer was answered in your life.

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Taking inventory

12/28/2017

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As we prepare to exit one year and enter the next it's a good idea to take inventory. My husband use to take inventory when he operated his own business. We were talking about how great it was he didn't have to do it this year due to the cold weather. This got me thinking about how all businesses, especially sales take an inventory each year. At the church we are required to do an inventory as well. What about life? Did you ever think if taking an inventory of your life? How many friends do you have? How long has it been since you spent any time with them? What about your family members? How are things between you and them? When was the last time you had a feeling conversation as opposed to a fact conversation with your spouse?

I am a big advocate of watching what you say. I know the power of words. I have said something and seen it come to pass. So when I thought about taking inventory of my life, I began to take inventory of what I have been saying. I was surprised to see that my life was a true reflection of what I had been speaking. Of course I Ama Christian and I have been taught the power of our words. Many times I have had to say my share of rewinds. The reality of the inventory really brought it to light for me.

Perhaps you are starting to think about taking your own inventory? I suggest getting a pen and paper and ask those who live with you what are a few of things you say all the time. It is much easier to answer that question about others than it is yourself. When my girls were teenagers they use to imitate people and we would guess who the person was. They would never imitate me for fear of hurting my feelings or making me mad. I always wanted to see how or what they would do? So ask. Others no exactly what you say all the time, as well as how you say it.

Matthew 12:36-27 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So here's to the New Year! Make 2018 great by saying the right things over your life and watch what happens.

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The remodeling of America~a work of gratitude.

12/27/2017

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To see the changes in our country reminds me of remodeling a house. Things get a little messy. However, I believe the changes we are seeing are for our good. I am grateful for the changes we are seeing in the United States, realizing that things may look worst, before they look better.

With the few days off I have had more time to think about people and life. We are all so busy we often times function through life, rather than feel through life. I rarely get to see the news or appreciate a TV show. Down time gives me a different perspective. I tend to become more grateful and more positive. I can converse at greater depth with God about what is happening, and why. I am grateful that I can wake up and read my Bible, and spend time praying for our great nation and it's leaders. I begin to see the big picture again.

I encourage you if you can, to step off the treadmill every now and then, and rest. I don't keep a "Grateful Journal", but my heart has volumes of pages for which I am grateful. However, like all great works of art or literature these pages take time to write. When we write with our heart which is the pen of gratitude, it takes time. May I encourage you to make yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, and sit in the presence of the Lord with your heart wide open. Allow Him to pour His love over you like rain over a thirsty garden on a hot summer day. Then allow that refreshing to get down into your roots. The fruit of it will be gratefulness for all that you have been through, and all that has accumulated in your lifetime to make you what you are today. Struggles give us strength. Tears wash our eyes. Time makes things more valuable.

Here are a list of prayers to pray over this great Nation, the United States of America.

Praying For The Nations
Joel 3:12...........Let the nations be awakened!
Isa 1:2..............Let the earth hear the voice of the Lord!
Ps 9:20............Judge the nations in Your sight, Father, and put them to fear,
Ps 9:20.............that they might know themselves to be but men.
Rom 8:22..........Father, the whole creation groans and labors
Rom 8:21..........to be delivered from the bondage of corruption,
Rom 8:21..........into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Jn 15:26...........Send forth Your Spirit of Truth to bear witness of You,
Jn 16:8.............and to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
Eze 14:6..........Cause them to repent and to turn from their idols.
Hag 2:7............Shake the nations, so they will come to the Desire of All Nations(Jesus).
Num 23:24........Father, cause Your people to rise up.
Joel 3:11..........Gather Your mighty ones to prepare for war.
Joel 3:14..........Bring the multitudes into the valley of decision.
Jer 49:14..........Send Your ambassadors into all the nations.
Col. 4:3............Open to them a door for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ,
Mt 24:14...........that the gospel of the kingdom may be preached in all the world.
Ps 111:6..........You have declared to Your people the power of Your works,
Ps 111:6...........in giving them the heritage of the nations.
Phil 2:10...........Let every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
Isa 61:11...........Cause righteousness and praise to spring forth.
Hab 2:14...........Let the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory
Hab 2:14...........of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 43:9.............Father, gather the nations together,
Ps 22:27............that they may worship Thee,
Ps 46:10............and exult Thee in all the earth.
Gal 3:8...............Let all the nations be blessed through Your people,
Zech 14:14.........and let the wealth of the heathen be gathered together
2Kin 22:5...........and be delivered into the hands of Your people for the work of the Lord.
Isa. 49:6............Send forth Your salvation to the ends of the earth,
Mk 12:36...........and make Your enemies to be Your footstool.

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Coming home after the holidays.

12/26/2017

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I am so grateful to have the opportunity to write this Blog and have someone to write to. It's a privilege to have you in my life. To get to touch peoples lives is a wonderful thing. I pray you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year.

I also had the privilege of having Carolyn Feathers as one of my most valued readers. She was an encouragement to me, as at least every few days or so, she would let me know how this Blog encouraged her. I miss her deeply and look forward to seeing her again.

Waking up after Christmas Day has always been somewhat of a let down for me, even as a child. All the anticipation of the day and the surprises the day would hold, are over. The surprises and gifts long awaited, are now in our possession, and the wrapping paper tossed aside. We are grateful for what we have received, but that building anticipation is gone. This got me thinking about Heaven. I imagine that Heaven will not be like Christmas. I imagine the day after we arrive in Heaven will only become more glorious. I imagine that everyday will continue to unfold what only eternity will reveal.

The struggle will end in Heaven. I am sure Carolyn is not struggling. Today she doesn't need my Blog or anything is else to encourage her. She is in Heaven. No doubt like all of us she is grateful to be there. I jokingly say, "I will be grateful just to get in". However, like all jokes there is a little truth in there. I will be grateful when I get to Heaven. So, this is the day after Christmas and if you seem a little less that happy just join with me in being grateful. We have 364 days until Christmas comes around again. We can plan better, shop smarter, and do an all round better job next year, but in the interim we can be grateful for another year of life here on earth with those we love. We can grow closer to God and spend more time in His word, so that when we get to heaven, it will be just like coming home after the holidays---only better.

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Merry Christmas

12/25/2017

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Jesus's life did not begin at His birth ours did.

Merry Christmas to you all. Enjoy your day and never forget the "Reason for the Season".

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Christmas Countdown 3-2-1 and it's Christmas!

12/22/2017

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I am giving you the last three days today because this Blog is a Monday through Friday Blog, which means you would miss the last two days. I wouldn't do that to you. Not at Christmas. Even if you were on the "Naughty List"... Pastors tend to be very forgiving. Prophets see the good in people... So, okay here is your three day countdown.

As we count down to Christmas I thought I would do a teaching that you may want to share with your family. Or perhaps you can be the smartest one at the table this year, and answer all the questions the little ones might have.

Why do we have Christmas Trees?

The legend had grown that when Christ was born in the dead of winter, every tree throughout the world miraculously shook off its ice and snow and produced new shoots of green.

Not until the Renaissance are there clear records of trees being used as a symbol of Christmas—beginning in Latvia in 1510 and Strasbourg in 1521. Legend credits the Protestant reformer Martin Luther with inventing the Christmas tree, but the story has little historical basis.
The most likely theory is that Christmas trees started with medieval plays. Dramas depicting biblical themes began as part of the church's worship, but by the late Middle Ages, they had become rowdy, imaginative performances dominated by laypeople and taking place in the open air. The plays celebrating the Nativity were linked to the story of creation—in part because Christmas Eve was also considered the feast day of Adam and Eve. Thus, as part of the play for that day, the Garden of Eden was symbolized by a "paradise tree" hung with fruit.

The custom gained popularity throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, against the protests of some clergy. Lutheran minister Johann von Dannhauer, for instance, complained (like Tertullian) that the symbol distracted people from the true evergreen tree, Jesus Christ. But this did not stop many churches from setting up Christmas trees inside the sanctuary. Alongside the tree often stood wooden "pyramids"—stacks of shelves bearing candles, sometimes one for each family member. Eventually these pyramids of candles were placed on the tree, the ancestors of our modern Christmas tree lights and ornaments.

Why do we give gifts?

It also took a long time for trees to become associated with presents. Though legend connects the idea of Christmas gifts with the gifts the Magi brought Jesus, the real story is more complicated. Like trees, gifts were first a Roman practice—traded during the winter solstice. As Epiphany, and later Christmas, replaced the winter solstice as a time of celebration for Christians, the gift-giving tradition continued for a while. By late antiquity it had died out, although gifts were still exchanged at New Year's.

Gifts were also associated with St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey), who became famous for giving gifts to poor children. His feast day (December 6) thus became another occasion for gift exchanges. During the early Middle Ages, Christmas gifts most often took the form of tributes paid to monarchs—although a few rulers used the holiday season as an opportunity to give to the poor or to the church instead (most notably Duke Wenceslas of Bohemia, whose story inspired the popular carol, and William the Conqueror, who chose Christmas 1067 to make a large donation to the pope).

Like trees, gifts came "inside" the family around the time of Luther, as the custom of giving gifts to friends and family members developed in Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. Often these were given anonymously, or hidden. One Danish custom was to rewrap a gift many times with different names on each wrapper, so that the intended recipient was only discovered when all the layers were opened.

In the English-speaking world, the union of gifts, trees, and Christmas was due to the influence of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, a native of Saxony (now part of Germany). German immigrants had brought the custom of Christmas trees with them in the early 1800s, but it spread widely after Victoria and Albert set up an elaborate tree for their children at Windsor Castle in 1841. At this point, Christmas presents were usually hung on the tree itself.

German and Dutch immigrants also brought their traditions of trees and presents to the New World in the early 1800s. The image of happy middle-class families exchanging gifts around a tree became a powerful one for American authors and civic leaders who wished to replace older, rowdier, and more alcohol-fueled Christmas traditions—such as wassailing—with a more family-friendly holiday. This family-centered image was widely popularized by Clement Moore's 1822 poem, known today as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (which also helped give us our modern picture of Santa Claus).

What is the real meaning of Christmas?

As many of us make trees and gifts the center of our own Christmas practice, we would do well to remember that they are ultimately symbols of the One who gave himself to unite heaven and earth, and who brings all barren things to flower.

Read with your family the Story of Christmas: Luke 2:1-20 (NET) "Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes. This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David. He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!” When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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Christmas Countdown 4

12/21/2017

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You are on the countdown to Christmas with me and we are only four days away. Anticipation builds in our hearts to see loved ones, give and receive gifts, enjoy the food and fellowship. Right? Well, not for everyone and not everywhere. There are those that will be alone. There are those that are living in war torn areas, fearing or fighting for their lives. This is the way it was then...and now.

John 12:46 (NIV) "I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness."

Jesus didn't come at the perfect time. He came at the appointed time. Jesus is an interruption to the routine of life, be it routine of war, or peace. Just as light drives out darkness, Jesus's entrance into our life will drive out darkness. If you have ever tried to hold on to something that is not of God, and hold onto God too, you will soon find that it is impossible. Just as it is impossible to hold onto darkness when the lights are turned on. Darkness must go. Light will dispel the darkness. This is why many avoid the light. Even that night in Bethlehem the shepherds were interrupted by a great light. Status quo was broken when the heavens opened with a heavenly choir singing, and those that were there, fell upon their knees. At the entrance of light everything changed. When Jesus comes on the scene, we see what was hidden by the darkness, and then we have a decision to make. Do we let go and fall to our knees and follow the light? Or do we run from the light?

What decisions have you made since Jesus came into your life? Have you allowed darkness to creep back in, or has the light only became brighter over the years? Ask yourself this question: Is the light still shining on me or is it shining out of me? Do I dispel darkness where ever I go? One of the ways we can tell is, do others still feel comfortable sinning in our presence? Those that still desire to sin, do not like to bring their sins to the light.

Ephesians 5:13 (NIV) "But everything exposed by the light becomes visible--and everything that is illuminated becomes a light."

Ephesians 5:11-14 (NIV)

“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “ Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

Christmas is only four days away. As you are planning what you will do--what are you planning not to do? The New Year is upon us and many will be making those New Year's Resolutions. Have you thought about yours?

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Christmas Countdown 5

12/20/2017

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Whether we are ready or not Christmas is coming in 5 days. So, I thought we would do a count down till Christmas. Five, four, three, two, one, and it will be here. I can only imagine what Mary must of been thinking five days before she gave birth. Joseph by now has adjusted to the plan of God. Soon the Light of the World will be born. Let this settle into your spirit. In five days we will be celebrating not just the birth of a baby, but the Savior of the World. He was born to die so that we could live.

This year let's look beyond the tender manger scene and see that Jesus was born to die. He died for you and for me.

John 12:27 "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."

With all the present giving, eating, and celebrating, remember He was born to die. We were born again for the same reason. Every time we tell ourselves, "no" and we chose to do the will of God rather than our will, we become more like Jesus. Every time we allow ourselves to be broken, the Light of the World shines brighter through us.

Allow me to challenge you, to challenge yourself for the next five days. Let's celebrate the birth, but never forget His death. Let's embrace the life of brokenness knowing it is the way to the blessing. This is truly the reason for a Merry Christmas, not just the birth but the process He went through to bring us to Himself, so we could be like Him.

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No Longer Alone~Emmanuel God is with us.

12/19/2017

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Matthew 1:22–23. The Gospel of Matthew cites the prophecy of the sign of Immanuel from Isaiah, using a Greek translation rather than the original Hebrew. ... 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

When we think we are all alone and no one understands, we can rest assured there is someone. This someone is the who, "Get's it". He "got it", from the very beginning. He too, felt all alone. He paid the ultimate price of loneliness, so that you and I, would never have to be alone. Loneliness can manifest when we are in a room full of people, or when we are alone. The difference is loneliness doesn't really have anything to do with being alone, rather it is an emotion. Usually people feel alone when they have no purpose in life, or they have lost their purpose. Many in our country feel alone, and so much so, that suicide is the number killer of teenagers, and white men between 40 and 65 years of age.

Jesus is as close as the mention of His name. If you are fighting depression or know someone who is encourage them to listen to praise and worship music to minister to their soul. Then purchase a Bible for them or encourage them to read 1 John, 2 John and 3 John, over and over again. Check on them often and ask them about what they are reading. Finally, see if you can get them to go do something for someone else. Visit the elderly. Take a trip to a Nursing Home. Go feed people at the local Soup Kitchen or Homeless Shelter. Bake with them or go shopping for a single mom. God is with us but sometimes others just need to see Jesus with skin on, and that my friend is the Jesus inside of you and me.