Blog Talk Radio

My daughter is one of my Blog fans. She suggested that I start my own radio show on Blog Talk Radio. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ Well that was interesting as I am still learning about internet technology. Also I am learning more about Face Book, Twitter, Blogs, and Social Media in general.

A radio show might be a good idea if I could keep the message around 15 minutes. The trouble is, most of my blogs are short and no longer than 5 minutes.

I was thinking about radio and the dark closet a person might broadcast from. The audience is out there in La-La Land and you are alone with your words.

Another thought came to me about my mother and something she told me when I was a child. I had been caught again because I had shared a secret with my sister who promised not to tell. Ha! Ha! Mother told me that things I did not want to be broadcast upon the house tops should be kept in my closed mouth.

Mother always used the Bible to prove her point so she told me that it says in Luke 12: “For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

Don’t get me wrong because there are times when my foot still goes in my mouth when it should not be there. Words can hurt or heal depending on what you have to say. In the book of Proverbs it says; Death and life are in the power of the tongue and I try to remember that.

So shall I do a talk show? Am I willing to allow my thoughts and words to be broadcast from the housetops?

MAYBE yes!! -- I am still praying about it.

Thank you for allowing me to make a joyful noise today.

Go Figure

Sunday at my church I shared the story about the beans I burned. (My last blog)

I was also thinking about how Jesus told stories. He spoke often in parables. His disciples would sometimes ask him to speak more plainly.

He did speak plainly at times and they usually did not understand plain talk either.

Jesus sometimes would tell a story and say it is likened unto - - - and the people usually could relate.

Other times he would just tell them to "GO FIGURE." To think about it and figure out what he meant.

The bean story is about not judging when you may be guilty of the same or similar thing. It is also about holding your words and not speaking too quickly. It is also about releasing a loved one to fail at times and love them anyway. Just in the same way God loves YOU.

So in case you are wondering about some of my stories - - - May I just say "GO FIGURE!" Thank you for allowing me to share a Joyful Noise with you today.

I Burnt the Beans

My husband asked me to watch the beans and turn them down when they started to boil. I turned them down and set them on 5 and put the lid on.

Then I turned to my computer to do some research. I did not smell the beans burning, but my husband in the other room must have smelled them.

Without a word he removed the pot from the stove. He took the best ones out and set them aside and began to clean the burnt pot. I noticed NOW what had happened and was silent myself.

No harsh words were spoken and I did not defend myself – I was guilty. I usually set the timer so I can check the tea water or other things on the stove – but I had failed.

Isn’t that way with God when we do something that embarrasses us or when we realize we have messed up. The Bible says in Romans 8:1 that if we are walking in Christ Jesus that he does not condemn us. We have that assurance that we are his child and he understands our shortcomings.

Well, my husband was so sweet not to accuse me or say anything and as I thought about it I realized why.

Last time He who had burnt the beans and I did not say anything.

This post is shared at Ann's Food on Friday at:

 http://annkroeker.com/

French Fries and a Coke

I am a part time Mystery Shopper. Recently I did a shop in a close by town that required me to place an order at the drive through. I was to order only a cheese burger. My instructions were to listen for certain words from the order taker. If she said the correct words she would earn nice prizes for all the employees on duty that day. The employee was supposed to say, “Would you like French fries and a Coke with that?” So as I placed my order I listed for the magic words. Would they be the words “Would you like French Fries and a Coke?” Instead I heard the words, “Anything Else? I said No thank you and drove to a parking place.

I went inside and asked for the Manager. I gave the Manager an Oops flyer and told her I had just placed an order at her drive through line. I was sorry to inform her that I was listening for the words “Do you want French Fries and a Coke with that?” but instead I heard the words, “Anything else?” The Manager was very disappointed because she knew the prizes they all missed out on would have been very nice.

Did you know that when our life on earth is done, and we reach Heaven’s gates, the Manager will be listening for the right words? He will ask us if we are qualified to enter heaven. If we say, “I was a good person and did good works.” That would not be the correct words. If we say, “I went to church every Sunday and read my Bible often.” That would not be the right words. If we say, “I gave tithes and offerings regularly.” Again that would not be the correct words.

Hey, girl, tell me the correct words because I do want to get all the nice prizes that are beyond that gate. OK – here they are. These are the words the Manager wants to hear, “I accepted Jesus as my Personal Savior and I believe that he paid the price for me to enter heavens gate and receive my inheritance.”

And the Manager will say, “YES, That is the right words, so my child you may enter into the joys of the Lord.”

Now that was simple wasn’t it?

Thank you for allowing me to make a joyful noise today.

Things Lost and things Found

Did you ever misplace something and could not find it?
Did you ever loose anything?

One Sunday afternoon I received a phone call from a Police officer who asked me if I had lost my check book. At first I thought it might be a scam so I asked him to hold on a minute. I looked in my purse and sure enough my check book was not there. I had stopped at my new bank to use the ATM to make a small deposit and my account number was required. I had taken out my check book to copy the numbers and apparently had left it there when I replaced my ATM card into my purse. I returned to the phone and the officer asked me to come by and get my check book and told me where the station was.

The Bible speaks about lost things; A lost coin and a woman who swept until she found it. The Bible tells of the lost sheep and the shepherd who left 99 others to go after the one that was lost. We were all lost at one time, but the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to hunt us down until we made that decision to follow Christ.

When I was a little girl we had chickens and rabbits. We kept the rabbit cages locked with a key and the key turned up lost. My mother questioned all 3 of us children if we had done something with the key. We all declared we were innocent. She said, I will just pray and ask the Lord where that key is so she did. The next morning she told us that in the night the Lord has instructed her to look in the chicken feed trough. Sure enough there it was. We were so happy to find something that was lost and was now found.

The Bible tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who makes a decision to receive Jesus into his heart. The lost has been found.

So today I rejoice in finding lost things because it certainly is more exciting than loosing them.

P.S. The next day I went to the Police Station and retrieved my check book. I took a loaf of zucchini nut bread and a copy of this message. The police officer asked me if the bread was a reward. I told him no it was for doing such a good job of Police work. I told him that I often share at my Church and this incident had triggered a message. I told him there was a copy in the bread gift bag. He said, “I will be sure to read it.”
Thank you for allowing me to make a Joyful Noise today!

Open your mouth and I will fill it.

Open your mouth and I will fill it!! -- So here goes!

Recently upon an invitation of one of the ladies at church, I attended the week day Bible study at my church. I knew they were beginning in the book of Psalms. One would read the Psalm and then it was open for comments.

On Sunday I asked the Pastor permission to say something about the Tuesday Bible study. He said of course.

I told the people that this study was an opportunity to see what the Bible has to say on a lot of subjects. At present they are studying the Psalms that all point to Jesus.
I commented that the first Psalm says; Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. My comment was that every day we are bombarded with counsel from the ungodly. Such as the TV, the movies, the news, the Professors in the colleges that are molding our teachers on how to influence the minds of our children. The verse continues to say but his delight is in the law of the Lord. We must study the Bible and see what his law tells us to think and do. I continued that when we got to Psalms 9 it says: O Lord, O Lord twice. One of the ladies had a good question as to why was it repeated more than once. I said it was the grammar tense. The first O Lord referred to God and the next one was deeper. It referred to his majesty, his holiness his kingship. Then I sang the first line of O Lord O Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth. David was a singer and he repeated phrases more than once and the meaning might change in the original language.

Then I said, I was reminded of what Jesus said to Peter. He asked Peter a question 3 times, “Do you love me?” Again the tense and all the meaning is lost in the English translation. Each time the meaning of the word Love was deeper and more profound. The first question Do you Love me; was like when you love ice cream and cake or love fried chicken. The next Do you Love me was deeper; like when you love a dear friend or your family that you can hold close to your heart. The third Do you Love me was deeper yet. It meant commitment. Can you commit to my will for your life. Can you follow me and even lay down your life for me. Can you trust me when times are troubled? So, when you attend the Bible Study you may learn more than is right there. The Holy Spirit will teach you truth as you let him.
I sat down. When the music director played for the offering he played the song Majesty.
When church was over, several ladies came up to me and told me how touched they were by my words.

When I got home that Sunday afternoon, I told Bob what I had said and done. He said, Hazel you had better watch it or they will kick you out of their church. I laughed and said; only God knows.

That week I received a phone call from another lady who said she agreed with what I had said. Then she told me that in the Sunday night service (which is sort of a discussion) and very unstructured – they talked a lot about Jesus and his questions to Peter.

Thank you for allowing me to make a joyful noise today.

Things Forgotten and Things Remembered

Old Fashioned but GOOD
courtesy photobucket.

This post is linked to Peter Pollocks One Word Carnival

The word is; OLD


Older people tend to forget things as they age, but it is NOT just the old who have a problem with remembering.

Have you ever gone into a room and said to yourself, “I came in here for something but I just can’t remember what it was?” You probably went back to the room where you first were and all of a sudden; NOW you remember what it was you forgot.

The Bible speaks of things forgotten. “Forget not all his benefits.”
God Forgets your forgiven sins and he Remembers them no more.

The Bible also speaks of things to remember. Remember his commandments. Jesus instructed us to take the communion and as often as we do this to Remember his death, burial and resurrection.

A funny thing happened to me recently. I daily read a devotional called “The Upper Room.” I had read all the month of November and was almost through with December. I noted that the message for that particular day seemed familiar. It was about a lady who practiced tithing and when she married she stopped. She noted that when she was tithing, she seemed to be blessed, so she spoke to her husband and they agreed to tithe together.

Then I looked at the date of the reading again, this time much closer. I had been reading an old magazine for last year. This was the only story I remembered reading prior. I must have taken my new copy and placed it on a table at church and it never got home with me. Because I keep all my back issues, this was a simple error.

In the New Year it is traditional for some to make New Year’s resolutions. If you are not already doing so, it would bless you if you began to set aside 10% which is a tithe and contribute it to your place of worship. If you trusted me and I promised to make sure your 90% went further and you would receive other blessings, you might believe me.

In the Bible it is repeated more than once that those who give unto the Lord will have blessings poured out upon them. So if you trust me – then we should more strongly trust God’s word and put him to the test. He tells us to Prove him with a test. Mal 3:10

When I was a little girl my mother taught me to give 10% of my income to the church. At first it was a small amount. Later I made my first missionary pledge of 50 cents to missions. For me that was a large amount because I did not receive an allowance. I had to earn my money. Through the years, tithing and giving has been a blessing to our family. I do hope you will consider making this a New Year’s Resolution to continue to tithe or begin to tithe and that you will be able to Remember all his benefits to YOU.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over, they shall give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you measure, it shall be measured to you again.

Return to the old path for it will surely lead you to home.

 

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

Have you ever seen a child (or wife) put their hands to their ears and cry out La La La La La La La? They just did not want to hear what was being told to them. The words were probably good words and worth hearing. In the case of children it was probably something they needed to hear. In the case of wives – it is often good to listen to a husband’s wisdom.

Have you ever said La La La to God when he is speaking to you. It may be through the Bible and definitely worth listening to. OR it may be the preacher at church who is giving out a good message. OR it could be a friend just sharing; what ever the case – next time you are tempted to put your hands over your ears and say La La La, it might be better to listen to what is being said. It could be just the thing you need to hear.

Thanks for allowing me to share a joyful noise with you today.

Mystery Worshippers

Mystery Worshippers

Last year I began to attend a Congregational Church. It fit my schedule and I wanted a change from previous worship services. The meeting was just over one hour long and a fellowship hour was offered afterwards. Several members welcomed me heartily and I enjoyed the service very much. It was quite different than what I was used to and I did not know all the songs, but the words were nice. I stayed for the fellowship time. The Pastor came to my table and asked me some questions one was if I was still working. I told him I am retired but I do Mystery Shopping as a part time venture. I go to stores restaurants and businesses and report back if they smiled, greeted me and how I was treated. I told him I am here today to Mystery Shop your church. I was kidding and laughed. I told him his church got a good report. I did not think there was any such thing as a church mystery shop.

The other day I was surfing the web and came across several real Church Mystery shop companies. One is a retired minister who will travel and for expenses and $1500 will report his findings.

Churches can now see how they look through the eyes of a newcomer with Church Check, a new mystery visitor service being launched by Christian Research in England. http://www.retail-maxim.co.uk/churchcheck/ Amazing enough there are others Church Mystery shop companies as well.

I think it would be fun to research other churches and get paid for it. However I do not think there is much demand for mystery worshippers at this time.

Thank you for allowing me to make a joyful noise today.
Hazel

New Pups and Top Dogs

New Pups and Top Dogs

I noticed our neighbors new 6 month old German Shepard puppy was limping He seemed to be accepted by the two older dogs as they ran the yard. Our neighbor told me the pup would get in the box with the other dogs and cuddle. In the night our neighbor would hear a yelp and the next day it was the pups other leg that was limping.

Did you even feel like you were the new pup at work? New jobs often create jealousy if you do your job faster or better than the ones who have been there awhile.

Or did you ever feel like the new pup at your church? Were you being accepted as long as you sat down – shut up and put your money in the offering?

Give it more time and keep your humor. The older dogs will soon realize you are not one to bully and you should just keep smiling and praising the Lord. Of all things do not stoop to snippiness or treat the other dogs with bites back. (back biting.)
Thanks for allowing me to make a joyful noise! Hazel

Researching ministries of worthy causes

Researching ministries of worthy causes ---

Mat 10:11-12 And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who within it is worthy. And there abide until you go away from there. And when you come into a house, greet it.

Mat 10:13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

Mat 10:14 And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, Shake off the dust of your feet.

How to determine if a ministry is worthy of your contributions.

What is the lifestyle of the leaders?

Do they live extravagant lives?

Do they live in an extravagant home a home better than most?

Are they committed to their family and spouse and live holy lives?

Is their main topic giving to ME (their ministry)?

Is most of your contribution going to spread the Gospel of Jesus
With a small percentage for running expenses?

Important -- is there Strife and division among the leaders and those working with them.

Editorial: I received information that there was strife in the ministry "Feed the Children." It was one of my pet ministries. I stopped my bill pay immediately.

Thank you for allowing me to make a Joyful Noise! Hazel