'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.

I saw a movie

 I was unaware that watching a simple movie could be so impactful. I use movies as a distraction. I use movies to unwind. I use movies....

We all too often have a preconceived notion that some things are put in our path to help us relax. But we stress out instead.

 I don't think that now. I think God puts things in our way to make us aware of the  circumstances that are surrounding us, in part, to open our minds to new and exciting things that may inspire us. 

"In the Spirit". What does that even mean? I think we 'christianize' everything and expect the world to just fall into place like they know what we're saying, when they really have no idea what we're saying. It ludicrous. Our belief system has become a program of chess moves. We have to do 'this' to do 'that' and no one remembers why we did 'it' in the first place. No wonder the world doesn't want anything to do with us Christians. We're weird and they understand weird but they don't understand us. What does that tell you?

The clique has run its course. The clique has turned into a gang and the gang has turned into a mob and where does that leave us? No where else to go but down. The bottom. 

At least there's nowhere else to go but up...

We have to stop. The rate of descent is too extreme. The evil one has designed the slope to be so steep we can 't help but fall into the trap. No way but down. I digress. That's down, right?

"Come on man"...."Read the tea leaves"...  it's all in the plan. It's what's 'on tap'. You can't escape the all encompassing, 'all inclusive' rhetoric that's designed to program you. Robot time. Enough!

I wince at the thought of being caught up in the net. My only solace is my faith. I believe and therefore I am. "What a man thinketh in his heart, so is he".

Why does the library have so many books?  That many egos I suppose?

We rest when we can

 The weather is cool and quiet and so calm. The lake has its very own personality. I can envision the words drifting upward into the sun like feathers on the wind. My thoughts are about better days. I haven't felt quite right for a while. The efforts to rise above the attacks aren't winning like they used to. I don't know if it's my age or my mental state. The calm reserve I am used to is interrupted by aches and pains that won't go away. Such is life I suppose. We have to deal with things as they come. I accept that.
How do we overcome adversity? "by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony". We have to begin to rely on what the Word says. It's our only solution. The world has, by in large, made up its mind to defy the power of God and build their own 'towers of Babel'. We have to find our own way through the muck into sanity and separation. If we don't get away from the effects of the onslaught we will succumb to the enemy. Guilt by association. Being too close to a fire always leaves the singe of the flames on the not so innocent bystanders. 
He said, "I'm coming back for a bride without spot or blemish", so we better get 'cleaned up' or suffer the consequences. We only have so much time to do so as well. 

Anyone with half a brain can see that something huge is going to happen one way or another and soon. The decline is too steep, too sure and too overwhelming.
 
"Our lives are not our own".
It's  easy to 'talk' about how much we're doing but I'm convinced more than ever, that what is in our hearts will assure our fate.

I wonder just how many actually read this little blog. Whoever you are, thank you.

What are we looking for?

 "I don't see it". 

"Well, it's there, you just aren't looking in the right spot."

How many times have I heard that? It's a common statement. You go to the store and look for a product and for whatever reason, it's just not there. The clerk says it is... they always 'know' don't they? Yeah, right. I spent half an hour in Lowe's one time when the clerk sent me to the back corner of the store on a wild goose chase for a plumbing part that was in the hardware section close to the front all along.

What are we looking for? peace, safety, riches....? Comfort is a nice one. I like to be comfortable.

Our surroundings are closing in on us whether we admit it or not. The influx of millions of people into our country is shrinking the landscape down foot by foot. The rise in costs and crime and pollution and hate and fear and.... you name it, has put everyone on edge. But there is a solution. A simple tried and true method of dispelling all the negatives surrounding our lives and creating a, shall I say it, euphoria. 

It's the presence of the Lord. That's right. Calling on the Master to engulf us in His miraculous peace is only a sentence away. Now I'm not talking about some 'spell' that we conjure up. Nope. It's not some ritual we have to follow by the numbers and chant certain things to 'summon' Him. Nope. None of that garbage works anyway, so why waste your time on what man says to do? Try God's way and get results.

Use your heart to link up with The Great I Am in person. Quit flopping around like a headless chicken and be still for a minute and focus on Him. Think about His presence coming to you like a soft breeze that refreshes and then close your eyes and 'feel'. It's there. It's real. It's always there.

It's as sure as I'm sitting here right now. Imagine getting to be close to the Creator of the universe. The one true God that never sleeps nor slumbers. The only answer you will ever need for the rest of your life. It's magnificent. Once you have experienced His presence you won't settle for anything else. You will want more and more of Him and your life will take on a whole new meaning and purpose. Things will begin to fall into place and your life will make sense; the kind of sense that propels you forward like a mighty rushing wind into success and joy and inner resolve to 'complete' your life the way God planned it all along.

Whew, that was a mouthful. I had to stop several times to correct my spelling. My hands were flying over the keys like I might actually know how to type. Ha! (Turtles beat me on a regular basis.)

I can't imagine any other way now. Since the presence of God has become  such an important part of living, I sense His presence around me even when I don't make a concerted effort to 'go there".

The omnipresence thing He has is real. He's everywhere at the same time if that makes any sense whatsoever. Knowing this can really be a good thing if you use it. That's the way He planned it. He wants 'company' too. He made us to be a companion. 

I hope I haven't run anyone off with my rambling tirade. I get excited sometimes ya know.

Early... peaceful quiet

 I had slept a good deal of the day away yesterday, so I didn't think I would sleep much last night. However, I made it to 3:30 and got up. I don't know what it is but I haven't felt well for about 3 or 4 days. Nothing specific, just achy and hot and cold. Very irritating to say the least. I wanted to prepare for the Zoom call later today so I made my way to the studio and worked on a monitor issue I have been trying to fix for two days. The attacks are never ceasing now days. I think the enemy thinks he can  'wear us out' and we'll give up. Won't happen. It just serves to increase the resistance. Kinda like the attacks on Trump. The more they pound him the more he rises in the polls and in the hearts of the people. People aren't stupid. The left thinks we are but they are in for a 'lickin' on most issues pretty soon. Blindness is a plague amongst the young and there again, the left thinks they can bully and BS them into going off the deep end. How sad. Our great young are being manipulated. Lord, gives us the insight on how to reach them in love. They deserve better.

I can almost 'smell' Spring coming. The onslaught of birds to the feeders is increasing. The species are increasing and the birdseed is 'flying out of the feeders'. I can't wait to see the 'Hummers'. They are my fav. I love to watch the iridescent feathers change colors in the sun as they buzz about, fighting for a spot at the feeder. It's amazing to see how they maneuver and dodge and dive. God sure does some magnificent things, doesn't He?

I heard a talk on prayer. The concept the lady gave was good. We do need to believe as we pray. Touching the heart of God is easy; He loves us so. It's in the 'believing' that we get the answers. Too many times we 'throw up' a prayer and desperately expect it to be the way we want it. I am hoping for God's way now. The lady explained a little about hope too. We don't hope enough. We don't listen enough. We don't 'seek' like we used to. The 'drive up' mentality is taking over. Some think things should be 'ready on demand' and that's not at all how our Lord works. He wants a 'relationship' built on mutual interaction and not circumstance. He's the one that 'made' all of this. Why don't we rely on the 'Creator' to learn how things work?

Thanks for the 'ear'....