Blessings of New Years is the blessing of the presence of God being with us, in all the circumstances.

There is no way to predict what will come in the 2012. We set a course and God sends the wind. The question is always, are we getting closer to Heaven, or further away. We have put our sails into the wind of God's disposing, in starting a family over 28 years ago. Some years Heaven has seemed just over the next horizon and some years it seems we are still at the point of launching out. How did we go all this way and we still see land behind us and nothing in front?
There is a Heaven and we have the same destination in mind, though our courses veer hither and yon. We have known some years since we have sat at the River Jordan with precious loved ones. Those difficulties make Heaven so solidly in front of you, though you cry at the looking at it. Your minds eye is fixed by adversity and pains, sometimes. When those times are just a fond or difficult memory, the haze of time puts other priorities before you. What do you want, then? At one time in my life, the only thing was Heaven and my baby and now, there are a few things on earth that distract me from that one goal. I have 6 other children on earth and a dear husband. Sometimes, I mistake them for heaven. Sometimes, I am sure I will miss Heaven on account of them.
In both situations, God is above the griefs that take you to the River Jordan and the joys that enrapture your soul with cumberances. Living with the confidence that God's presence in the midst is most to be desired, is a delight, in whatever vicissitude.


God is love. I look forward to the 2012 and laboring on our family boat, knowing that His presence on and in the way is the most enjoyable part of the process.
Happy New Year.

Of Priests and Kings, We are a royal priesthood, a peculiar people...

Christ, our prophet, priest and king, came from the glorious heavenlies to live among us and show us real and living truth. He possessed all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. He laid them aside and paved a path to the presence of God, with His divine obedience and His divine sacrifice.
He lived, the example of holiness and the example of humility, now He lives to defend our souls against our fiercest foes: sin and death. He intercedes, He condescends to hear us and He lifts up a standard against our overwhelming enemies. He reigns in the lives of His people and promises true and unending love to His body: the church.
Now, in Christ, we possess the riches of life eternal. We are kings and priests and and royalty, divine ownership is ours of the presence of God, our worship and our fellowship. There is certainly, no more precious a possession, than a real relationship with Christ and His Church.
We own this privilege to grow up into Christ, in all things, on earth. Wisdom and stature and favor with God and man; we follow our Savior. We pray for special annointings on the special callings that we have on earth. Annointing to mother and father and serve and study and teach and rule and invest, for the glory of God. Jesus told us that greater works than His, would we do in His name. Investing in health and healing, in study and growth and peace and safety, is the calling of the Christian Church in this New Testament time. We are empowered by our Savior to do all that we are enabled to and that is before us, for His glory. We get overwhelmed by the immensity of the task. God alone is omnipotent. We are not. We are only responsible for what is before us and what we are able to do.
Dear God, I have 6 children and only 2 hands. I have clothes left to clean and laundry and other tasks to accomplish. I have questions and things to do that I have begun and not yet completed. I ask for grace and strength to prioritize properly. I ask for an annointing of grace and strength for the task of the new year. As I gaze at the baby in the manger, I remember that He was the eternal God and gave His very best to save me. I ask His forgiveness for my ineptitudes and grace to serve Him through this year with a greater sense of imitation of His help. I ask for confidence in the reality of the grace that He has promised. I ask for love for family and neighbors that He lived out for me. I ask for wisdom to discern the right priorities of time and talents. God, You promised to be with us in our duties. I ask for a real sense of Your presence, in worship and the whole week long. Like David prayed, I pray, Uphold me with Your free spirit, Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. When I stumble, through the year and the days, give me grace to get up and to repent and walk on. Put Your hands out that I may see myself walking to You. I love You Lord! I desire to live, for Your glory.

"When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I"

In Jesus' precious name, Amen!

There was a sheet of grief pulled over my eyes, when the doctor said...

I am sorry, there was nothing else we could do. I looked into that dear Dr. Bacha's face and that was the last thing my soul could see, for years, it felt like.
I looked at the clock and the time was 1 or a little after 2 oclock and the time seemed to stop.

A dear family lost a little one this year and I was forced to look at a day that my mind never goes to, on purpose. The muck and the mire of grief is a horrible place to live. This Christmas, I am grateful for the many hands that pull and guide me out of the places of the mire that beset me. Each time I step into the bogs of grief and sorrow, the Holy Spirit raises a standard against it, but it is not without a fight.
I kept asking God, why He would keep me alive when my purpose was gone. There seemed no reason for clocks or time to go on.
I had negotiated with God on every turn of this pregnancy. I sacrificed and offered the best of what I had, to beg God for a son. Everyday, I walked to work and prayed that God would see my offering and give me the desire of my heart. Elated, was the moment and better than any Christmas present when the midwife said it was a boy. Our family was complete. There was nothing else to do, but rear them in the fear of God...Until that day.
My husband was the first to battle on behalf of my soul. The shroud had covered my soul's eyes. What do we do now? We had prayed all Easter day. Is there a God? I know that there is. He said no. What do we do? My husband said this is what we do...We get on our knees and thank God for each of the 21 days that we had him. I bowed in obeisance to God and obedience to my husband. I was truly grateful for the most beautiful and delightful days of my life. A season when all my prayers had come to pass and a season where I felt that God had heard my every wish. Now it was dashed. Now it was over. Death had come between me and the most treasured answer from my Lord.
Little glimpses of comfort came from hyacinths and sunrises. I found small delights in songs and other things, but for the most part I was crippled in grief. I couldn't reconcile the goodness of God and the hardness of the sense of my baby's face against mine and having to tuck his little body into the cold, hard earth. I had learned from my Bishop that the sacrifice of praise was always in order. I knew that God is always worthy to be praised. So, as deep as the grief was, I praised Him as hard as I felt. I writhed in worship and I learned that the Christianity that my forefather's learned in the crucible of slavery had balms for the griefs of life that were truly useful.

I learned of the comfort of family. I will never forget the sense of Aunt Ra Ra's voice wafting through the fog of pain. I remember the hands of my sisters guiding me to the shower and helping me see the way to the doors. I felt numb and useless. Then the song of the redeemed, strengthened my knees, in church and I felt like I could move again. God's comforts were many and vast, but the darkness of grief was deep. I remember the visceral anger of jealousy that heated in my breast, whenever I would see other's who were allowed to keep their children. I remember a special season of anxiety at the reality of the judgement of God on sin and my dear Abby, who is now gone called right at that moment. We are still on earth, his voice seemed to remind me. God was so merciful not to strike me, in those wicked thoughts. What do we do, when those horrors arise? Thank God for the 21 days. Those days were engrained into my memory, but when I awoke the emptiness of my maternal arms was still there.
The sun shone into my soul when "The Preacher's Wife" came out. I could see God was good. I had jumped in my soul, through some of the fog and now I could see that the things that felt unbearably painful, were the wrapping cloths for my heart, keeping it together. From the question of Grandma Ruth abruptly asking "Where's your faith, Jayne?" to the sweet readings of Spurgeon into my soul by my dearest Sharon. God was in it.

Help was on the way!

Close the path to misery! What a beautiful prayer---

What a wonderful prayer and meditation for the advent season.

Ransom Israel, speak through your church, defend Your people, Show Yourself strong, Redeem and deliver from sin and death- and then...close the path to misery! Halleluia, that we can trust God to work through His Church to answer this prayer that we pray every Advent.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
O come, thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

God Bless us, Everyone!

Thank God that He is concerned about the crippled soul as well as the crippled body.
Crippled with greed and sin, crippled with shame and grief, crippled with weights and infirmities, I come to Jesus. Were it not for His concern and care for our souls, to send a propitiation for our sins, that we may have access to Him, no matter our station. He has put us on His list to seek and to save, if we are not saved already. If we are saved He has put us on His "get to know Me better list". We cannot imagine someone so insistent on seeking and saving sinners. Our sins always make us hide from God. Our sins always make us think about the judgement that we are heaping on ourselves. The devil whispers into our ears hard thoughts of God. We must instruct our consciences aright to know the truth.

If God has not spared His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not also, with Him freely give us all things.

I take the part of Tiny Tim and ask God to heal my limping soul and make me know Him this holiday season in the truth of His goodness and mercies, which are great.
I hobble my soul to my Savior for healing and strength.

The Fervent Effectual Prayer of a Righteous Man...

Availeth much.





Whenever I watch Cabin in the Sky, or even think about that movie, I am struck in my soul at how close we all are to the mercy of God and to the overtaking of our depravity. The grace of God, the prayers of others, prayer for ourselves and for others overtaken in faults are part of the warfare of faith that becomes this human "travail of tears". I haven't seen a better or more clear earthly picture of the complexity of the struggle of faith as in "Cabin". Everybody needs a relationship with someone on earth who will bring their cause to the throne of grace with heartfelt consideration, especially if they don't think that they are redeemed. Petunia prayed so that the demons had to note that this was some powerful praying. The closeness of the string that our breath is between Heaven and Hell was acted out so clearly, you could just about taste Heaven and Hell at the same time. Both the righteous, being scarcely saved and the unrighteous receiving mercy and grace were set up right next to eachother.
We can all see ourselves in this movie. We can all see that none of us deserve the mercy and favor of God. God has a battle that He is fighting on earth for our souls and if we trust Him and walk with Him, He will win the battle.Cabin

Jesus told Peter that Satan desired to sift him...

Longing for Jesus is no guard against the plans of Satan for the soul. The moment that Peter felt the closest to Jesus, Jesus knew that he was in the sifter. Christ had a wonderful plan for his life, certainly; but, so did Satan.
It was as though, Satan had come to Jesus already and asked Him to leave Peter in the sifter to be thrown out. Salvation is not in the longing. Thank God for that. It is in the grace giver. If Jesus is praying for you in Heaven, no plot or plan of Satan can thwart His plan for your life.
It is scary to think that the sifter is only a hairsbreath from making some of us Saints and some of us Sinners. Christ is victorious over the sifter now. Christ is in Heaven praying for our souls, or none of us would be saved. If Peter, who had a loving and close relationship with Christ knew not that his faith was to be sifted, what of us?
Christ's redemption and wholeness and security is with His Church, in this time period, before Christ's coming. We can cling to the means of grace and know that Christ's prayers are supporting, even our feeblest efforts at repentance and faith.
I may say, Christ, my heart is so prone to wander, I do not know if I will stand. Christ has come to give the grace to those who know their infirmity. It is shocking, that the devil's sifter would come across our souls, day after day. When we think that we are standing, as Peter did. Make me know, I pray, that Your prayers are for me, Lord Jesus. Be my Heavenly advocate and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Amen

1. Restore them in meekness, ye saints of the LORD.
For by grace shall the one who has sinned be restored.
All ye, in the Spirit of God, intercede,
at the throne of God's mercy for another in need.

2. If any man, brethren, has taken a fall,
carry that soul to Jesus: to prayer thou art called.
The burden is lifted to heav'n as you pray
and is laid upon Jesus, Who has power to save.

3. Consider thyself in restoring a soul.
For the evil you seek to destroy can take hold
of even the bravest and strongest and bold.
Laying wait for you, Christian, is that Serpent of old.

4. Though Satan should buffet, our God has ordained
that the strongholds be crushed as we pray in His Name.
We war with the weapons of faith, hope and love;
and the prayer of the righteous, God will hear from above.

5. Take courage! Remember, the battle is won.
He is Faithful to finish what He has begun.
The bruis-ed reed, standing, the flax set aflame,
shall bring honor and glory to His Most Holy Name

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Borrowers of Life--singing the mighty power of God...

There's not a plant or flower below
But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise and tempests blow
By order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee
Is ever in Thy care,
And everywhere that man can be,
Thou, God, art present there.

The presence of the Lord to us as His creatures is so clearly painted for us in this beautiful old hymn. I do want to sing the mighty power of God, when I look at this meditation. I see the plants and flowers picketting (so to speak) God's glories, in their purpose and beauty and design. I see them marching with their mission clearly etched upon leaves and stems. I see the orders of the Lord carried out in the tempests and the clouds, (certainly my favorite study). I see that we, among the creatures of God's care, offering praise and study to understand the purposes of God in the things around us. Borrowing life and rendering praise. Halleluia!

God is not a man that He should lie!

Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

Genesis 21:17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

Genesis 21:18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 21:19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Genesis 21:20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer

I especially love the testimony of Hagar, in scripture. It shows the love of God that far surpasses, even the love of the best men. God seems to take wondrous pleasure in outdoing and out loving people. A good man, a godly man, would and did send that slave woman out into the world to die and God came to the rescue. God vindicated His great name. God showed Himself the defender of the weak and the fatherless and the stranger. He is always that way. When men show the truth of what we are, He outdoes us and outshines us in our best attempts at love and righteousness. God will not allow His truth to be overcome by evil. It may look so, because of the sins of His godly ones. Even then, God will step in and show Himself mighty to save.

7/7/59--The day my life changed, even before I was born

I didn't know this baby. I didn't see him then, but that day changed my life forever. I am committed and loved, by the boy that was born that day. Neither of us knew that our paths would cross. Situations and providence would cause us to be in eachother's way, on many occasions, but that fine day on the subway so many years after, we were born, would make us know eachother, ever after.

Dancing through life and stepping on eachother's toes. Dancing through time and learning the steps that have been danced by so many before us. We love, we live, we give and forgive. That is the song of marriage that we have chosen to play with eachother. Not easy, but true.

Dear Daddy,

This morning, I imagined that I was talking with my Daddy about how much similarity he has found between himself and Jacob. What a trickster, he said? I wish that I knew that God would honor those kinds of prayers when I was on earth. The beauty of the prayer for blessings for all of his sons. The sense that he could, as it were, trick God out of so many blessings. We were very blessed, he seemed to say, but the thing that I am learning on this side of the eternity of eternity is that there is more goodness in God than we can plumb the depths of. I do know that Dad. I said and I did want to talk to you about this in life. What an imagination, I have.

Seeing Jacob, take Ephraim and Manasseh and tell God which side to bless them from. If it was from the left than bless him with the blessing that I was supposed to get, if I hadn’t tricked my father and if it is from the right, then bless him with the blessing that I have received, having tricked my father from it. God, you are eternal and I trust that there are more blessings than my father could have given either Esau, or I. I am dividing the eternal blessing between the sons that you have given me, which is more restoration than I could have imagined that you could have given. Jacob saw that there was more in God than heart or mind could hold. God call’s Himself the God of Jacob. I want all of You that belongs to me and all of You that is my brother’s as well. That is the way to use sibling rivalry. Greedy for grace.

I think, in my imagination that those 2 boys were a darker version of Jacob and Esau, probably, one hairy and one smooth. Jacob had seen them fighting as the brothers are often doing. He prayed, whatever part of me that they come from the left or the right. Bless each of them with the blessing that is theirs and the blessing that is their brother’s. You are able to bless both brothers under the blessing of grace that is in You. May they never enter into the idolatry of the lifestyle that they are raised in; in Egypt. They are Egyptian, but don’t hold that against them. Raise them, dear Lord with the blessing of spiritual confidence that is as though they were me and raised, with their hand under my thigh. There is something far more intimate about the beauty of the life of the spirit with his children. Are you in your earthly father? Are you in your Heavenly Father? Is your hand under His thigh? Are you begging for the blessings of the darling children and the doted on children from our dear Heavenly Father? He stated that those blessings are inculcated through and expressed in Sabbath keeping… ”and feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your father”
You will see the intimacy of a right relationship with God. Correct expectation of the goodness of God, in Christ: Right knowledge that His goodness can be implored upon and the truth that when we go astray that He will and is committed to wrestle right into our hearts and minds, as He did with Jacobs real sons. The commitment of God to see what we ask Him and do exceedingly abundantly above what we have asked or thought. Did Jacob know that we would be feeding on his life of faith, even in that one prayer? Did he know that there were eternal halleluia’s in his progenitors in Israel and from Egypt? Halleluia, whatever we ask in prayer for our children, God multiplies.

Lord, I believe...

Help, Thou my unbelief!

When God gives to us in His mercies, it is easy to grow our faith and to think that He will hear and answer our prayers. But, when we experience a no to our requests, it is easy to exhibit a, sort of, calloused expectation of God's future no's. Sometimes, I fear that there is a death of faith that is expressed by the expectation of God, not answering our prayers. I fear that, in the best case, it is an expression of disallusionment with the power of prayer and at worst it is an expression of a dead orthodoxy that may need the regeneration of God to revive it. Are we alive, Lord, if we don't expect You to save and to heal and to cleanse and to deliver?
God's word states that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Are we instructing, God's people to develop faith or to criticize faith in others? Help us Lord to look expectantly to You! I don't see the fruition of my prayers, yet, but I trust that You have my need in Your concern and You will answer, in due time. My fear and unbelief cannot stop Your power. I trust You, dear Lord.
Thank God for corporate prayer, where the unbelief of the one, can be overcome by the faith of the many.

Contending for the Riches of His Grace?

What are we contending for? God is our inheritance. He asks daily, Do you love me more than…? Too often, we must say, my heart is not seeking You as I ought.

I have not sought Thee as I ought, alas the duties left undone.

Sometimes we see the things of earth as excesses, and they certainly are. But more, It is our acceptance of ourselves. Self sufficiency, I don’t need You, Lord, we say, by our experiences. Do we own the kingdom of Heaven? Blessed are the poor in spirit. Are we willing to become poor in spirit as we are to buy that new car? I need a car. I need the kingdom of Heaven, far more. Jesus said, the rich man, with Lazarus, gave and gave, but didn’t see that His soul was bankrupt in Heaven. He may have even given “alms”. But not to the need that he could see, in front of him. He said, my brothers won’t get this, Lord. They won’t see the priority, on account of their religion is blinding them, let me translate it to them. He longed for this more than for the water from Lazarus’ hand. There were a bunch of dogs licking somebody’s wounds that he had passed and it was too much for him to see and help that need.

The least of us, helped by the most of us. Our precious Governor stated in the wake of the hurricane.

-a spiritual application is: I can’t be worthy of heaven, Lord, I am a beggar on the earth. Trusting in God, for worthiness, makes us worthy. Christ’s righteousness is the only hope, not our own. God proves this in my life, everyday and everyday, I fail.

I want to own my own righteousness. I want to depend on my own sufficiency. Sell all your sufficiency, it is worth nothing. Even your mental acumen, even your money and hopes for such. Even your children and glory in your own good works. None of these are a down payment on the mortgage of the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit. I have to loathe my own good works? Let me stop thinking that I am better than Lazarus, that he should get me water from Abraham’s bosom. God, isn’t Lazarus your slave? He was a beggar? Jesus shows us, through the rich man, that the reasoning is very acute in Hell. You mean I owned Hell, all the while I was on earth, he thought. Hell was wrapped up in his self sufficiency. He was able to see that.

I have not loved Thee as I ought, Nor cared that I am loved by Thee. … Lord, give us grace and give us might, for Thee to toil, for Thee to fight!

When shall we know Thee as we ought…

I may not own my house on earth. I spent my time and attention and life insurance in other places and for other things. But, if I own the grace of God, through Christ's sacrifice and the kingdom of Heaven, I am richer than the richest queen. Tiarras on your head, is not soul insurance, unless it is mixed with compassion and loathing of sin. Poverty is no guarantee of heaven unless it is linked with the embracing of the riches of Christ and His righteousness as all. God knows our hearts.

Philemon and Paul and Onesimus

What a beautiful expression of brotherly lovingness, is exposed to us in Philemon. I have often heard preachers speaking of the tenderness and mercy that Paul, so clearly exhibited to Philemon about the slave friend Onesimus.
Today, as I read the passage, it was clear to me that Paul saw a clear distinction between the usefulness of the tools that God gave him in his work and the friends and dear ones that God gave him for his own comfort. Onesimus was this dear to Paul, he spoke in his letter. Paul was so precious to note the care and usefulness of many who ministered to him. But, I don't recall him calling anyone his intestinal friend. That is a care that was given, only to this man.

{This is particularly a blessing to me, whose care about my family and children, sometimes moves me to intestinal convulsion.}

Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Remembering the bound, as being bound with them, is a ministry that the slave and the incarcerated may be well suited to. This seems to be the case with Onesimus. It is often the case that, when a person is highly respected, the personal emotional needs are difficult to minister to. Onesimus was humbled in his station and able only to see the humble needs of this esteemed man of God. Paul took note of the personal care of him.
More than just saving this runaway from a certain death, upon his return; I think that Paul was ministered to, in his spirit. Devout men, it seems, can be taken advantage of, in their sensitivities. They must be guarded in their emotional vulnerability. It looks as though God had granted Paul such guards about him. Not so guarded that his personal and emotional frame is not ministered to.
Onesimus was someone that, if lost would cause the Apostle an intestinal convulsion. We must preserve this man, for our esteemed minister's sake.
These types of relationships are rare. It is only when the face of death and loss, looks into the face of the reality of a death sentence upon him that this kind of a relationship is possible. It is not the kind that can happen over a cup of tea, in a lovely and beautiful home.
This servant of God, who had suffered much for the sake of Christ, had much to cry about and much emotional need to be ministered to. God sent him a slave. His heart was lifted and the ministry of helps and care is blessed to know that this man of God, was a man and blessed in friendship with those who cared.Philemon

Physical Immersors and Spiritual Sprinklers!

What do we want? The Holy Spirit. When do we want Him? Now!

I find it an interesting realization of our lavished society, that the only thing that is completely spiritually cool is the slightness and chill of our spiritual experience. The more of truth that we possess, it seems, the more of complacency of spiritual experience marks our lives. I have noticed this, from my earliest exposure to Reformed truth. The crying out of the simple hearts and minds of people, who had less in terms of this world's goods, was ridiculed and mocked, by those who were blessed with much in material things.
Jesus states to John's disciples, that the poor having the gospel preached to them would be a mark of Jesus' ministry. I have sat with many poor in their seeking and pursuing every part of the experience of the spirit. I have been with many rich, who claim it a mark of ignorance that others spend time seeking "the Lord, in His Spirit". It sounds uncanny, that those who argue for the complete immersion of the body in baptism by water are happy to live with a mere sprinkling of the Spirit, in their lives; if He is in their possession at all.
I love the truth of God and I love the Spirit. I want all that the Holy Spirit has to give. I would and have immersed my body in water, in obedience to Christ and imitation of Him. I also pray for the immersion of my Spirit with the Holy Spirit and do not expect to be satisfied, until I get to glory. I do not speak in tongues, but I do tarry before the Lord, for the power and grace to see and live and to grow in His power and lifestyle. I think that to look to scripture to argue against seeking the Holy Spirit is justifying the materialism that has arrested us.
We certainly spend time and attention accumulating and utilizing our stuff, with vigor, whether or not God directs us there. We should be very careful not to ridicule those who are richer than we in spiritual things.

I fear that we are like the rich who wonder, what simple Christians do? perhaps. Lord, deliver us from our harsh judgment on those who are simpler and richer in the Spirit than we.
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What do the simple folks do?

This is one of my favorite sections of Scripture. Jesus says this is an evil generation {Notwithstanding that they were so self righteous}

Luke 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

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Luke 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

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Luke 11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

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Luke 11:32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

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Luke 11:33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

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Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

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Luke 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

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Luke 11:36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

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Luke 11:37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

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Luke 11:38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

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Luke 11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

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Luke 11:40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

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Luke 11:41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

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Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

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Luke 11:43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

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Luke 11:44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

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Luke 11:45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

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Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

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Luke 11:47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

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Luke 11:48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

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Luke 11:49Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

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Luke 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

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Luke 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

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Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

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Luke 11:53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

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Luke 11:54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

People from wicked backgrounds and ungodly heritages will inherit the promises of Abraham, through Christ, He announced to them, clearly. You will be trying to pay God back for the blood of the prophets that were given for your enlightenment and others will be basking in the light of redemption accomplished. Come to Jesus, was the message. A day is coming where none of you self righteous deeds will account for anything and you are living in that day now. To have the privilege of knowing the heart of God, through His Word and not accepting the payment for sin, once accomplished, is a judgement of blindness. There is no greater blindness. God is merciful and He still stands ready to save the foulest as the Queen of the South, or the Ninevites or the most self righteous as the Pharisees or the Lawyers. Jesus ready stands to save us, full of pity, grace and power.

A Friend of Jesus—A Friend of the Marriage--an outline inspired by Pastor Lutzer's sermon today

Ephesians 5:31
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

A friend of Jesus! O what bliss

That one so vile as I

Should ever have a Friend like this

To lead me to the sky!

Refrain
Friendship with Jesus!
Fellowship divine!
O what blessèd, sweet communion!
Jesus is a Friend of mine.

A Friend when other friendships cease,

A Friend when others fail,

A Friend Who gives me joy and peace,

A Friend when foes assail!

Refrain

A Friend when sickness lays me low,

A Friend when death draws near,

A Friend as through the vale I go,

A Friend to help and cheer!


Refrain

A Friend when life’s short race is o’er

A Friend when earth is past,

A Friend to meet on Heaven’s shore,

A Friend when home at last!

Refrain

A Friend of Jesus—A Friend of the Marriage

I. Salvation by Grace through Faith—
II. The blessing of marriage
III. The defense of a vow
IV. The instruction of it’s heavenly significance
V. The Blessing of mirroring a Heavenly Mystery on earth
VI. How am I a Friend of Jesus in my marriage?
VII. How am I a Friend of Jesus to others’ marriage?
VIII. What do I need to do to improve my friendship with Jesus?
IX. Understanding of my sundry vilenesses and applying them to my improving my friendship.
a. Lessons for husbands, in loving of your own wife
b. The problem of lust
c. The wall of emotional baggage
d. The engagement of my will in repentance
e. Saying no to the flesh
f. Unplugging the eyegate from diversions
g. Unplugging the eargate from invasive influences
h. Rules for proving if a medium is family friendly
i. Lessons for wives in respecting your husband
j. The problem of comparison
k. The practice of respectful speech
l. The practice of building a positive Public Response
m. The practice of praying these responses into the soul

X. Learning to become at home with oneanother- growing in love and heavenly acceptance in the midst of an unfriendly world.

The Goodness of God, leads to repentance!

Years, I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not, my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not, it was for me He died,
At Calvary!

I am grateful for the ignorance that was my soul's condition, before salvation. I should have lived in fear and so often, I was smug. I neglected, so great a salvation, and never thought twice, in my prayers to consider the condition of my sinful soul. God's goodness lent me wings to see above the human state. Now, reconciled to God, I have peace with God. Whatever the state of my emotions, my soul's condition is in Christ, who, by His blood, reconciled my soul to God. Now, sometimes, I am fraught with fears of the reality of this great salvation. Can God, who is holy, accept me, who is unholy, into His presence? I did nothing to accomplish this for myself? I have nothing that can pay for this advantage? It is truly the most precious gift.
I could take time to question and examine the wisdom of such a gift on my behalf, I would never find the end of the folly of it. It cannot make sense, that the perfect God of the Universe would sacrifice to reconcile my soul to God. OR, I could praise and thank the mystery that found me dead in my sins and redeemed me.
I am thankful that those who question the importance of the baptism of the Spirit of God or who question the Word of God's relevance for today, still seek His activity and filling for seasons of life. It is a serious blindness that teaches us not to expect God to baptize us anew and afresh, for seasons of service and activity, when it is clearly noted for us everywhere in scripture. It is a deception of the devil that we should never seek God for the Holy Spirit, when we pray to the Father in the Lord's Prayer- "give us, this day, our daily bread" and we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord. Should we not also as for the special annointing of the Holy Spirit, whether or not we can ascertain the real reason that we need Him? We need the Holy Spirit. We want the Holy Spirit, not just to enliven our corporate worship, but to enliven our hearts to the reality of our pride and envy.
We see the poor, who are rich in faith, basking in that richness and we despise the joy that God has given them, in their circumstances. We are like the filthy temple {2 Chronicles 29:15-30:27} and at a loss to cleanse ourselves. God, give us eyes to see our need of the Holy Spirit. God, cleanse our hearts so that we will not be envious of the poverty of our souls.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem 2 Chron 30:26

The Immense Spiritual Benefit of Praise and Worship

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 150:6

There are few things that I remember, being taught to me, early in my Christian experience as rivetting as the importance of Praise and Worship. The expressions of verbal adoration and continual expressions of love to God, were not stingily expressed, in the Church where the Lord lassoed my soul.

Having come from a Catholic upbringing, these heart expressions of worship to God, were somewhat odd to me. I watched many people, who I had learned to respect for their godliness and sought God for His direction as to whether these things were extreme or useful for the soul. I had a real desire not to be deceived by people as to what is God's directives and this was a particular area of difficulty for me, in practice. I was far more comfortable with quiet heart prayers to God, than the verbalizing of these words, especially the repetition aspect was peculiarly averse to my mind. The noise levels were averse to my nerves and my trained to quiet upbringing. We were early trained to be seen and not heard and to be silent before God, was seen as more solemn and more holy than the noise of, what we considered hollering.

God humbled me and brought me into the school of praise and worship. I saw this invitation and command in the scripture, to glorify God, in worship and praise. I was convinced that my silence was born of pride of place and cultural aversions, still, it took a long time to learn the personal benefit and the spiritual imperative to enter into His presence with worship and praise.

God wears light as a garment.

God is fearful in His presence. He condescends to the likes of us. I love how uncles show this and fathers. I am remembering the times that I was afraid of the uncles and how they built relationships of confidence and love.

I noticed in I Remember Mama that the fear of Uncle Chris was pervasive. Adults and children cowered in his presence. It was not because he was a mean fellow, but loud and masculine and confident. Perhaps, he had no children of his own to tame his loudness, still the scene where he reaches out to the girls to share a secret and grow this relationship of comradery out of fear, endeared his character to me and to the girls in the story.

I remembered the eyes of my uncle Charles, specifically. His eyes spoke much into my soul. This is our dance, He seemed to say at a glance. I do take your hand dear uncle. He never declined to tell some secret personal story of kindergarten or his love of the sisters in my presence. I had no idea that you were really human uncle. What an endearing quality.


It must be difficult for men, as their voices change to develop a new character that is not dependent on the voice that they receive after the larynx catches up with their growth. God blesses and owns the dearness of neice to uncle and the building of that relationship is certainly a love that is real and true, if nurtured properly. I see the eyes of Uncle, when the rubber meets the road. Life coach, seeming to say, "Make lemonade". Love God and do your duty. I am grateful for God's having lent him to us.

Who wants to go through childbirth? Raise your hand.

Not me. Too late :). No matter how you pray at the ninth month, looking into the dark chasm of travail, after water breaks, God never says no. There is always a level of pain. I am grateful to have participated in the birth. Now! 16 years after, the nurse looked me in the eye with a smirk. You should have thought of that before, mommy, here comes the pitosin. Agonizing 3 days of travail and mental agonies, birthed my precious ladybug, Evelyn.

God is there in the darkest hours and comes with life out of the pain. It seems that God didn't make women with the same defense mechanisms as men. When it comes to childbirth women must let go of comfort and life and health to welcome a new heart and responsibility. The serpent, in the garden took advantage and there was no human protector for her. They didn't know, in their innocence that the inheritance of the earth and life was to the holy couple and not to a lone ranger. Through redemption, we learn that God has made us heirs together of the grace of life.

Adam gave Eve her name, in the garden. "Mother of all living" Let's find life together. I remember, I had no impetus to wish good for my baby, after that pain. Father Ben went to the store and bought the joy out of the pain for this little precious one. A ladybug dress and a beautiful hat adorned our stylish baby girl. Fathers have that responsibility from God to take that which is left from the "fall" in Christ and commision it into the service of God and the family.

Travail is a curse, true. But the fruit is wonderful and delightful throughout life. I am thankful for the blessings that have come in my life through the travail.

There is a Land of Pure Delight, Isaac Watts

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Eternal day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

Refrain:
We are feeding on the living Bread,
We are drinking at the Fountain-head;
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again.
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again!
What never thirst again?
No, never thirst again!
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again!

There everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flow'rs;
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heav'nly land from ours.

O could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy thoughts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love
With un-beclouded eyes!

Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o'er,
Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood,
Should fright us from the shore.

Who then, can be saved?

Mark 10:16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

What a question from the Lord Jesus? How pertinent a question of motive and motivation to the heart?

This man came running to Jesus. Jesus questions his motives. At first this seems, a bit abrupt a reception for a commending person? Does He not ask us the same?

What part of God’s goodness do you see in Jesus? This question pierces the heart. We could answer Lord, You are good in beauty and reputation. This may look to us to be true, at one time or another. But there is always a place where God’s goodness repulses our humanity. There is always a place where God’s beauty shames our greatest attempt.

Satan, indeed uses God as a type of mirror to compare himself to. “I will be like God!” His pride declares. This is where I am like God, he boasts.

Perhaps that was the state of this man. Perhaps he, too was saying, “its all good. You are good and I am also of the good sort of person, we should be together?”

So often that is my thought, if not expression. Lord, You are good, and it is good for me to be with You. God always challenges our intention in that sentiment. There is none good, but God. He is good in all ways and He is good in all His acts. But why do I call Him good?

If it is not to see myself as unworthy, it is the faith of demons and the disciples saw this irony, in this incident. If this good guy can’t be saved, calling on You as good, who can be saved? It is impossible, to have any motive, but demon motive, unless the Lord changes the heart to see the deplorable state of your own soul. Riches, especially can blind a person to this sad state and condition of relation with God. Jesus mercifully finds us out and brings us into conformity to Himself, even in our wretched pride and self exaltation.

It is not wrong to run to Jesus. He wants us to make our calling and election sure. When we run to Him, He wants us to know why. He gathers us into His arms and makes us His own dear child and blesses our feeblest effort and expression of love to Himself.

Thank you for trying my heart in motive, dear Jesus, that I may own my love for You.

I do love Thy Kingdom, Lord!

A Prayer for the Restoration of the soul of New YorkWhen I see the movie I Remember Mama, it reminds me of my heritage as coming from an imigrant background. The beauty of the immigrant soul reaching for higher and greater, is obvious in that movie. “Mama” seems to congeal all of the most wholesome aspirations of our immigrant desires. These are some thoughts and prayers for my own soul as I reach to spiritual aspirations and remember the beauty of my great grandparents longings.

I miss the buildings and the look of the NY Skyline. When they panned, the house of Uncle Chris in the last scene of his life, I imagined the buildings in NY. It was harvest time for his soul, the writer seemed to be saying. The corn was off of the stalks and the coolness of the land was upon it and family had gathered to see his soul off to Glory. Do we walk through the city as though it is a full corn maze. The ears of corn are always atop the stalks, so to speak.

I should only love the kingdom of God, on earth like I love my precious city. I love that city, because I have walked it’s fields for years and years in prayer. I have seen the days of sowing and reaping of commodities, bloom and wane and bloom. I have seen it’s bereft soul, seek and search for that which is not water and pay for that which will not satisfy. I have prayed that, as I have found personal solace in the Rock of Ages, that my city would follow me and be saved and be the redeemed upon the earth. I see her here in Ezekiel, probably by superimposing and longing. I love my city, Lord. I do love, thy kingdom, Lord, but, I confess that I have loved my city more. I long that she may be among the Church, my blessed redeemer bought, with His own precious blood.
Not unto us, not because of us, but because of Your promises to raise up and to restore and be gracious to the unthankful and undeserving.

Ezekiel 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

Ezekiel 36:31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Ezekiel 36:32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

Ezekiel 36:33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

Ezekiel 36:34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

Ezekiel 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

Ezekiel 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Ezekiel 36:37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

Ezekiel 36:38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

IN MY OPINION!

In the Long Gray Line,

It seemed clear that each pagan culture brings an aspect of cultural dominion into their Christian experience.

God so loved the World...that He gave His only begotten Son...

It was as though they were saying that the Irish people, were aware of the spirit of conflict and the effects and usefulness of this in the purposes of God. Conflict is an inextricable part of life after the fall. When the conflict came up, there was some sort of Christian redemption of the conflict that they engaged in, seemingly to make the conflict redemptive and a blessing. I am not privy to the specifics of the Christianization of their conflict in their Irishness. They seemed to include the conflict of their “Ire” into their courting. This seems to be stereotyping, but, I don’t think so. I think that God intends us to have dominion over the spiritual realm and uses culture to weave these spiritual powers under subjection to the Christ of the Church on the earth. Each culture has a responsibility in this realm.

In the way that Adam commissioned Eve to “mother life”. The father, in Gray Line, said, woman take out your power to pray about this. God gave them some sense of the responsibility of the woman in the spiritual realm.
It is a spiritual delegation. Let’s take this conflict into submission, they seem to say.

The Broom of God’s usefulness is given to the Christian woman in the home. Sweeping the dirt out and taking dominion over the spiritual conflicts in the home. Men cannot see this. They cannot see the connection between the milk and the sucking breast and they cannot see the connection between the wringing nose and the blood, as the scripture relates it. Woman, Mother life,
Spiritually, this is the call of motherhood.




I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. This is scripture, but the unsaid is, I do not allow a man to nurse a baby and give milk to the infant from his body. I do not allow a man to experience travail of body.

In Gray Line the elderly father seemed to say, is there a travail of soul in this conflict? Let us pray and make the suffering in our family redemptive.

Black people do this culturally. They talk of redemptive suffering, but do not work through conflicts in their homes and more often seek the ease of separation, rather than offering it up as is the cultural inheritance of many generations of in tact families.

We have the inheritance of receiving the faith of our mothers and passing it on. We have cut the family to bits and taken the power of the unified Christian family from the earth, by our greed.

The M in broom is not anathema, it is according to the theme, not the theme of separation as was the witches broom, but the M that is the broom of the at home mother.

We are the Circumcision...

Who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Philippians 3:3

When we are in Christ we are a new creature. The Lord has made us new in the foreskin of our hearts. The apostle seems to ask, which side of the circumcision are you on? This seemed very poignant and significant to the Jews. Are you alive in Christ or are you on the dead skin that was removed? Both are holy. One is holy alive and attached to the body and the other is holy dead and in the hand of the rabbi. They could see this analogy.

We have no confidence in the flesh, the apostle reminds us. We can be right there in the holy ordinance and not a part of the living body. Our confidence is not in the fact that we are at the circumcision or in the worship service. We are rejoicing that our relationship is alive in Christ Jesus and not in the orderliness of the function of following the rule of law.

Are we the circumcision, who worship God? Are we the circumcision, who do not worship God? Just the deadness of the law. Are we rejoicing in Christ Jesus? Are we having confidence that we follow the rule of law? Are we attached to the body or in the refuse? Both are a part of the ordinance and one is for life and the use of Christ in the world and the other is for the burning.

From the Valley of Decision "originally 11/4/09"

Evidently, from the perspectives of Valley of Decision, they were blaming the Carnegie methods with the break down of the culture. The commitment of industry to the building of strong families and a strong society was not there. The mom and pops started selling out to the monopolizers. Now, generations later, we are trying to get people to take personal responsibility for their own business. We have exalted the Carnegie method. Dehumanizing business, further and further away from real relationships, so that when we cut, we can look ourselves in the eye and not feel the sense of loss. I like what the writer was illuding to in Valley. The boss realized that there was reason for this disgruntled employee to curse him and he owned it. Understanding that this is a part of the responsibility of wealth. Sometimes being the scapegoat for people's misplaced grief. He did what he could to asuage the pain of this disgruntled and continued, on the other hand pursuing progress. Progress and development is the only way that we can pay the bills to the future generation and the bills of the past generation to care for them during our short stint in leadership of the nation and the world and our families. God will give a good conscience to who will ask Him. We needn't hang our heads, rich or poor. We do what we can and what we must and work for progress: the poor in faith and the rich in industry and job productivity. It is our responsibility one to another to build into the gaps that were not considered in the Carnegie tidal wave season.
We have inherited the claim to pay that we are now so detached from the country and from the production process that we can't find the keys to this car that we are riding in. We must first pray and then accept the responsibility which is ours to be our brothers' keeper and then pursue progress and development.

The earthquake that devastated us and our economy after the Civil War which caused Lloyd's to state Pay All Claims was a warning blast. Be concerned about the truth or be afraid of the consequences. God's mercy is great toward us to guide us when we have lost our way.
We cannot live as though the sky is falling at every CAT. We have to take a hard look at the way of production and progress and pray God that He will restore us, for His glory and for the sake of His people and testimony. God has not brought us this far to kill us in the desert. There is something here for us to do. We have inherited hungry mouths and a hungry country and a hungry world and few minds that can produce the jobs to help people to feed themselves.

As an aside, I saw the open hearth of the steel mills as God's fiery furnace, in this country. God has given us the access in this generation to unprecidented wealth and unprecidented splendor around us. I ask God to come in the productivity of this generation as He came to deliver the Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace. Be present in our productivity, we pray that it would glorify You Lord. God is Sovereign and the only way that we can understand what that means is in the tyrannical people. Nebby was the extreme of this. God is far more sovereign and yet merciful and kind and ...Good! When we see Him exposing His amazing parallel of compassion to us by offsetting a wickedness, by His grace, we are compelled to worship Him aright. The cloud of witnesses bid us to look to Him! Where is He? Commanding and Producing when we are whining and complaining about the fact that we have inherited a debt that we haven't the ability to repay. We mustn't pull the plug, although we are tired of the fight and the blame. Own the responsibility and ask God for the grace to stand and having done all to stand...

Psalm 139:17-24 I love the reasoning of David.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Psalm 139:19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
Psalm 139:20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
Psalm 139:21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Psalm 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psalm 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

He remembers that God has shown him that he is dear to God. God has treated David with undeserved kindness and favor, as He has all of us. David pens these thoughts. But, as if an afterthought, David remembers the hatred in his own heart. A fierce and animalistic hatred that arises toward enemies and that seems to grow a concern in his mind. Search me, Lord. He exclaims. I feel justified to hate these enemies and perhaps I would be on that side of Your thoughts, at the times of my sins. Cleanse me thoroughly from my sin. I cannot be justified in my hatred, no matter how much I feel it is so, but Your fierce hatred against the sin of my heart is completely justified.
At that season of redemption, there was no answer to this irony of experience. I am in the loving favor of God and yet my sin still clings to me and is unpaid for. Grace and mercy were clearly not complete. No amount of animal sacrifice can atone for the sin of my soul. Don't let me be on the fierce and hot side of Your anger, with the wicked, Lord. When I remember the grace and the mercy of Your tenderness to my soul, help it to draw me to repentance and faith in the sacrificial work of my Loving Lord Jesus. David was justified through the embrace of this future truth and the acknowledgement that it could not just be because of his relationship to his family lineage. The Lord, is coming, was their faith and the Lord has come, is ours.

Inheriting the Earth! or inheriting the wind?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

We have come from a season of inheriting the wind. There is a miseducation of the supposed "fittest". The pride of place that has been our inheritance, because of Darwinism. Our spiritual eyes are blinded by our pride of place.
New York pride is my own personal struggle. I daily pull the weeds of my pride of personal rearing in "the Greatest City in the World".
As I have learned from a quieter and more humble city, God hates pride. Humility is a beautiful thing. Humility of NC doesn't defend itself. Humility of NC doesn't tout itself as so. It, simply, does the right thing and seeks no applause. This is the Bible Belt. That should be something to applaude. The preservation of a city where there is little elicit billboarding, is something to place in high regard.

I love the wrangling and the wrestling of my own city, where the portion of the city, considered "Hell's Kitchen", is preached to and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. That is my history of regard, but, if we don't couple the cleansing power of the fire that Christ has lit in the city that never sleeps, with the preservation disciplines that is the wonder of Charlotte, we will lose our reward and our generation. This, must first be learned and this must then be exported, or imported, {depending on your perspective}.

Grandpa's Hands

Grandpa’s fingers in the flag.

The flag was rolled out and covering the windows of the Pentagon. To me they represented the hands of the patriots. Hands of our fathers, holy hands, we will be true to thee, till death. Our father’s fingers labored over fields, built presses and built from south to north. They are all represented, both the fingers that remained and the fingers that were lost are represented in the flag on the Pentagon. All 5 fingers are there in the Pentagon. All 5 fingers, one handful of concerns represented in the Pentagon. Write the Decalogue on the fingers of your heart, but let the commitment to the flag be a part of your concerns. 2 Fingers worth? Sometimes. Grandpa’s 2 fingers that I looked at longingly. I wanted to kiss the remains of them. He never lingered at their loss, when asked about it. Should I linger at the concerns that my sanity is lessened on 9-11. Like Grandpa did at his 2 fingers. I will work with the three remaining fingers of my mind. Where did your mind go, mother? My mind was lost around, 9-11-01 and I hang the flag over the windows of my mind where the mind used to be. It is dark. It is lost, like Grandpa’s fingers, I use my mind to kiss the memory of my father-in-law’s opened hand, which he raised in praise to God. He lifted the remains of that hand and I lift the remains of my mind to God, in praise and worship. I grieve, the loss. I grieve the flag’s sad memorial. I grieve the losses of lives and parents and heroes and property. I grieve at the deception of lies and deaths and unkindness that hardness of heart can and have the pre eminence. Pre eminent in the season of the demons on the earth; pre eminent until Jesus overcomes them through His Church on the earth. Until the new heavens and the new earth can and do overcome. The rest of the fingers of the mind that remain, give God the glory. The rest of the fingers of my father-in-law, the pattern of raising hands. 5 oclock, they rolled back the flag and showed just the memorial. Minus the flag to mark the date. Remembering that our flag is a portion of our concerns and our patriotism, must follow our Christianity. Our patriotism must follow our family. I heard Amazing Grace, while I looked at my Pentagon, that I pray for. I saw Grandpa telling me that he is enjoying an intact spirit, now. He kissed me through that flag. We were one in the spirit. We are together in worship through hand’s upraised and mind upraised also. Just as he ridiculed my study and I ridiculed his illogical consistency. Praising God, with fingers lost. Worshipping in the face of ignorance. We hold hands today. My mind is with him and his fingers are with me in that flag. I kissed them today. Something that I would never have even asked him, when he was here with us. He loved the flag and he loved his family and he loved, even me, through marriage, {his Dolcinea}. He changed my perspective of my loss. He changed my perception of my country. He changed my perspective of my priorities and now, my loss, is accepted, by me, in praise to my God, to be used to raise to God, as my father-in-law raised those hands to praise His mighty Savior and was that mighty man, on earth in faith that God had made him to be.

Ten Thousand thousand precious gifts

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I'm lost In wonder, love and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my heart was e'er aware
From whence these comforts flowed.

When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And when in sin and sorrows sunk
Revived my soul with grace.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart
That tastes those gifts with joy.

Through ev'ry period of my life
Thy goodness I'll pursue,
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise;
But O! eternity's too short
To utter all Thy praise!

Wonder and Love and Praise for God's precious gifts is sometimes lost in the sea of regrets. Sometimes they are lost in the sea of unforgiveness. Sometimes they are lost in the sea of guilty remembrances. My conscience and my heart is bare before the Lord. You, Lord and God are the author of my joys and peace. When my heart goes into remembrances of oughts against me, help me, Lord to forgive. When my heart remembers the pleasures of sins and longs for them inordinately, help me to fling them to You, Lord and confess and forsake. When my heart overwhelms me in my present circumstances, help me cast my cares on You; knowing that You care for me. You are the Lord of lords and the King of kings. I need not fear the overwhelming nature of the sovereignty that I feel in any realm, because You are God above it all. I submit my dominion to You and my lack, knowing that You are neither intimidated by my ability, nor impressed. You are neither embarrassed at my lack, nor dissuaded. You are God and I bow the knee and the heart to give You my love and my activities, today. Thank You, that You are no respecter of persons.

When God pulls up His sleeves.

In the light of a week of seeing the mercies of God presented to us, in the earthquake and in the hurricane that almost barrelled us, but simply swept along our eastern seaboard,

I see the Lord seated on the throne, high and lifted up..."

He owes us wrath, but He has remembered mercy. He shook the earth, near the capital, as if to remind us under whose authority we sit and stand, and He sent Irene to remind us that there might have been army boots on her, but there were toe shoes on her.
There were beautiful Christian graces evident, in the wake of the losses incurred in Irene, by our Governor Perdue. I am a New Yorker and even as Christians, New Yorkers are concerned about the bottom line. I was struck with awe at the evident compassion and Christian graces shown in governing by our Bev Perdue. Her verbal expressions of sympathy and concern for every level of loss were noticeable to me and a lesson, that I hope to inculcate, in my parenting and in my other relationships.

Christ changes our hearts and minds and gives us a heart to love Him, but the hardness of the NY state of mind is so blinding and proud that it seems trite to us to care about the lesser concerns, than loss of life. Her expressions did not seem trite, nor rehearsed, but a lesson of the weaving of Christian principles and scruples into our demeanor in our labors. They can legislate out prayer {perhaps}, but they cannot legislate out Christian compassion. I was rebuked and instructed that Christ is concerned about the least of these, as I should be. I thank the militantly hospitable South for showing me my sin in these areas. God be merciful, as I set my feet to walk in Your ways, in this.

"If my people...

who are called by my name",

the Lord has bid us to humble ourselves and seek His face. But it seems here in Ezekiel, where I am reading this morning that there is a direct relationship between the Sabbaths and the humbling of Gods people, that I hadn't noticed before. It seems in Ezekiel 20 that God refers to Himself as almost drinking the Sabbath and that the defilement that we pour into the Sabbath, by hallowing or not, is poured out upon us, that God would use that as a relationship to woo and to win us.
It seemed as though the cup of the Sabbath is taken to our God's lips and if it is dirty, He pours it upon us and we are choosing the poison that we are enduring, by our disobedience. I must say the there is alot of reasoning between the lines of what God says in Ezekiel, but it would take books to pen the lines of scriptural reasoning from this text.
God, grant us eyes to see the regard that You have for our obedience to You and not to be deceived by our own senses of pietism. Help us to be those who would humble ourselves, by Your grace, that our land would be healed and that our relationship would be with You and not with wood, hay and stubble. Ezekiel 20
Ezekiel 20

Whose PIP are you?

We are all thieves of grace and mercy and it is what we do with that grace and mercy, that link us to the grace of God. God has apprenticed us to Himself. We either reflect His glory, in the attainment of wealth and fame, or we reflect His condescension and humility, thus being beggars and receivers. When God makes us His PIP, either through the means of earthly, or heavenly means, what is it that we do with it. Ms. Haversham, took the glory to herself and her end was seen in the flames. "Are you not beholden to me for choosing you from among the wretches?" She saw herself as worthy of the graces and mercies that she received and she taunted the soul of the bereaved and the orphaned and her end was destruction. Those whose sin was evident and blatant, received the prayers of the orphans. Amazing Grace is accessible to the needy, but inaccessible to the self righteous. You can break his heart, was the haughty thought of the rich lady. I pray that her soul was saved erelong. Whenever we take it to break a heart for sport, especially the afflicted heart, we stand in the utmost pride. God have mercy on us.

Great Expectations!

The movie Great Expectations from 1946, gave us much, as a family to discuss, in terms of lessons of character. The question for the week is what is your motivating ambition? What makes you do and grow? What gives you joy and hope? We saw the interplay of the rich and the poor. We saw the interactivity of motivations. The young PIP, grew and prospered and showed the example of a single eyed pursuit of a goal. As people made in the image of God, we are inspired to pursue and to have a single goal of life. Like God, who tells us that His motivation in the New Testament will be to build His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail. The demons of darkness were exorcised by PIP at the end, in direct imitation of our Savior and Lord, who exorcises all of the lies of the enemy to become the hope and life of His bride, the Church. We anticipate, with sincere hope, the light and life of Jesus being the motivation of the Church, as worked into our souls, by our loving and consistent Savior, Lord and King. Every enemy will be vanquished and crushed, when our Savior comes to us. Every dark way will be changed and cleansed. God is the Lord! Great Expectations on Youtube

Don't Blame the Moths for looking at the flame?

I was struck afresh by the blinding power of pride, as we watched Great Expectations yesterday. Estella could no more see the blindness of unbelief, than the beauty that she projected in the mirror. Riches and beauty are a blinding source of unbelief, sometimes. Pip, who was struggling between two worlds, was the source of our eyes view of this close tendency in our own souls.

We watch this humble and stricken young orphan grow to desire the accomplishments and acquirements of wealth and beauty and the things that they afford. I love how there is no commentary to the book. The story speaks for itself. What does it profit, if we gain the whole world and lose our soul? Or, What will a man give, in exchange for his soul?

I am grateful for Bishop pointing out that we are the fruit of answered prayer of our forefathers!

I looked into the eyes of Andy Hardy, in the movie, this weekend and saw a prayer for grace and mercy that I had never seen before. Pre war prayers, Depression prayers. Mickey Rooney, put foot to his prayers and acted more for the preservation of our depraved America, than any other actor, I had seen in a movie. I saw Bishop talking about the answers of our parent's prayers. From a Church as flimsy as a Lunar Moth to a church as solid as a Behemoth. Generational prayers that the solidness of the Judge Hardy Character would follow through the generations and not be smothered by the winds of change that we've inherited. Looking into the eyes of a respectful and respectable example of fatherhood, was the picture of Andy Hardy's series, in the prewar generation. It is answered prayers that fatherhood is not dead. Thank you, Mr. Rooney for the gift of respectable fatherhood.

The day the sky bit me.

I was tired and I certainly wasn't in the mood for socializing. The sky seemed to be an enemy, as we drove further and further into it, to find our friends' house. I bickered and squalled. I fussed and fumed. It is raining and we don't know where we are going and I am tired and this is not my idea of... we are lost and we won't find it. The sky is going to eat us, I say. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about the sky eating them, when the whole country was savage and uncivilized like we are driving into, don't you see the sky has teeth? My husband is so patient with me, when I get tired like this. I really am exaggerating, only a little. We looked at the numbers on the streets as we got closer and closer. Tens of thousands were the numbers, what if we miss our number we are tens of thousands out of the way, how will we ever get home again?
Our friend was outside and a happy and pleasant sight, when we got there. All was not lost. We were where we were supposed to be. When we walked in, the ceiling and the floor were pine wood. The ceiling and the floor were more sweet of a hug and I called them the teeth of the sky. Our friends' hospitality and kind provision for us was the sweetest hug from the sky that there could be. My squabbles, turned to MMMMM's and my fussing turned to fun. We had the very best time, by the light of the pine ceiling and floor. The silvery moon is far too far away to be comforting to a city girl the precious blankey of the finely set pine ceiling and the kind hospitality of our friends were a healing balm.

It is also interesting, what made the Lord say no,

Luke 12

In Sunday School, our teacher pointed out an occurrence of the Lord declining to assist a person. It was awesome the wonder of Jesus to care about the soul of this fellow in not interceding on his behalf. His request was obvious and it was a felt need. Others would have taken his cause, perhaps, but Jesus, did not say no. He said who called me to judge over a civil case? He said, you have a deeper need that needs addressing. He told a parable about a rich fool. The question in the passage is, are your eyes opened to see your real need? Jesus, actually said yes to his need and no to his request. I see this sometimes in the no's that God has said to me. I say no to your desire to be preeminent over your sisters and brothers and I say no to your glorying in the treasure of children that you have, I say yes to your learning to be a servant and a humble Christian woman, even above your earthly "birthrite". The New Testament is about wrestling our passions from our breasts: "I won't let you go until you bless me". If we walk with a limp, with a quesion of faith "Why didn't you take up my cause, Lord?" If our hearts are pricked toward God, with some sense of question of His ways, it is so that we can learn that His New Testament blessing is that our eyes may see Him and not for our glory, but for His. I would never want to have lost my son, but when God pricks the heart in such a way, He opens the eyes to Himself. I hope that I didn't go away without the blessing or the answer, as did the rich, young ruler. I hope that I saw the eyes that he is opening are the eyes of the spirit.

Enemies of the Healing?

It is shocking to me in John 9, who are the enemies of the healing of the blind man. The religious were the most antagonistic of healing and health. Is that the case? Am I embracing the healing and the renewal of myself and others touched by the Master's hand, or am I the enemy of healing? I, myself would rather be the healed, than to be a religious enemy of healing. It seems to me that if our prayer is, "Lord, that I may receive my sight", then we haven't the time to grill the healed ones. "Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound."
Perhaps, this is the reason for the thorns in the flesh. The dearest and most precious thorns that God says to cut off, as though they were right hand and right arm, are for our closer communion with Christ. As it were giving us, something earthly to resist, until we find our rest in the arms of Him to whom our need will be entirely filled and healed. I would be longing for Christ's communion and greedy for the grace of God to help me to walk in faithfulness.

God's Superfluent Mercies!

Hosea 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.

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For so many years, I grew up hearing the stories of Ma, dragging her two eldest grands to church at 5 am. Daily Mass, and daily dragging out of their beds and the memories of my father were keen on this subject, until he died. He cried and described his feet hitting the ground only occasionally, as Ma and big sister, Lorraine held him, half aloft and half walking to daily mass. I giggled at the thought of this huge and massive man, having been little enough to be drug to church. I see Ephraim in this today. I see Ephraim, the Grandchild of the Lord, except, God has no grand or great grand children. God's compassion and drawing is upon Ephraim, although he is drawn kicking and screaming into conformity. We know that in Christ, we are cleansed and brought into communion through the blood of Jesus. But, as my father drew away from God's face and presence, because of feeling like an orphaned grandchild of God. It is God's Healing Mercy that wakes us and draggs us into desired communion with Him.

The Unbounded Love of God

We saw a bunny outside our back door. The was, certainly, an unusual sight for us. Eldest son, Enoch leaped outside, at his mother’s focus, to bring the bunny a carrot and to try to catch the elusive sight, in our neighborhood, on camera. {How positively, “ghetto” of us, I am sure} Littlest Walker boy bounded after big brother with carrot and bare feet. I am yelling, why no shoes. Father Walker reminds me, they are boys, this is their initiation, if they cut their feet. Oh, I realize that this is feminine of me, to be worried about the skin on their feet when there is footage to run. {Another “Charrette” moment} I must consume myself about other things at such times, I must remember that they are little wanderers and this is their little world. Their earthly dominion, so to speak.

In meditation of the Lord being our shepherd, that the pastor directed us, this interjection of natural revelation afforded me a solemn opportunity to see God’s dealings with me. Sometimes, I can identify with the bunny, far more than a sheep. How often, like that bunny, I hop into God’s presence and then away, before receiving the blessing of God’s provision for me. The thought that he cares enough, as my boys did, to run out of the door, barefooted to get that carrot to me, was endearing to me about my precious Lord. He who cares for the birds and the wildlife and gives provision to them as well as myself, also provides beautiful snapshots of His love in the relationships that we are involved in. Jehovah-Jireh, my provider, I bask in your presence and thank you for the opportunity to enter into your presence before I start my day. Give, I pray yourself in relationship, far more than the carrot, that is in Your hand; Because of the sacrifice of Christ. Amen.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world...

But that the world, through Him, might be saved.

How do I get saved, Lord? is the question. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved... Now that I am saved, when will sanctification hit my tongue. Conviction strikes my language. How can I love God and, still be so swift to use His name in vain? I don't know. It seems that many, who preach so strongly of the importance of the control of the tongue, are preaching from a history of parental controls. We often jump hard on the one whose tongue is given to cursing and struggles at the altar in confession, because of bad habits. I hear people jump on the new creation of God, in men, who have not learned the discipline of self control in the use of their tongues. It is the devil and maybe you are not a Christian if you are still struggling in this area. Many had diligent mothers who washed their mouths out with soap, early and the habit was eradicated. We cannot relate to one whose habit is to use the name of God and other words as a release from the stressers.
I have to say that, I would leave a church, were I a man, if the preacher jumped on that too frequently, without also instructing on the identification of God, in anger and what are the uses, good and evil of anger in our lives. If I preach that a man must control his mouth, that means blessing instead of cursing. That means instructions on the positive side of what we should be saying and doing and being. Not for show, or because people are watching. "I want to look, like a Christian, so I keep my tongue from evil?" That is humanism. "Lord, cleanse my tongue and my life for Your glory." That is Christian. We get it very confused. We use the Word of God as a battering rod against fledgling believers to try to "keep the behavior of the Saints consistent." In this post-Church era, we will be struggling with the behavior consistency, if we are a New Testament Church. There will be some who grew up in Christian homes and know how to behave". That doesn't make them a Christian. And there will be those who love Jesus with all their hearts and carry the tongue of cussing to their graves. God is a deliverer. But, to some this will be a thorn in the flesh.




Ninevites and Sodomites and Gommorrites, rising in the judgements may mean that there will be a post-church era, that allows cultures to rise to unheard of levels of depravity. But, Like a flood, God raises a standard against it. I believe we have seen the salvation of the Ninevites and the Sodomites and were sleeping and condemning while God was moving by His Spirit. May we not miss what God is doing now, for telling God, what we think He should be doing.