Our Father

Being raised Catholic, I have a special love for the "Our Father" as we commonly called it. Here is my thoughts as I pray it daily. OUR FATHER. Oh how grateful I am to be your child. Thank you for this amazing honor. WHO ART IN HEAVEN. I am so looking forward to the day I see You in heaven. My physical body grew for 9 months to this life, my spiritual body is growing for my next life in heaven. HALLOWED BE THY NAME. May I make Your Name Holy and Praised as You are above all. THY KINGDOM COME. Oh Lord, as I walk this day let everything I say and do spread your kingdom. THY WILL BE DONE. This day Lord, I want nothing but to do Your will. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. In heaven, we will be loving You and others, the greatest commandment, so let me love with Your love. GIVE ME THIS DAY MY DAILY BREAD. Thank You all my needs are met today so I can live in faith. AND FORGIVE ME MY TRESPASSES. Please forgive my failings and teach me to walk in your way. AS I FORGIVE THOSES WHO TRESPASS AGAINST ME. I forgive everyone 70 times 7. AND LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION. Lord, lead me by Your Holy Spirit. AND DELIVER ME FROM EVIL. Thank You for your care and protection each day. AMEN. So be it!

Take Up My Cross

I watched short video by Beth Moore about her book "Audacious." She stated, " What is Your Dream, What is Your Vision For the Future?" She said, this is nothing new. She encouraged women to write it down. If I could have anything I want to be "Drenched, soaked, filled,totally in love with Jesus." By saying this, I am scared. This means dying to ME! I am so drenched, soaked filled and totally in love with myself this scares the crap out of me!!! Being a servant goes against everything our world has ever taught me. I think it is scary, because of the old line, be careful what you pray for!!! ““If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:37-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/mat.10.37-39.nlt “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:24-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/mat.16.24-26.nlt BOTH OF THESE PASSAGES SAY: TAKE UP YOUR CROSS!!!!! This is not a pretty analogy!!! Christianity, being a Christ Follower is the hardest life you will ever live. I think many churches preach a vanilla version because most people do not count the cost. Have I counted the cost?????

I loved this twist in thinking this devotional shared below. Kingdom language is always opposite. I have recently been grappling with this idea of being poor in spirit. The idea is so UNAMERICAN. We think we have to have it together, be confident, be happy, yet Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit. Those red letter words in the Bible are still challenging me big time. I still am so far from being where I need to be. In a way it encourages me and at the same time I wonder will I ever get it. Dear Jesus, I pray to be filled with your Spirit. If filled with Your Spirit, we are poor in our spirit, empty of self.... Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: "LifeWay Christian Stores" Date: October 18, 2015 at 10:32:59 PM CDT To: Subject: Nourish With Kyle Idleman: Your Weekly Devotional Reply-To: "LifeWay Christian Stores" Blessed Are the Broke Jesus’s best-known lesson is the Sermon on the Mount. He is in the midst of bringing God’s kingdom to earth, and such things make people uncomfortable. This stuff runs counter to the ways people think. It says up is down and trash is treasure. He begins to introduce us to the great kingdom paradox: at the end of me, I find real life in him. Matthew 5:1 tells us that Jesus sees the crowds, climbs a mountain, and sits down to teach. If you’re like me, you tend to skip over that scene-setting stuff to get to the red-letter words in your Bible—the actual sayings of Jesus. But let’s look a little deeper. We find that if Jesus climbed a mountain, this is probably happening just above the Sea of Galilee. There were revolutionaries in those times, and a lot of them laid low in those mountains, avoiding arrest. So this makes sense. Jesus is another revolutionary who has come up the mountainside. He is saying, “Down with the kingdom of this world and up with the kingdom of God.” And the new kingdom has new rules, many of which are just the reverse of the old ways. Jesus launches his sermon with a list of very striking paradoxes. Some of his statements sound ridiculous at first blush but start to make sense once you think a little deeper and compare your personal experience. For example, his first statement promises the ultimate reward to the least likely people: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:3) First four words: “Blessed are the poor.” You might be thinking, Yes! I win, because I am poor. Then you stop to think about it. Maybe Jesus misspoke—surely it should be “Blessed are the rich.” Because if you say to a rich person, “Hey, you have a beautiful mansion here,” what does he say? “Yes, I know. I’m so rich.” Nope. I bet he says, “Thank you. I’m so blessed.” And yes, I see the words in spirit, and I realize Jesus isn’t talking about money for the most part. But the point remains. We think of a blessed life as one that ends up with plenty of money, not plenty of poverty. Add on the fact that Jesus uses a word for "poor" here that translates to "destitute" or "bankrupt." Blessed are those who are bankrupt in spirit. Really the word we use is broke. Blessed are you when you're so broke you have nothing to offer. If you think much about it, this is a shocking statement. Jesus is saying that God's kingdom begins in you when you come to the end of yourself and realize you have nothing to offer. Flat broke. Busted. How does that guy act? Not as if he's got the world on a string, all the answers neatly compiled. His spirits are in the gutter. And Jesus praises that here. That guy down in the dumps—he wins. Yet the conventional wisdom of pretty much everywhere tells us to radiate self-confidence, self-sufficiency. In short, rich in spirit and in everything else to boot. Jesus says the kingdom begins with taking inventory and coming up with zero. We have nothing to offer, and that means we're making progress. Getting to the end of me is not an easy journey, but Jesus said in Luke 9 that whoever wants to hang on to his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will find it. He said a lot of seemingly upside-down things like that. I've come to realize that if me gets his way, I'll miss out on the real life I'm meant to live. The life in which I love others and make a difference in the world. Isn't that the life you really want too? Excerpted from The End of Me by Kyle Idleman ©2015. David C. Cook. Used by permission. Share a morsel with your friends Blog Catalog App Gift Cards CONTACT: 1.800.448.8032 or email us. This email was sent to `sneakypie9@aol.com ` because you are subscribed to the LifeWaystores.com List. Replies to this newsletter are not monitored. Click here to modify your subscriptions. To unsubscribe from ALL LifeWay emails click here. Feel free to forward this email to a friend. LifeWay Christian Resources protects your privacy and will never make your email address available to anyone else. © 2015 LifeWay Christian Resources, 1 LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234

Achy Breaky Back

Not sure what I did but starting Thursday at the Global Orphan Grid conference, but my back is aching to the point I am very limited in what I can do. I drove back from the conference and thought, I will turn on my heated seats to make my back feel better!!!!! WRONG!!!!! I was stuck in my car in the garage. My phone was dead (it isn't keeping a charge) and I couldn't get out without excruciating pain. I just slowly inched my way out of the car and came in and laid down on the couch. Again, not a good move. I couldn't get out of the couch. I am glad my husband was home because I asked him to put out his arm so I could pull myself up at my pace. Since then the pain is up and down. I actually feel better if I am standing or moving around. Once I sit it seems to lose the flexibility. I have been practicing gratefulness. I don't like hurting, but I accept that for today, this is God's will for me. It is not His perfect plan, but somehow, He will use this broken vessel, this earth flawed shell for His glory. I decided to sit by the window in my bedroom this morning and count all the things I can find to be grateful. I started by looking outside at, trees, birds, sky, sounds, wind tickling the leaves (I never realized how boring trees would look without a bit of air). I looked inside and felt warm, colors, bed, bedspread, candles, books, and so on, everything I could see. Finally, I went inward. I imagined Jesus sitting with me, I imagined angels surrounding us. I thought of my friends and family. I had a little conversation with Him. He reminded me of what I read yesterday in the Bible. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33-34‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/mat.6.33-34.nlt God is good. He radically loves us more than we can imagine. His love took Him to the cross so we could live eternally with Him. He willingly suffered so by His stripes we are healed. My little pain is a thimble in comparison to many others in our world today. My little pain, makes me think of those with life long, debilitating diseases, emotional pain and sorrow. It makes me want to love them all the more. Jesus loves them and asks me to love them with Him. Jesus, forgive me for my selfishness. Thy will be done. Sent from my iPad

A year!

A year ago I posted. I changed to an Ipad and still can't find a way to add pictures! I tried today...all I see above is programming language. Boo! I need God's wisdom! I have for a year been using the Bible App. I am almost done with the entire Bible and additional devotionals. I love it. I have an online journal and can post to twitter. What can I say after a year consistent on the app? I look forward to my quiet time. I rarely skip and if I do, I am anxious to catch up. I have also written out my very lengthy prayer list. While it looks incredibly long it only takes me 4 minutes to pray over everyone. My time is more God's than a year ago. Lord, I give you ALL my time. Let me use the talents you have given me for Your Will on earth and not mine. This is my desire to serve You in each minute of my life in whatever I am doing. Your Wisdom, Your Wisdom, Your Wisdom. Amen

When you are weary remember.....

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Dear Lord Jesus, when I take your yoke, I walk beside You. You lead me and go and do as You do. Lord, give me Your wisdom to see where You are going so I may follow You. There is such joy in surrender to You.

Jesus Fasted

Matthew 4 Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. What has happened to fasting. I had done some fasting last year and then somehow "forgot" about fasting. This seems to be a lost discipline. If Our Lord practiced fasting Himself, I need to align myself to fast. Being raised Catholic, we had Friday fasts from meat. This was relaxed to only during Lent. We fasted for 3 hours before taking Communion. This was relaxed to an hour. It seems this is almost a non-entity in many churches today. I have heard of many types of fasts; the Daniel fast, the Eden fast, a liquid fast. The biggest question is why fast? Fast to seek God's face as a form of prayer on special requests. Read Daniel and Ruth. For difficult situations that with which we strggle. "this type comes out only by prayer and fasting." Finally, Jesus said when the bridegroom is taken then hus disciples would fast. Dear Lord Jesus, today I seek Your face on a special request that I need direction in my work. Lord, I want to be in the center of Your will. Give me wisdom, guidance and Your Peace.

My New Home

I love houses and home decorating. I spend way too much time browsing magazines, model homes and PINTEREST dreaming. Dreaming of dream houses with lush gardens, French country kitchens and every detail. Reading in the book of Hebrews, I have gotten a glimpse of why I have this desire. I have an internal desire built in me by Our Lord for my heavenly home. "for he (Abraham) was looking forward to the city who has foundations whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10. Hebrews speaks to a homeland, a city that that we enter like Abraham in faith. While I live here, I am truly blessed by Our Lord with a beautiful home. I just need to, by faith, look forward and send up some building materials to my new home. It is being constructed in my true homeland, heaven. "Eye has not seen,nor ear heard, nor has entered the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love Him," 1 Corinthians 2:9

Speak Love

Luke 6:45-46 English Standard Version (ESV) 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Lord, give me wisdom and let me hear the still small voice so I speak LOVE.

Judging others hurts us not them...

Luke 6:37-42 New International Version (NIV) Judging Others 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. 41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

God doesn't want us to judge because it hurts us. It does nothing to the other person, but it makes our heart dark. Lord, help me to catch myself when I start going down the Judgement Road. Let me continue your motto....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Jesus commands us to love our enemies!

Love for Enemies Luke 6:27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. I think Jesus understands that hate and resentment is poison to our soul. My sister had a great line from a 12 step program. Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. I am amazed by the Amish story where the man shot children in their school and they forgave him. Wow! I am amazed at their obedience to God's Word. If they can forgive, can I not forgive much more minor offenses?

A prayer...

How can I let God's love flow through me? How can I deny myself, and take up my cross and follow Jesus? How can I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? Dear Lord Jesus, my heart wants to love, love, love, but my flesh is weak. As I read your Word, it states You were filled with the Holy Spirit. Help me to be sensitive to the quiet, still small voice You gave us. Teach me how to renew every morning. Let me see each and every interaction is an opportunity to share Your Love in a world starved for You. Dear Lord Jesus, I submit myself to You truly being my Lord. Give me Your wisdom to do Your will in my life. Amen.

Why I love The Lord's Prayer

I love The Lord's Prayer from Matthew chapter 6. Maybe my Catholic upbringing, because it was prayed every day at school and in the Mass and 5 times in the Rosary. I pray it before I pray my prayer list with a few changes. I pray Oh Father, up in heaven, I praise and worship you and Your name. I pray your kingdom to come, your will to done in my life as it is in heaven. Give me this day my daily needs, and forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me. And lead me away from things that would tempt me and keep me away from the evil in this world with your love and protection. I kind of re word it freestyle as I pray. What I love: Worship Obedience in my life to God's Will Faith that God will provide what I need to get through today Forgiveness of my sins My forgiving others in the love of Jesus Guidance to keep me from being tempted to choose poorly Protection from evil on this fallen earth. What a wonderful prayer.

Temptation and Life Choices

The temptation of Jesus in Matthew chapter 4 has always interested me. Jesus who was with God from eternity becomes human. That in itself must have been such a sacrifice. Now in this human flawed body, he is hungry. One of the acronymns for alcoholics or anyone who is struggling with behavior change is HALT. Be careful when you are HUNGRY ANGRY LONELY TIRED. So Satan starts with physical hunger. How often Satan waits until something in our life is just a little off to tempt us. Jesus gives us the pattern for resisting temptation. He responds to choices in life through his filter, The Word of God. Satan knows His Bible too and tries to tempt Jesus by skewing the scriptures by tempting his pride (throw yourself down off the pinnace of the templeand angels will bear you up) and greed (I will give you all the kingdoms of the world). Jesus answers every choice with scripture. As a therapist, I use the word choice because the word temptation seems more sinister. Our lives are filled with daily choices. We don't even realize how many choices a day our freedom give us. Not all choices are bad. Coffee or tea, orange or apple, black shoes or brown. With life so full of choices, we have many more altering choices, positive attitude or negative, worry or faith, selfishness or giving. Lord Jesus, help me each day to use how You handled choices in life, through the filter of the scriptures. Help me to surrender my will to Thy Will be done in my life, as it is in heaven.

Meditating On God's Word

Philippians 4:8 New International Version (NIV) 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. I once read an unknown verse. Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Your servant is here listening, meditating on Your Word day and night. Let me fill my thoughts with whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Let me be obedient in how I use the time each day that You have given me to use for Your Glory. As with all things, Lord, lead me, guide me, let me hear from You and obey what You are sharing with me. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit.

Seek Ye FIRST the Kingdom of God

Seeking the Kingdom of God First is a day to day, for me a second to second challenge. I have a goal that each day, before I do anything else, I spend time in the Bible and in some meditation with God. Yesterday, I woke up with a splitting headache and took some ibuprophen and then nausea!! Obviously, I was sidetracked. Life is so generous with distraction!! I then thought when I get home after work I will take my time with the Lord. I walk in the door around 6 with a slight headache and head for the couch to watch Judge Judy. You got it! When I have a frustrating day, I love to watch my DVR'd Judge Judy because she if free to say exactly what she thinks, as I walk around political mine fields all day at work. I just want to turn off the noise in my head! Again, all I can ask is God to give me wisdom. The spirit in me is so willing, but my flesh is so weak. I want to give my time on earth to the Lord FIRST, without reservation. Lord, I give You my day. Each and every second of it. It is Yours. I am Your servant. Lead me and guide me to use my time for Your glory.

What has Changed?

Why was the church of the Acts of the Apostles so different than the church of today? Where is the power of people praying and the sick being healed and demons cast out? I believe the Holy Spirit has been quenched. Lord Jesus, You know my fears, You know my heart. I want to be "all in". As I pray each day, "thy will be done in my life as it is in heaven". Help me Lord, to seek Your Face, seek Your Will and to seek Your Holy Spirit.

Behind the Curtain

The Stoning of Stephen Act 7:54-60

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

We live in two realms.  We don't realize it, but just because we don't realize it doesn't mean it isn't real. We are in our physical realm.  We live, work, eat, sleep and watch dumb TV shows.  The other realm is our spiritual realm. Some people are more connected to this realm because they spend time developing it through prayer, reading, meditation. 

Stephen gave a sermon to the leaders "full of the Holy Spirit." When he was in touch by God's grace the curtain between our world's was pulled aside. I try and imagine this realm is just behind a curtain. Jesus is right there behind the curtain but I can't see Him.  At times, I feel Him, or I hear Him and I try to always acknowledge Him, but the pull of my physical realm over powers me.  Both realms are wonderful.  We can't live in the spiritual realm alone, we live in both and relish the wonders and beauty of our physical realm without ignoring the other exists.  

Dear Lord Jesus. I give you thanks each day for the physical realm and all of its blessings. I also pray that you give me wisdom on how to live "full of Holy Spirit" to live in both realms more and more.      

Proof of Heaven

I will never be the same again.  I first heard of this book from my husband.  He told me about it because he knows I am always interested in books like "90 Minutes in Heaven" and "Heaven is for Real."  Our small group leader mentioned it from an article he read. Finally, when I opened up my audible account it was the first book that popped up.  This is in itself is odd as Audible.Com knows what I buy; David Sedaris, Historical Fiction and some dumb mind candy books. I do not sleep well and use books on ipod to help me turn my brain off when I wake up multiple times per night. How did this book pop up first on my selection screen and the next book was the new David Sedaris book.  Conincidence???  NO!

 This book is very different but moved me in a powerful way.
Some Christians will not like it as it may not fit their views of a NDE or Near Death Experience. 
After reading this book I was so moved, I grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled:

I will never be the same again...I am beloved by God and His Presence is part of me. I am a healer to bring back, to restore people to Perfect Love. I am in the center of His Will.  I can do nothing to separate myself from the Love of God.  My eyes, my ears, my hands, my feet are the instruments God and I use to bring His Love. My prayers are mighty as I join with God to accomplish His Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. AMEN

This book will not proove God.  It will confirm God in a powerful way. 

  

Pray For Wisdom

Do you want an answered prayer?  Pray for Wisdom. Each day as I pray, I pray in categories.
1. Family
2. Church Family
3. Work relationships
4. Neighborhood
5. Friends/Aquanintances
6. America and its leaders and our military

My prayer is what I came up with called my spew paryer
1. Spiritual Blessings, I pray for the Holy Spirit to be loosed to each person I pray for.
2. Physical Blessings, healing, jobs, and things in our physical realm.
3. Emotional Blessings, as a therapist the emotional challenges, fear, anxiety, grief can cause us pain.
4. Wisdom Wisdsom, Wisdom! 

Read on to KNOW God will answer the prayer for Wisdom.   


James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

This is one of my favorite stories!!

I Kings 3:5-15
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.