Walking the High Wire

The High Wire
courtesy photobucket.com

 

The circus was in town, and my dad took us three kids to see all the exciting action.  The clowns were hilarious and the trained animals so tremendous; but it was the trapeze artists and the tight rope walkers with their breathtaking and daring feats that caused my sister and me to want to be like them.

At times in life, we seem to be walking a tight rope with a thick dark mist hiding the net below and we wonder if there really is a safety net, because we can't see it.

I am amazed that the disciples of Jesus did not believe He had risen from the dead until He actually visibly appeared to them.  “Touch and handle me,” He told them.  They still wondered - - their doubt was larger than their belief.

Jesus even ate bread and fish before them.  Finally they believed and knew it was true, He was alive and risen from the dead.. 

This Jesus was real and true enough to cause them to preach even after they received beatings and warnings of death.  This revelation was true enough to even die for; as many of them did.

 
Even today many are willing to Live or if needs be to die for their faith because; Jesus has REVEALED himself to them. 

When a person (or even a child) invites Jesus to live in their heart - - something happens to burst that bubble of doubt.  

 

The word of God mixed with the Holy Spirit causes an experience that cleanses and purifies the old nature and creates a brand new person.

Oh one day we shall see Jesus with our new eyes.  But for now, like Paul we pray, open my eyes of understanding that I might fully KNOW YOU my God and my Savior.

 

Sharing with Rosilind in Croatia,
at Wednesday R & R

Also Shared with Liz and Gail at T.G.I.F.

Chasing the Tornado

Chasing the Wind
courtesy photobucket.com

 

Have you even watched amazed as a dog will chase his own tail? 

It reminded me of a stair stepper, getting our exercise but never actually going anywhere. 

Wind is different; it does travel and often has some exciting consequences.

Many years ago, we lived in Oklahoma two different times, and often there were tornado warnings.  We were careful to heed the warnings but there were many foolish persons who would chase the Tornado in their cars as they tried to take pictures. 

Most were thrill seekers, and a few were seriously hurt with their foolishness.

Our neighbor told us that just prior to our first move to Oklahoma; a twister had traveled across our back yard, and took down a tree house that the former occupants had built for his children.  The tornado continued down the street removing the roof from one of the homes close by.

As soon as we were settled, we decided to make Sheridan Assembly in Tulsa, our church home.  One Wednesday evening, several members were giving testimonies about the recent tornado.

At that meeting, I remember one lady saying, “It looked like that tornado was heading for our place, so I went out in my yard and shouted to it, ‘Stop and do not come nigh my dwelling,’ and it lifted and went in the other direction.” 

A gentleman spoke up and said, “If Jesus could speak to a fig tree to dry up, then might we also speak to a tornado that is approaching us and tell it to dry up?” 

Jesus did say that we could speak to our mountain and tell it to be cast it into the sea, and perhaps our mountain could be a tornado or anything else that is bothering us.

Some would think this is too weird or strange to act like this, but Jesus did many out of the ordinary things that puzzled others.

Might we not be guilty of chasing the wind and getting no where, but maybe we should learn to shout and speak with a voice of authority to our wind.

Have you been chasing the wind?  Perhaps it is time to speak to it instead.

This post is shared at: Tell Me a Story

The Wise and the Foolish

Sand Castles Don't Last
courtesy photobucket.com

I was gleaning from Pastor Jerry’s Sunday Sermon as he read from Matthew 7:21-28, regarding the parable of the Foolish and the Wise builders.

Jesus had been holding a seminar that no doubt lasted more than one or two days. 

It was his sermon on the mount, where he addressed many problems of the day, such as anger, murder, judging, greed, unforgiveness, adultery, worry, and sharing with the needy,

Jesus concluded his teachings with the parable of two builders, one foolish man who took the easy method to build his house on the sand, and the wise man who built his house on the solid rock.

Pastor was reminded of the song we may have all sung as children, with motions for the storm, wind and rain, and portraying these two builders. We sang: “And the house on the rock stood firm.”  And with glee we all shouted, “And the house on the sand went SMASH.”

The warning Jesus gave was to not just listen to good teaching, but to allow it to enter into our spirit and then to put it into action.  Not to just be a hearer of the Word, but to be a Doer.

Pastor admitted that there have been times in his life when he was wise, and other times when he was foolish; perhaps a balance of the two.  Maybe we all have been guilty of the same thing.

Jesus grew up in the home of a carpenter and he was aware of what went into building a solid good house.  There was not to be any slip shod easy way to build a sturdy house. 

The same wise planning goes with a spiritual life.  We need to prepare a good strong foundation with the Scriptures, and a spiritual experience of settling in our heart who we will serve.

Is there a safe place to build?  Some people like to build a house with a view, perhaps on a cliff, or on the beach, or even in the path of a tornado.  This is the easy way to satisfy the flesh but not the wisest of choices.

Viewing movie stars, professional persons, sports figures, who have used steroids, and drugs to excel in their careers, we see many have ended up with a collapsed house.

We have a choice, Rock or Sand - - Life or Death, Wise or Foolish, Smart or Dumb?

Jesus did not say we would never be tempted, tested, or experience trials including disease, but he did say “You will not be overcome.”

May we follow the words of Jesus and be wise to hear his Words, and then Act on them.

This is the path to True Wisdom.

This post is shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

 

Second Thoughts

 

Second Thoughts
courtesy photobucket.com

It had been two months since my husband’s initial examination by the Oral Surgeon, and we were still waiting for a phone call to schedule an appointment for the surgery.

Our town is growing, but there are some things we still lack, so the specialist in Chico has set up a second office here, and he comes once a week to service local clients. 

There was one important event that we did not know and were soon to discover.

We had been busy with other things, and finally my stressed out husband decided something was wrong.  Why were they waiting so long to contact us?

Husband sent me to his regular dentist to ask some questions.  The nice receptionist made a phone call to the specialist and he indicated that the HMO reports were late and to blame for the delay. 

To make a long story short, we received a phone call to come in early the next morning for surgery.

Now we were having second thoughts, “Is there an option?”  But there seemed not to be one.

 

Leaving in plenty of time to arrive for the appointment, we discovered a long line of cars and signs of road work ahead.  Nothing was moving and my phone had no service with mountains on each side of us.

Soon traffic came in the opposite direction with a pickup truck as the leader.  Our lane did not move.  “Oh NO we will be late,” we figured.

Not long after, our lane moved a bit, and we were on our way to the dental office where we remembered it to be.

Would you believe it - - the door was locked and there seemed to not be anyone there.

My husband decided we must have turned into the wrong complex, so off we went in search of the dental office.  At each turn we realized this was not it.

I tried to make a telephone call, but it was a wrong number!

So back we went to the first building, and asked an adjoining business where our Surgeon was. 

 

Quickly directions were given to a new office, where the firm had moved during the two months delay in scheduling us.  

“There it is,” said my husband as he quickly stepped out of our van and almost ran to the door.  He entered and allowed the door to shut behind him. 

Here I came following at a fast clip.

Too fast it turned out, and I missed the step to the porch  and fell flat on my face hitting my head, scratching my glasses, and also hurting my knee. 

Hearing the thud, my husband opened the office door and came back for me.  Also the nurse rushed out with paper towels to wipe the blood from the bridge of my nose and side of my face. 

My thoughts were, "Three Times today a delay, and the third time is the charm." 

 

I was ready to collect my husband and take him home all intact. 

We were both having second thoughts about this surgery!

The nurse gave me an ice pack and some water, and talked with us to calm us down. 

Finally they took us in to see the Doctor and more talk.  My husband felt committed.

The end result was the surgery went as scheduled, and was a good job, and my husband seems to be recovering well.    * * * Oh yes, and I am recovering well too! :-)

There are times in life when it is wise to have second thoughts about your plans. 

Have you really prayed regarding what you are about to do?

Take a good look, especially if things seem to go wrong at each turn along the way.  

Once or twice is a warning, but when the third upset happens, it might be smart to have second thoughts, and to earnestly pray about making new decisions.   

Looking back at our life, there are several things that I wish we had taken some second thoughts!  

However - - “I have NO Regrets,” is a good thing to learn to say! 

This post is linked with Laura’s Faith Filled Friday

Also Shared with Liz and Gail at T.G.I.F.

 

Are you Shy?

Embarrassed
courtesy photobucket.com

 

As a young child in school, my face would turn beet red when ever I was called on by the teacher. 

I respected adult leadership almost to the point of being afraid to speak out.

My shyness extended into High School, and I wanted an A in Geometry, but my teacher informed the class that she only gave A's to those who would raise their hands and explain the answer to the problem we had that day. 

I did my best, but in her opinion it was not good enough, and she gave me a B+ on my report card. 

The next day, I called my teacher to my desk and quietly but outright told her that I deserved an A and she was in error to give me less.  For “shy me” that was risky business.

As far as I knew, no one else complained, but my words flustered her a bit.  She told me to speak up more which I did, and at the end of the semester she relented and gave me an A as my final grade.

I have outgrown my shyness, and with God’s help I am no longer afraid to speak out,

Usually I have found it best to delay and not to speak in haste or in anger.  Often I wait until God says, NOW, usually the next day.  While waiting I ask our Lord, what exactly should I say?

The Holy Spirit begins to formulate a plan of words and when I follow the script that He gives to me, and there is no offence.

One Sunday a month I share one of my stories with a message at my church, and I aim to express them as I am led.   Last Sunday, my story may have been considered unusual to some, but as I finished all I could see were smiles.

My hope is that the needed words are heard and received in their spirit.

If you are shy, just ask God, “What do I say next?” 

 

He will give you "His words" to say.

 

This post has been shared With Ramona at: Create With Joy

Also linked with Nantawa Bennett at Happy Friday

 

And with Liz and Gail at T.G.I.F.

Tips for your E-Book



Courtesy Free Clip Art
 

For the life of me, I could not figure out what the publisher wanted. 

Another thing was the cover, and I had no idea how to do that.  I needed help.

 

I did learn one thing; I was using "enter, enter, enter" at the end of each chapter. 

Instead I should have used a Page Break. 

You probably already know this, but here is how - -

To insert a manual Page Break

1.     Click where you want to start a new page.

2.     On the Insert menu, click Break.

3.     Click Page break.
 

My husband Robert has been writing continued Fiction stories for the past several months. One of his first stories was “Darrel’s Woes” a short story of a shy young teen who just didn’t seem to fit in with his peers. 

In my research for “How to publish an E-book,” I downloaded a free “Secrets to Publish your E-Book” by Mark Coker.  CLICK HERE to visit Mark’s blog and down load his free book. 

 

Mark offered another free book “How to format your book.”  Still I was at a loss!

Mark and his wife began Smashwords a free e-book publishing company. They also give you a free ISBN number.  They request your manuscript to be set in Microsoft WORD, using their special format.

I must admit I couldn’t make heads or tails about the instructions.  Smashwords suggested a list of writers who for a small fee would format for you.  Most of the writers seemed too expensive for my budget.

Here is what I finally resorted to. 

I discovered a wonderful site, FIVERR  - - five dollars for each request.

I contacted a nice lady http://fiverr.com/pro_ebookcovers  on FIVERR who created a lovely cover for me.  

Then I contacted a gentleman http://fiverr.com/untagged  also on FIVERR who formatted Robert’s book.  At first my manuscript was not accepted, so "Mr Untagged," redid it and it worked.  It was excellent service there from both.  Total cost $15 for the help.

If you are curious and would like to view Robert’s book.

Darrel’s Woe’s,” CLICK HERE  It is free if you use the code PM64R

If you're redeeming a free coupon for a book, you'll enter the coupon code on the very first page you see after you click the shopping cart.

For free books, there's no need to enter your credit card information!
Smashwords will ask you to join their site FREE and create a password..

Happy E-book publishing!!

 

Blowing in the Wind

Blowing in the Wind
courtesy photobucket.com

Gleaning today on “Trinity Sunday,” from Pastor Jerry’s sermon as he read from John 16:22-31 and Romans 5:5 

To many of us the Trinity is a mystery and difficult to understand.  Yes God is indescribable.  Pastor asked, “How would you explain the Trinity to a new Christian?”

Jesus promised that he would send the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth and He would reveal truth and guide you.  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and our revealer.

Some truth is simple and easy to understand, such as “Do not steal.”  Although we realize the meaning, we may not always adhere to it.

It is interesting that the word,”Trinity” is not in the Bible, however it is alluded to in many portions of the Bible:  In Genesis, God in three persons was active in creating the world.  

John 1:1-3  In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus spoke about his Father God.   On another occasion, He asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” and then He asked, “And who do YOU say that I am?”  Peter replied, you are the Christ the Logos. 

 

When Jesus was to leave, He promised that He would send another Comforter; The Holy Spirit shall be with you and IN you.

Pastor related a story that St. Augustine was walking on the beach contemplating the mystery of the Trinity. Then he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again and bringing some water to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” “That is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit in the hole you have made” said St. Augustine. The boy replied, “And you cannot fit the Trinity in your tiny little brain.” The story concludes by saying that the boy vanished because St. Augustine had been speaking with an angel.

We have a daily walk with God, not just on Sunday, or when we pray at meal time. 

Through the years, life has changed.  It was not long ago, that stores and games were closed on Sunday.  Today Sunday is the big day for games, races, and sales.

How does the Holy Spirit comfort us when tragedy strikes, such as tornados, floods, death, accidents, disease, and violation of our privacy and homes?

We can only trust our “God in three persons” to bring us His peace even in the turmoil and to reassure us with His constant abiding presence.

* * * * *

 

This post is shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

Also Linked with Michelle’s Hear it on Sunday Use it on Monday

Care Packages

Care Package
courtesy photobucket.com

 

Years ago, our church gave partial monthly support to a missionary, who was serving in Korea. 

About that time there was made available to the American public, “Care Packages” with assorted food items that could be donated, and sent overseas. 

The packages were made up of selected military surplus food from our country to those in other lands.  After World War II many were starving in Europe and this was a cooperative effort to meet a need.

You could choose the address for the box to be sent, so our church women’s ministry group had a good idea.

To me the $10 donation seemed to be an excellent price for food and shipping, plus it would bless our missionary.  Thinking along these lines, I ordered a gift parcel, and paid the amount required and placed her address on the order. 

Next I wrote an airmail-letter to our missionary to alert her to expect the gift. 

At that time a quick way to communicate over-seas was by e-letter.  It was a blue one piece of paper that included postage, and when your letter was written, you folded it, sealed and mailed it.

Several weeks later, we received a thank you from our missionary and an explanation. 

Apparently for personal reasons, she felt guilty in accepting the food package for herself.  Perhaps she felt unworthy, and thought the food should go to someone who was more in need than herself.

She told us of a Korean Pastor with a large family who were suffering lack, and she had been able to bless this family with the parcel.

Perhaps this was God’s way to supply a need for the native pastor’s family, and we did not question her motive, although at first we did not understand. 

After giving it much thought we realized this was the best way to go. 

 

Also it allowed our missionary the opportunity to share with another minister, which she might not have done except for our care package. 

God works in mysterious ways.

 

This post is linked with Jennifer Dukes Lee at: Tell His Story

Do dash over to Jennifer's site and read her tornado story.
 

Also Sharing with Rosilind in Croatia, at Wednesday R & R

Click HERE to enjoy more uplifting Blogs via the T.G.I.F Link up Party at Bible Love Notes 

 

Milestones (repost) Another Birthday

 

image courtesy photobucket.com

We check the milestones usually at each decade; some are more difficult to embrace than others.

At ten years old we believe we are big stuff! We have the world by its tail!

Twenty takes us out of the teen age years. Time for serious thought.

Thirty is usually a tough and thorny mile stone and often a depressing Birthday to celebrate! We are expected to act more matured now!!

At age forty we can be 39 for the next ten years!

Fifty is the time AARP invites us to become a “Senior Citizen,” and often there are discounts allowed for certain pleasures.

Sixty is the time we approach retirement and (hopefully) expect to slow down a bit. 

However, I sought a new career at age 60 and embarked back into the world of business to work another 12 years.

Seventy is very close to the allotted time that God says he has given to us for our days.

Eighty is a rather large number. However in my spirit I am still young although my body does not always agree.

May is the month I celebrate my birthday, I am resting smack dab in the middle of the milestone of Eighty years young. I have joked that possibly at this age, I may be officially considered an old lady. ”NO," said one of my friends at church, "82 is still young."

The Bible tells us that as our days, so shall our strength be, and I am claiming that scripture for myself.

Long life to you all, and may you enjoy good health, happiness and the treasures of many friends and loved ones all of your Birthday celebrations.


 

Winds of Change

Wind of the Holy Spirit
courtesy photobucket.com

Gleaning from Pastor Jerry’s sermon, on Pentecost Sunday.  He was reading from Acts 2:1-21 about the account of those congregated in the Upper Room, as they were obeying the words of Jesus to seek for the Holy Spirit.  

The setting was the festival of harvest and people from many nations were present in the city.

Actually the followers of Jesus did not know what to expect, and were somewhat surprised when a strong wind blew over their midst, and tongues of fire set upon each of them. 

They began to loudly speak in foreign languages about the wonderful works of Jesus and were praising God. 

 

Others down in the street could hear them, and many were puzzled, and some mocked and made fun. 

The amazing thing was that these unlearned men were speaking in languages unknown to them, but understood by the foreigners present.  “What meanest this,” is all they could say. 

* Even today in our society, many avoid spiritual phenomena’s and are afraid to seek the Holy Spirit.  Instead they wonder why their church is dry without life and substance.  They have forgotten that it is the Holy Spirit that gives life. 

 

* Yet all over the world in groups and on individuals, the Holy Spirit is falling anew and afresh upon earnest seekers!

Peter began to explain that this event was prophesied in the Old Testament, and the promise of the Holy Spirit was available to them on that day. 

 

The promise would extend unto their children and their children’s children. “Your sons and daughters will see visions and prophesy,” proclaimed Peter. 

 

Five Thousand were added to the church on that day.

Pastor Jerry likened a church confirmation prior to membership to this event that birthed the Christian Church. 

 

This was a confirmation of another comforter promised by Jesus who would guide them and be in them as well as with them.

Pastor mentioned that we cannot duplicate the exact happening on the day of Pentecost, which is probably truer than it should be. 

 

* But as I thought about Pastors remark, I realized that each and every one of us – today - - can and should have our own personal Pentecost.

Finding a place to seek God, and invite his Holy Spirit to baptize you with an anointing for service.  When the fire falls, allow it to burn out the dross, when the wind blows, allow it to sift the chaff.  When your tongue desires to praise God with another language, allow the Holy Spirit to praise God through you.

Perhaps it is time to raise our sails and to move with the Wind of the Spirit.

* Words in red are mine

This post is shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays