Watching the skies

 I've been seeing more and more clouds moving in and out of our area today. The weather threat are high for severe thindwerstorms and possible tornadoes. It's that time of the year again. We tend to get  lot more coverage by the weatgher guys as well. They are all vying for our favor as they hype the reports with ominous sentences and wild gestures. It would be funny except for the chancxe of them being right is very high and I would hate for anyone to get hurt because they didn't see what was coming in thier direction in time.

We act out or lives like the weather. What seems possible doesn't always materialize and yet there are those times when things get tough and we find ourselves in trouble. Is it our fault or are we just targets ripe for the taking by the enemies of our souls. I loathe the way people treat each other. The hate is so real today. When I was young our neighbors all knew each other and cared for each other and protected each other. Now a days, the neighbors are strangers for the most part; less apt to help when issues approach because they don't want to 'get involved'.  Is getting involved so bad? It certainly can be, but we are told in the Word to do just that; get involved and help each other in time of need. It doesn't have to be a crisis. It can just be something as easy as holding the ladder for someone so they don't fall and hurt themselves cleaning out a stopped up gutter. That used to be a common thing; the 'helping'. Not anymore. Our lives have turned inward and guarded. We put up barriers that separate us from one another in order to seclude our lives into nice neat compartments of safety. That shuts us off from life in general. No interaction, no learning what the other is thinking or feeling or trying to accomplish. How sad.

I find the outgoing person a lot more interesting than the introvert. The gregarious person lifts others up in spirit. The introvert drags others down and 'leeches' the life out of the room with the negativity. It's alright to be timid but it's not alright to hold back feelings and opinions when it comes to healthy relationships. We must be more open and honest about our interactions and intentions. If the truth is foremost, the environment is  more 'open' and fresh and  capable of producing a positive outcome in our dialogs with each other. "Communication is the key!"

I look to the skies for what may be coming. Inside, I look to the 'skies' to see what is coming as well. A healthy relationship with God can keep the lines of communication open and fresh. We have to have that to survive in the current conditions we find ourselves. Danger is all around and it can take a terrible turn in a moment's notice. No warning, just sudden attacks of debilitating force designed to crush us; crush our spirit; crush our progress and momentum. Don't go about life in a stupor, keep on the look out for those 'fiery darts' coming your way because they will come.  Be ready and knock them down like you would an errant baseball coming your way suddenly out of the blue. Keep watching.

Reaching but not there yet

 The overcast day brings on a moody atmosphere. I'm expecting showers later along the coolness the wet blanket of water brings as it lays across the yard and taps it's melodies on the roof above. How do we get along without the rain? It simply isn't possible. The nourishment to our souls is enough to long for it all the more.

Di 'talks' to me as she rides along across the city. I relish our verbal jousts and quips over the phone.  Siri interprets, sometimes, and we go back and forth for most of her trip. Her remarkable mind never ceases to please me. I love her so. I can always depend on her honesty even if I don't want to hear it at the time. I have the 'nail marks' of her sharp tongue on my mind, but it makes me a better man and I need that. Do we look for the easy way out or do we invite the battle and test our mental and spiritual strength against whatever 'enemy' we are jousting with at the moment? Erin Reagan from Blue Bloods said, "I like a good fight". I think I do as well; as she does. It knocks the rust off the bone and clears the muddled air in the brain forming fresh 'fodder' to fight over.

I have applied for several voice over jobs online recently. I would like to try my hand at it and get paid for doing what I so love to do for a change. Not much better incentive than money, 'eh what'! I get a tremendous amount of please, sure, from the videos and songs and promos, but it hasn't been very lucrative. Pray for me.

I think the tide is turning. I await the State of the Union Address in a little under an hour. We are really in trouble. 

(2 hours later)

The tone of the speech didn't surprise me much. It's easy to recognize ego when it's so evident. I could never understand how people could so easily lie with a straight face, but this man is practiced and determined and even lethal in his intentions. There's no wonder so many of our spiritual leaders are up in arms. I believe the devastation  has gone on long enough that things must and will change. The pendulum is beginning its move in the other direction now. God has been plain with His warnings. His Word does not return void and His way will can and will be made evident soon. We need to make sure we are on the right side of all of this or suffer the consequences of our own actions. Praying and fasting has never been more needed than it is now. 

Gather together my friends and pray for each other. Our fate is in our own hands now. The evil that men do is out in the open now and barely clothed with a thin veil of deceit. Even the most ignorant are saying, "Look... the Emperor has no clothes!".

'weather or not'...

 We all to often mistake the words someone says for something entirely different. 'Whether or not' we understand the words being spoken determine our frame of mind toward the speaker. My hearing has declined in recent years so I have a unique view when it comes to the spoken word, especially if the words displayed are contrary to what I hear. Common mistake among the elder generation as you know. However, sometimes it might have been better if what I thought I heard was the case instead of the actual. Our society is quickly declining in 'the spoken word'. We text a few letters and that substitutes for an actual sentence. How do ya'll keep up with all of that new lingo anyway? I'm confused.

 'I've fallen and I can't get up!' I long for the long conversations that used to occur out in the backyard over a cold glass of Lipton's with fresh mint. Of course, I remember things in a softer light than I did back then. For the most part, I was on the go and seldom still enough for those 'conversations' but I do recall those comfortable times.

We had a visitor today. Her trip was a welcomed occasion because she always brings wisdom and knowledge with her to share. Her ministry helps so many. I wish more people were aware of her gift and take advantage of it. Knowledge is so undervalued, especially life changing knowledge. I am in awe of the things people know. Truly a gift, the talents rests on them like a warm blanket in the winter time. Having the advantage of knowing what to do saves more lives than we know. God spreads His gifts about with a simple grace and those with a gift often don't realize just how many benefit.

Dianna is one of those 'gifted' people. Her gifts  and talents are many and yet, she acts as though it's no big thing. She just 'does' and praises others over her own accomplishments. What a marvelous trait. So 'whether or not' you recognize the talents and gifts of those around you, it's well worth stopping occasionally to look around you and see how many talented people you know... and love

Stepping into the moment...

 How often do we peer into the future looking for what's next? Is that even [possible? I think so, because we aren't complete and we need to know what's coming. That's discernment of which I am sorely lacking. I marvel at Dianna. She 'sees'. She has a spiritual bloodhound nose. She can 'smell out' the unrighteous. What a gift. It's second nature to her now after all this time climbing up into the lap of the Lord and listening to His marvelous voice speak to her. Whether she's asleep or awake I don't know. She just knows that she knows that she knows and that's it.

We just finished a short sabbatical at our son's house. He moved to the lake a few years ago and set up his 'sane place', where he thrives against all odds with his beautiful wife. They are growing old together, a trait quickly becoming a lost art, especially in the United States. More and more people are 'canceling' each other and moving into a world filled with self. Sad, but true. The lake house provides a wide range of activities for them and the companionship of like minded couples residing in a picturesque setting, envied by countless city dwellers unable to escape their dreary lives. 

No one seems satisfied anymore. "If I only had..." And when they get whatever it was they thought they wanted, they  move on to the next 'shiny object' on the want list and grumble until they get it. 'Children in the wilderness syndrome', seldom if ever satisfied with what they have already been given. I am reminded of the scripture that says God gives to the worthy and the unworthy alike.

I'll see the cardiologist in about an hour. I'll fill you in on what he thinks even though I don't put much faith in what he has to offer. Some of these guys are brilliant, yes, but they are so 'lost' in their own importance, they totally miss how far down on the totem they are in comparison to the 'Creator'. Why do so many perch themselves above their station and crow like the rooster until someone notices? A sad world, but, we don't have to stay here much longer.

Just got a picture of a close friend standing with Lance Wallnau at a conference. She so deserves recognition for her ministry. Her work is totally from the heart. I will share more about her in future postings. We are working together on things in Uganda where she has been serving as a missionary for some time now.

The passing of time has shown the various pathways the Lord leads us through. I continually marvel at His workmanship and mercy. Most people would have dropped me from their 'group' a long time ago, especially with my track record, but not Him. Evidently, He sees something there and keeps on keeping on with me. I'm still here. Praise God.

Now I begin to see better.... farther. I am looking for the middle of His will now. I used to be okay with the fringes, but not now. I have felt the tremendous energy of being in the center of His will. The guidance and the surging and the palatable 'realness'. His hand has a 'feel' to it. I am recognizing that now. The Master's touch... "The Jesus Touch" as the song says.

I want to ask everyone a favor. I'm experiencing some internal issues and I want to be able to serve in a larger capacity than I have been, but that takes energy and stamina. I need prayer. So... if you are so inclined, please lift me up to the Master for some healing and restoration here. Thank you

Tomorrow is another day. I know we aren't guaranteed another day here on earth, but if we should be granted that marvelous gift, I pray that my contributions will bring glory to Him in ways that others will be encouraged to offer to Him and for Him as well. Our time is short you know. I know, that's been a byword for a long time but if you aren't feeling it too, I recommend a sabbatical, taking time to concentrate fully on Father and His desires for your life. He never leaves us without a task. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop" as they say and I for one certainly do not want to play into the hands of that evil corrupter; do you? No. You don't.

I have to go outside now. Temps are in the low 70's with little to no wind.... perfect for some easy yard work and exercise. Ta ta

The Aspirations of a generation

 We are so far down the ladder of creativity it doesn't even show up on the scale. I look at a tree. Every one of them is different you know, just like we are, and I see yet another thing of beauty and grace. How it lives, how it moves in the breeze, how it grows each day and records the moment in the center of its being, which can be read like a cylindrical book. 

Is it my ego that makes it so important to me that I invest so much of my time in frivolous things? And here I am thinking my sad little project is so beautiful. How droll.

Hello everyone. How's your day? I slept all the way through the night once again, except for the mandatory trip to the 'wee room'. It's been more than a week that this miracle has gone on. Before, I would sleep for a while and then suddenly I'm wide awake and restless, ready to be up, ready to fill my senses with, well, anything that will help put me back to sleep, so I don't have to be involved. Why is it we covet sleep instead of reality? Is it a coping mechanism to disengage somehow and think about 'nothing'? Some call it depression. I call it wasting time for no good reason. My selfishness.

Let's go one step more. Why do we so value what we think? Are we all so 'brilliant' that we always have to have something of the 'utmost importance' going on that we miss the tell-tale signs of God trying to get our attention so He can 'be with us'? Probably. By the way, He is ever so much more interesting than we are. The best company ever!

I aspire to do 'thus' and then devote a huge amount of time to it. Then, after a while the importance drains out of the subject like water out of a bag and I'm left 'dangling' in space, looking for the next 'world shaking event' to come to mind so I can feel important about what I'm doing again. 

"Oh, wretched man that I am..." We torment ourselves with the disappointment of unfinished works and wonder why we're so stressed out all the time. 

"Dang, pass the bottle, I need another swig; how bout you?" Want some cheese with that whine?

Normalcy, what is normalcy? We pick the most outrageous things to get involved in and then wonder why we wander. The never-ending search for the already answered questions. How childish. Not childlike, childish. Maturity is such a relative term anymore. I know young children with more maturity than some of our most revered statesmen. The cancer of greed has metastasized in their hearts and is slowly killing their soul with guilt from the inside out. The torment of their evident 'crimes' haunts them and ages them and shows up in the way the look. Their countenance betrays them.

My friend told me that he reads my blog. I was instantly flattered. Why? I don't consider myself that good a writer. I am just 'venting' in my own way. Just 'letting my hair down'; not that I have that much of it left anymore.

I think 'inventions', whether realized or unrealized make for a much better surrounding, especially in our minds. We wouldn't be hurting others so much or destroying things as though they aren't impoprtant if we concentrated on them instead of what seems to make us happy and doesn't. 

'Everyone matters', no matter what the signs say to the contrary.

My 'visibility' is limited. I can only see so far. The rest of it isn't there. Really? How narrow of me. There ARE things out there all the time that I don't see. I'm talking about seeing with my spiritual eyes, just like the song says. Spiritual eyes that have no limits or confinements. The walls we build aren't always meant to keep things out. We keep things in as well. 

Draw a line in the sand. How long does it last? Is it about to 'rain' and wash the line away? Have we carved it deep enough to outlast the onslaught meant to erase it? Or have we only 'scratched' the line in the hard surface of life in a moment of weakness, using the excuse that 'it wasn't meant to be after all', when it disappears from sight and follows in the pathway of forgetfulness and regret that we keep as a 'get out of jail free card' in our mind, for times like this? Whew! That was a long sentence, even for me. More venting?

I wish I could read between the lines in my own mind and get past the confusing parts to the place where idea meets inspiration and putting it into play becomes a reality. Call me lazy, but I've never been good at waiting and it hasn't served me well at all. 

"Wait before the Lord and He will renew your strength..." Of course, I'm paraphrasing. Isn't that exactly how we exonerate ourselves? We use 'convenient scriptures' to 'get out of jail' and soothe our wounded egos. Somebody else is always to blame, it's never our fault. We're innocent children of God and 'Daddy will get me out of trouble'...won't He?

Mark my words, underline them if you will, our mistakes always come back to haunt us. There's a 'register' of events and God knows every one of them by heart. Our redemption, the erasure if you will, is only triggered by forgiveness. The only way to erase the 'hard drive' is by way of the cross. The only way out of the confines of the tunnel of sin and self-destruction is by way of the cross. 

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by me." There's no way around the truth. Our only salvation is to go 'through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our own testimony'.

 We have to be there to do it. We can't send someone else in our place, that's already been done. We have to face the reality of it ourselves and surrender 'body, mind and soul' to the Creator that designed it all, that's how it works.

Such a simple explanation for such a complex situation. God knew what He was doing from the beginning. 

When the light comes on.

 What's the best way to know you are on 'the right track'? 

"What right track?"

God answers in His time and we are obedient to wait on Him. Or not.

You've asked for something that is important to you and you are waiting for the answer...

Again, how do you know you're on the right track?

That's a huge question for many of us. Our minds wander about the universe looking for answers. We often search everywhere but in the right place. Often times the answer has already been given and yet, we keep looking as though it hasn't appeared. 'It's not there cause I can't see it!' We are still spiritually blind in so many areas. Our limited minds try to understand the workings of God when He made it easy for us if we just 'follow'. It's our faith that 'catches us up' to the level of God's ways. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him." We don't have to know about a thing unless He wants so show it to us. We only need to trust that it is being taken care of already. "Your faith has made you whole."  

That's body, mind and soul whole. That takes a lifetime.

In our finite minds we think we have to be in control and always know what's going on around us. God didn't make us the boss. He made us companions. There's a distinct difference. As companions we are supposed to interact with Him. 'Commune' with Him. That's short for communication, which is a more technical term. God's already taken care of the technical things. We are supposed to relax and 'be'. "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

God 'makes things happen' and He 'allows things to happen'. Oh yes, God uses us for certain things but He's driving, He's in control. We are the passengers. We get to see His glory like a huge panoramic view as we 'ride along' the highway of life with Him. He loves it when He gets to chose the location and the destination. He wants to show us new and exciting things, wonders if you will. But like my little brother once said as we traveled through a beautiful New Mexico forest on vacation from our treeless West Texas flatland, after Nanny said, "O what a beautiful sight", he said, "I can't see nothin' for all these trees!

Why not enjoy the ride? Why not let go and let God? That's been the plan all along, hasn't it?

God made all of this, we didn't. God selected the time of our arrival and the time of our departure, so why get in the way and mess things up so He has to step in and 'fix it' all the time? "I have come to give you life, and that more abundantly."

I digress. 

This world is not our home. God made a 'testing ground' for us here to 'practice on' before we get the 'home run play' He designed in the beginning. Does Garden of Eden ring any bells? That's the end game if you will. If we can get it into our thick skulls that God isn't trying to 'burn' everybody, it might serve as a good sign that He's only trying to make things better. He's doing everything He can to 'show us the way'. As His children, He's 'trying to 'love us' into the kingdom. 'His burden is light, His yoke is easy'. We're the ones that make things hard. We turn and twist and manipulate and connive and grumble and act like the children in the wilderness, which is what we are really.

We're in a wilderness of sin and perversion and we wonder why things are bad. We're in a quagmire of lust and greed and selfishness and we wonder why we don't succeed. It's too easy. We're looking for the Hollywood version of life which is so phony it hurts, when we could enjoy the supernatural, mind blowing reality of what God wants for us. I don't get it. And I know I'm part of the problem! I haven't spoken up enough or lived a holy enough life for people to see God's real power in action. That's why people hate Christians.

We hide our beliefs, scared of someone seeing us as a Cristian and are so worried that someone will 'look down' on us for being holy, that we miss the opportunities to be a blessing and a miracle for someone else. It's shameful. 

But I know we can do better. We have already proven it of late. The number of believers that are fasting and praying like never before has risen to a larger than ever before 'army in the wings'.

Church leadership has awakened to the noise of a restless body of believers that want God for who He is and not some 'smoke and mirrors wizard' that only performs in the mega churches onstage on Sunday on que. The hunger is real and the message is real. "Be ye holy, for I am holy and come ye out from among them (the phony) and serve Me!"

Our time is here ya'll. It's beginning and I want to be a part of the movement back to holiness! Jump in here with me ya'll.

 

"Sometimes there's just not enough rocks" (Forrest Gump)

We often make ourselves the victim by not being prepared. How else do we get into so many odd predicaments and wonder how we got there? It's certainly not the law of averages that brings us to our knees. It has to be an attack of some sort. Do we bring it on ourselves by our own actions or there is a 'plot' to take us down. Either way we are in trouble, right? Right. God doesn't 'bring evil' into our lives, He protects us from the evil. However, our free will gets us into more disconcerting situations than we can count because we haven't yet learned how to be 'perfect' like Jesus. He's the only one that was so far and there's a big chance that record will stand.

How do we get past the starting gate on heading toward perfection? I would first go to the 'owner's manual' for a reference. God's Word does have a bearing on all of this, after all, so we might just 'take a little stroll' through the pages and see if we can come up with any evidence on my theory.

For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. II Cor. 4:17-18

That's a good start.

How else can we get past the influx of the often daily onslaught? It does seem to be a 'regular happening'. 

It's like 'someone is out to get me!' ( I laugh)

No, I'm not paranoid, it's just a fact of life. We got handed a world bent on destruction for whatever reason, and we have to learn how to deal with it. We can't always blame it all on Adam and Eve you know. Or can we? After all, they did make a major faux pas didn't they? That's right, blame it on the grand parents. That way they give us a plausible excuse and get out of it too. 

"The snake made me do it!"

That was easy. Right off the bat, a way out. Isn't that what we all do? We look for someone or something else to take the blame for what we've actually done. 

"I didn't do it!" "It was Mikie's fault!" The perfect scapegoat. I could always blame it on my little brother, not that I got away with 'it'. But it did work some of the time.

My premise for 'getting out of it' doesn't hold water in the end. God knows everything. He sees everything. Most of all, He sees the heart and certainly knows the motives.

 

"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he..." Proverbs 23

Now we come to the part where I say something magnanimous and everybody marvels at the insight. Sorry, I don't feel very magnanimous right now. 

The good take away here is that our Father is a loving God and has made a provision for circumstances just like these. Oh the many times I have tried to get out of trouble I created is off the chart. Yup, I'm human. Not a news flash. We all are; I think. Although, I have suspected occasionally that some people I have come into contact with aren't.

The good takeaway here is that the Father has made provisions for exactly what I have been presenting here. Our mistakes/ sins. 

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 

I John 2:1-3

Yup, a way out. Isn't that just like our Father to have a plan already in place for what He knew we would do.... from the beginning? Perfect.