SelahV Today by hariette petersen

Busy, Busy, Busy

That's me at the moment.  Hope you'll stop back later for a fresh post with what's been rolling through my mind of late.  Until, then....peruse the new look of my blog and see the various icons I've added to my other blogsites.  see ya...later today.

I hope.  selahV

Snippets, Snaps, and Saturday

Saturdays are great.  Hubby is home and we eat breakfast TOGETHER!!  Woo-hoo!  I think I'll make Chocolate Gravy and biscuits.  Mmmmm, Mmmmn, Good!

Sometimes, when I feel up to it, we go somewhere like Lowe's, or Wal-Mart.  I use to love to go junkin'.  No more.  Got enough junk.  And walking isn't worth the pain.  However, if it ever cools down in Oklahoma, I plan to take a walk every day and take photos as I go.

For the "Snippets and Snaps" in my post title, I invite you click on my little collection of thumbnail photos (below), and read the little snippets I write beneath each snapshot.  Click on the photo and it will enlarge for you.  I'm by no means a professional, or as good a photographer as my granddaughter, Bethany.  However, I do have a discerning eye for visualizing the extraordinary in an ordinary moment.

So, grab a cup of java and go visit SelahV's Pics and see if you agree.  After all, it's Saturday.  If my hammock looked like this, I might be tempted to take an afternoon nap. 

At The Risk of Annoying R.C. SPROUL FANS

...I find some of what he says worth repeating.

In his book, Pleasing God, Sproul bases some thoughts on Romans 12:2:

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

He writes:  "I learned very early not to trust the cheers of the crowd.  But I never learned to disdain them.  They remain a seductive force in my life.  I still struggle to please men.  I still struggle with the mystique of popularity.  I still hate to be booed.

To be 'conformed' to this world is to be with (Latin con) the forms or structures of this world.  It means doing the popular thing.  The conflict is this:  What is popular with men is not always popular with God.  To be pleasing to God is not always to be pleasing to men.  Sometimes we must choose whom we will please.  That is a daily struggle in the Christian life." (page 61)

Peer pressure can invade the minds of preachers as well as pew-sitters.  No one is exempt from temptation to seek the praise of man.  We seek approval and get all flustered, anxious, and impatient with ourselves when we are not complimented, praised, and validated.  We can get so caught up in what others think of us, that we get depressed when we don't receive positive feedback, are criticized or rejected.  On the otherhand, we can get all puffed up and filled with pride when we receive accolades and roses.

Friends, either reaction is of the flesh.  Our flesh, which was crucified with Christ on the cross, can lead us into unrighteousness, evil, unholiness, and sin.  Our desire to be liked by man should never supercede our desire to love God, to obey God, to grow in the image of His Son.  As Sproul says, "Sometimes we must choose whom we will please.  That is a daily struggle in the Christian life."

I contend that

What MORE Do We Need

...if we are Christians?

Sometimes I get these spur of the moment ideas to do something good or kind for someone. It's like an urge, or a seed of an idea. It may be to send a card, to call, to email, to write a real letter and send it by snail mail. It may be to take a little gift or bake some cookies. I cannot say this kind thought comes to me because I'm a kind person. I wish I could, but if that were true, I'd probably be a bit more motivated to follow through on the idea--not so stingy with my time and energy. Often, my thoughts don't always make it out the front door...or even from the tips of my fingers. I tend to procrastinate. Many times, I regret it at the end of a day--or weeks later, when I discover how it may have helped someone at a particularly difficult time in their lives of which I was unaware at the time of my neglect.

According to Galatians 5, the Holy Spirit gives us His fruit which is a fruit-cocktail concoction of goodness, mercy, kindness, love, and more. Since scripture also says no man is good, and every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father, I can only assume when I get an idea to do something kind for another, that it is God telling me to do so. My righteousness is as filthy rags. I am but clay-- a vessel to be left in His hands, to do with as He wants...and all too often I rebel over the simplest of things, and flinch at the gentle touch of His fingers. When I hop out of His hands to follow my own desires, I tend to get in trouble.  You see...

That flesh part of me that seeks to gratify itself with manufactured acts of love and kindness, is the self-centered part of me; it's not of God. A selfish motive quickly and easily spends itself, only to receive a mind, body and heart filled with weariness and fleeting gratification.  When I do things expecting elation and gratitude, I can come away from a deed with a very empty feeling. The Lord allows us to feel good if we want, to pat ourselves on the back.  But if we receive our reward from man, it is short-lived.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

Sometimes I wonder why we have this never-ending unsatiated desire for approval-- to feel good. God knows we are like this, though. He knows we will succumb to our own selfish desire to constantly seek validation for what we do. That's why He tells us, "... let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

In due season. Patience.

Unconditional love does not seek reward. Love is its own reward. Sincere kindness can't be mean. Genuine goodness can't be bad. Godly patience is not easily irritated because others are ungrateful. Attributes within a Christian's life is fruit the Spirit manifests. God is so generous with His grace.

Am I?

Not a day goes by, the Lord does not speak and give me a seed of an idea to act upon --not for my glory-- but His. No telling how many blessings I've missed giving others because I failed to follow through on His Spirit's nudge--for His kingdom's sake. I pray that you are not like me and do not procrastinate. After all, we already have the joy of the Lord in our hearts, what more do we need?

So...what's God up to in your life? What's He placing on your heart to do, to say? selahV

For more thoughts on:

Motivation. OR... FOUR POUNDS OF OOEY, GOOEY GOODNESS, by Karen Pollock

 

It's So Hot...

...I've almost forgotten what cold is. 

However... looking back on Winter's bounty a couple of years ago, creates a longing I did not think I'd crave in the midst of summer fun and frolic.

Extreme heat in months, and no rain to quench the ground for even more months, is causing more than discomfort in Oklahoma.  Foundations are beginning to drop and walls are beginning to crack.  I can stick my index finger in one of our cracks.  If we don't get rain posthaste, our bedroom ceiling may greet the carpet soon.

"Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field." Zechariah 10:1

Friends, we folks here in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana could use your prayers for our lands.  Beef are having to be sold because there is no grazing land.  Cotton crops and corn and wheat...near non-existent.  Pray the Lord sends his clouds and gives us showers of rain.  Thanks.  selahV

Update on My Brother

Got a phone call tonite from his daughter, Jenn.  She told me he's been in the hospital for a week. Barb, his wife, tried to get hold of him from work last week and couldn't, so she went home and found him on the floor and called the ambulance to come get him.  His breathing was really bad and he was incoherent.  He couldn't even say his name to the doctors.  His oxygen level was extremely low and so was his blood pressure.  They found out he had pneumonia, put him in ICU and got that cleared up, then found out he had blood clots and sent him down to the Pulmonary section of the hospital.

Today they discovered he was bleeding in his stomach, and had to put a filter of some kind in his stomach because they don't want those blood clots to go to his heart.  He's in pretty bad shape. They think if they can get his blood pressure up then they will send him to an assisted care place for 3 weeks or more to try and get him built up. He's really really weak...not eating.  He hasn't been able to get up and walk much because of all the machines he's hooked up to and the medicines he's on.

On the up side, the day this all happened he got a report on his cat-scan from his cancer doctor that said his lungs were clean as far as cancer was concerned.  Praying he gets stronger and can eat.  No appetite goes along with all this stuff he is going through.  I know if he were to talk to me he would say he is so very grateful for everyone who is helping him and that he is trusting the Lord in it all.

Pray for his wife and daughter who both work.  His daughter commutes from Connecticut to New York City every day.  They are wore out.  Thanks so much.

THORNS of Remembrance

I'm rather nostalgic at the moment as I begin to downsize six decades of accumulated junk and whittle away at what is worth hanging onto.  I find that I can be happy to live with much less today than I thought necessary yesterday. It is a good place to be.  Of course when I set aside the items to sell in a yardsale or estate sale (not sure which I will do yet), memories flood my mind.  I'm guessing that is why I've kept so many silly things.  As time goes by, we tend to forget the sweeter times that made us giggle, laugh out loud, or smile.  I think taking photos of some things may very well be the answer for me as I price a twenty-dollar item for five dollars and then take two or one when offered.  That way, I'll still have the item to jog my memory but not shelves upon shelves, and boxes upon boxes to sit wrapped up in some storage spot.

I've had a lot in life. Many blessings. Many heartaches. But through it all, I've come to a place wherein I am content to "go with the flow" and rest in God's grace. He is enough.

At the end of each day I am satisfied to know I have the love of God, the love of family, the love of friends. The rest is what allows me to live to give and honor God and show my love to others for the remainder of my time in this world.

Otis Redding's hit song, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" in which he was sitting on a dock, watching tides roll in and out--"wasting time", brought back memories when a Facebook friend posted it on her status yesterday. It called back calming memories of a Rhode Island beach I once enjoyed visiting.  Yet, today, his words make me think how much time we waste doing nothing but watching life pass us by when there is so much more to life than wasting it.

Life is so very short on this earth. God has blessed us with life and it is too precious to waste watching others live it. I still want to jump in with both feet, marvel at the intricate shells, and feel ocean waves steal the sand beneath me.  As my son use to say, "Count every moment and make every moment count."

Praying you have a bunch of moments today to capture snapshots of joy and goodness.  I pray as you read this, you find yourself ready to gather a few rose buds and breathe in their sweet fragrance as they open in all their fullness.  Just remember the thorns as simply part of the sacrifice to own Life's true Spirit and Glory.

"He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." 1 John 2:2

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For another thought on letting go and holding on:  Clinging...may interest you.

Searching For CONFIDENCE

 Where Is YOUR Confidence?
In your power, influence, possessions?

Where does it lie?

Can you trust yourself and all you have and all you know

to walk with you through deep waters?

"The LORD will perfect that which concerns you."

Psalm 138:7

Walking By The Spirit

I don't know about you, but sometimes I stumble when I walk.  It's like I forget to watch where I am going and before I know it, something pops up in my pathway--a root, a loose stone--and I'm caught off balance.  I don't always fall, but sometimes I turn my ankle, or twist a knee.  The worst is when I try too hard to catch myself from falling, and pull a muscle in my back. 

Rarely do I fall anymore (I shouldn't type that too boldly, I suppose.)  However...

today I must confess, I stumbled.  I got distracted.  My attention rested on what I considered a higher road.  Instead of tripping over an actual stone, on a physical pathway, I tripped over a root along my spiritual walkway.  Just like an actual root, I allowed a past experience to knock me off balance and send my mind and heart sprawling for a supporting hand.  It took me awhile to realize the annoyance I felt was not the root's fault, but mine, for not keeping my eyes on the Spirit of God within me.  A foolish blunder.  I took my eyes off Jesus just long enough to fall prey to my own self-sufficiency and pride.  Insecurity, perhaps.  More than likely, a reaction to a long forgotten playground bully...a judgmental acquaintance...the step-mother and her constant critical spirit so easily discerned in others in my Christian walk. 

Ah...the walk.  That spiritual walk in which we often let the flesh impede the progress our spirit is making along our journey with the Lord.  Sometimes I backtrack to analyze where and when I blinked and took a misstep.  To return to my original pace, I simply have to close my eyes and pray for better understanding, a more merciful heart, and yes...a higher form of vigilance.  It's then the LORD enlightens the path before me-- exposing the root I ignored so often while walking a familiar trail.  The unexpected.  The surprise.  The forgotten.  The flesh.

Once I see the error of careless self-absorbtion, and my unnecessary tendency to  set a record straight, to take a stand I do not need to take, I find my faithful, merciful Father standing... His right hand extended with palm-filled grace.  And my walk begins afresh.  selahV

A Hmmmmn Moment with Charles Spurgeon

Can we handle the Truth?  Sometimes.  Sometimes not.

"I think that if we kept more simply to the teachings of the Bible, we should be wiser than we are; for by turning from the heavenly light of revelation, and trusting to the deceitful will-o'-the-wisps of our own imagination, we thrust ourselves into quags and bogs where there is no sure footing, and we begin to sink; and instead of making progress, we find ourselves sticking fast. The truth is, neither you nor I have any right to want to know more about predestination than what God tells us. That is enough for us. If it were worth while for us to know more, God would have revealed more. What God has told us, we are to believe, but to the knowledge thus gained, we are too apt to add our own vague notions, and then we are sure to go wrong. It would be better, if in all controversies, men had simply stood hard and fast by "Thus saith the Lord," instead of having it said, "Thus and thus I think."  Charles Spurgeon (an excerpt of Jacob and Esau Sermon)

We may think what we may, but God gives us the choice to believe Him or reject Him and go our own way.  Life is rather simple.  "you shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3 

no other gods...hmmmn...

nothing and no one before God.

"Not my will but Thine be done."  What amazing grace is ours through the price our Redeemer paid for us.  We can't earn it.  We can't work enough for it.  We can't change enough to receive it.  Grace.  God's grace is ours...because He loves us...and He loved us before we loved Him...just as we mothers love our children as they grow in our womb, and the father explodes with joy and love the moment he lays eyes on his newborn child.  The baby doesn't love us first...it does nothing to deserve our love, to earn it.  We simply love him or her because.

Why do some walk away from such love?  Why do some thumb their noses at their Creator?  Why do some trade away eternity in Heaven for a few years of temporary pleasure on earth?  Only God knows.  Only He.  selahV for today

 

Is Clutter YOUR Friend ?

I read an amusing article online today about the mess in our lives.  The article, What the Location of Your Mess Says About You, examines various areas of the home and gives an opinion of what my clutter says about me (well, anyone, actually).  According to the staff writers, they based their report on author and environmentalist, Sally Augustin, PhD., and if her opinion has teeth, I am one messed-up person.

I already knew that; this article confirmed it.  Here's how it breaks down:

If my clutter is in the entrance of my home, then I'm extroverted...

if it is in my living room, I'm tense...

in my bedroom and bathroom, I'm insecure...

in my dining room, I'm shy and on a perennial diet....

in my kitchen, I'm adventurous.

As I read the rather amusing article, I analyzed all my clutter. I've concluded that I am a tense, insecure, shy, adventurous, extrovert who is on a perennial diet.

Rather confusing, huh?  Well, that's me.  You see, I literally live in clutter.  I clutter up my world with crafts, coffee mugs, old cards, books, magazines, decorative items and memorabilia.  I get one area organized and then bing, bang, boom, I mess it up again.   Every area in my house gets cluttered up almost as soon as I clear it.  It's scary.  Yet, according to the Phd., Sally Augustin, I must be a pretty balanced individual.  There is nowhere I lack clutter.  I may be an oxymoron to the psychologists...but we are what we are, and though sometimes I get really aggravated with my tendency to drop stuff and let it pile up...I'm beginning to see a pattern for my penchant to clutter up my world.  Complexity is my norm.  Hoarding is my weakness. Odd that in the midst of my mess, I usually know exactly where something is when I'm looking for it, huh?

One might think, I don't know how I manage to live life.  Makes me wonder how I managed to publish my own family-oriented newspaper, and do all the writing, photograph all the pictures, design all the advertisements, do all the sales work, deliver the paper every month with the shyness I exude.  I wonder how I managed to own and manage my own Antique Mall with the tension and insecurity that rules me.  Perhaps it's because I am driven by adventure...risk, and excitement.  Maybe my extroverted personality is the ember that burns the rest of my weaker traits.  Whichever it is, I'm guessing since I've made it 63 years, I'll be this way until I decide to clean up the clutter and maintain my bedroom, livingroom, and diningroom.  Then I can run the race the Lord has for me to run.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1

Since witnesses are watching my life and cheering me on, I think I'll start clearing some of the clutter and exercise better self-control.  And actually?  The mess has been weighing me down a bit --so much so that I hardly know where to begin to eliminate it.  Therein lies the tension and my dilemna with the livingroom.  Hmmn, I'm beginning to see why the LORD is having us downsize our living space from 1,800 square feet to 560.  It's going to be quite the challenge to cut 1,240 square feet from our lives, but with God's help, I can do it, and will leave it all behind.

I kinda like the extrovert and the adventurous side of me, though, so maybe I'll just leave that clutter for the moment.  It can be the catalyst to keep me working on the rest of it.  As I think about the entrance of my home, and the extrovert it symbolizes, I think my clutter is my friend.  With less weight in my life, I'll be free to run without encumbrance. And at my age, that's a good thing--since I need to get hopping and finish my devotional book before October.

How about you?  Any area in your life that needs de-cluttering?  Have any weights you need to lay aside?  Do you see the strength you have in the midst or your mess?  selahV for Today

AS MARKETS GO UP AND DOWN

One day they're up.  The next day, they're down.  Last week they dropped 1,600 points, then recovered to only lose a bit over 100 points overall.  Today, on Thursday, 8-18-2011, the DOW plunges 469 points at 9:31 a.m. Central time.  Speculation reigns in the minds of investors and folks who trust the markets for their future retirement.  Businesses shudder and wonder if stability will ever return.  Economists are like gerbels on treadmills, running in place trying to get nowhere faster.  Politicians are spinning the bottle of hope that whatever happens, the blame will land on someone else.  As the markets fall, so does President Obama's favorability polls.  Yet...

the sun is shining in Oklahoma.  And I have great hope.  Do you?

My hope is not in the markets.  And even though we depend on Social Security as our main source of income, I do not depend on it as my provision.  I don't even believe in the pittance we receive from our meager pension investment-- companies have been known to go bankrupt.  When threats of doom assail because of outer circumstances, I open my eyes and "look to the hills from whence cometh my help".  Just as investors rush to buy gold as an anchor during volatile times, I rush to my Father...the Anchor of my soul.

¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,"  Psalm 103:1-4 NKJV

Times are uncertain.  But my LORD is certain.  All that is within me cries out to Him to keep me...to give me strength, diligence, and perseverance so that I might bless His holy name and bring Him glory.

I remember "all His benefits" --beyond the material possession of this world...

beyond my comfort... beyond my pleasure.

As markets go up and down, and gloom and doom hover around us like dark shadows of despair, I take comfort in knowing my sin is forgiven... my diseases are healed, I have a life incorruptible... I have God's loving-kindness and tender mercies.  And I am at peace.  I pray you are, too.  selahV for Today 

The Most Disgusting Thing In The World

Never in my dreams did I believe it could really happen.  When I was in high school I read the fiction book, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.  It was a horrific futuristic book about a world where people were programmed to have no feelings for one another and to view life as all about oneself.  There were castes of people and yet each person within a caste were sleep-programmed that they were superior to anyone else.  It was sick.

I also saw a movie (or maybe I dreamed it after that book), about that same time. It depicted the world near its end when starvation was normal for the entire world.  People who went into the doctor would never leave the hospitals.  Instead they were loaded into huge dumptrucks and taken to a factory, murdered, then ground up to make food tablets for the healthier people.  Survival of the fittest?  Sick.

Now, according to Bapist Press News /link), "Chinese pharmaceutical companies are grinding up dead babies into stamina-enhancing pills, according to a South Korean television network."  Seriously...?  the total disregard of human life is actually digressed to this level?  This gives new meaning to the word depravity.

Oh, merciful God, let Your people rise up and cry out.  Let us realize that our society is not far behind when we find no reason why we shouldn't abort babies and use their stem cells for scientific research.  God in Heaven, please remove the blinders from the eyes of the world to the barbaric and despicable practice in China and who knows where else.  Will they, next, be taking eggs and sperm and producing test-tube babies and placing them in hot-houses in order to harvest organs for transplants?  I would not be surprised anymore.  Would you?  selahV

FOR HOPE... But Lord, I Need You (/link)

When I Think I Have It Rough

My mind drifts to others in greater pain, suffering, and trial.  All through my life there have been times when life seemed worthless, senseless and futile.  It seemed at times that the struggle was more than I could bear.  I wondered when I was a child why I had to be abandoned by my mother.  Why I had to be mistreated and abused by my step-mother...

...why I was lonely.

...why I wondered if my father really loved me.

...why I lost a brother when I was seventeen.

...why I lost my first baby and he only got to live 23 hours.

...why did I thumb my nose at God and rebel against His precepts and commands.

...why I lost my second-born son when he was 33 years old.

...why my granddaughters had to suffer the loss of their daddy.

...why we all had to suffer such emptiness and loss.

...why I have the physical problems I do.

...why...why...why?  so many whys. Yet, in the wee hours of the night, the Lord spoke to me an answer.

Why not?  You are a partaker in the sufferings of my Son who gave His life for you.

The Lord experienced far greater rejection, heartache than I ever endured.  Jesus took on my sin and your sin.  He went through agonizing pain.  He went through emptiness I can only pretend to fathom.  He faced temptation, and dealt with it swiftly.  He became sin so God could put it to death on the cross.  He was crucified to pay for my sin--to pay my penalty--your penalty.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13

Nothing we endure compares to what our Savior suffered.  Nothing will compare to the joy we experience when He returns.  selahV for Today

When Shelter Is Needed ...

...may you find it beneath the wings of God.

May He protect you when you are frightened.  May He lift you up when you are weary and feel you cannot go on.  May you find His peace and assurance as you rest beneath His wings.

"How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7

I found this one of the most endearing photos I've ever seen of the sheltering wings of refuge and care.  Do you feel a sense of peace and protection as you look at it, too?

For me it is a marvelous example of how our Heavenly Father wraps us in the safety of His love and grace.   We cannot comprehend the security enjoyed by these little birds.  A friend sent this to me in an email.  Simply gotta love the symbolism God gives to His children sometimes through the glory of His creation.  Amen? selahV

At Least He Prays

...at most?  He believes in the God Who can heal our land when we acknowledge Him and request His guidance.  In the end, we will all have to make up our own minds as to whether or not God will answer Gov. Rick Perry's requests for wisdom and healing as he led roughly 30,000 people in prayer in Texas this month.  We will all have to discern if his walk matches his talk--if his words are more than rhetoric based on principles or his principles form his words to honor our Creator.  Each will need to consider whether his words are to win and woo voters, or reveal his own integrity, and dependence upon a Holy God.

His critics can whine and fuss all they want, but I am of the opinion that whatever else Rick Perry does in this nation as a leader, he did the best thing any government leader can do.  He prayed.  He called on Americans to seek God's guidance with our broken government and economic chaos.  He sought Divine intervention to bring America back to a nation that thrives and achieves goals set before her to help ourselves and ultimately...other nations in the world.

Every time a person, be it a state legislator, or a President in the Oval Office emphasizes faith in their life, they are ridiculed and chastized.  What do these critics fear?  A God of mercy, grace and love?  A God of protection and provision?  In America, people are allowed to worship in freedom, without fear of persecution.  That includes our leaders. Unfortunately, in the last few years, cultural voices seem poised to eliminate as much public mention of God, Jesus and Christian faith as possible. 

Today I saw a report of a high school principal who organized a prayer meeting over the summer.  He simply invited a group of educators and parents to come together to pray for God's protection and wisdom to lead the children in the year to come.  It was not mandated. It had no students to persuade.  It was an invitation.  Is this a violation of church and state?  Seems to me, the state violates his right to free assembly, free speech and freedom of religion if they prohibit such.  But that's me.  Just because a minority of people decide we cannot have prayer in schools, can't teach students that the laws that rule our land come directly from the moral laws of the Ten Commandments, doesn't make it the correct interpretation of the law of separation of church and state.

Considering all the schools which have had children brandishing guns, knives and other weapons to wipe out entire classrooms, it seems it behooves us to pray.  We need to enlist every help available at our disposal.  Including and foremost the Sovereign.  No school is exempt, even schools of faith, as attested by the recent Memphis murder of a principal by a seventeen year-old student just three days after opening(/link) . 

It's odd when one thinks about how schools are limited and prohibited from mentioning God today. It's okay for federal and state employees to take time off for religious holidays, and okay for the citizens to pay their salaries, but it is not okay for employees (and in most cases, students), to proclaim for Whom the holiday is celebrated.

Critics of religion in general, and Christianity in specifics, deny the very principles upon which our country was founded.  They think the moral laws imposed upon its citizens came from the secularized minds of supposed atheists, agnostics, and diests.  However, for years the institution which turned out many of our presidents and legistlators, taught Biblical principles as a means for governing and thinking of justice and law.  I offer the example below an original rule from Harvard Law School in 1636:

 
Oh, to have rules like this honored in our colleges today--especially those which mold and manipulate the minds of future legislators and leaders of this country.  Americans are tired of teleprompted speeches filled with false hope.  Americans are fed up with polished politicians and legislators who have no principles, who are afraid to mention their faith, and who submit to the money-changers, and the ever-changing popularity of polls.  Folks are fed up with leaders who do not listen, but dictate.  They need someone willing to be humble enough to trust in God, and recognize, as the early founders of Harvard, "to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning."  Many might not know it.  But they need someone like that...whether it is candidate in the running now, or not.  Whether God raises up someone like that to help us remains to be seen.  At least I can pray.  selahV

Grace In The Daily Grind

On the world-wide-web we find a slew of interesting, boring, stupid, marvelous, idiotic, inspiring, foolish, informative, comforting blogs and dribble. You never know when you click a link if you're going to get something worthwhile to read or some nonsensical blather.  Lord knows I've blathered on many occasion.  Trust me.  If you read my archives, you'll come across some absolutely stupid rants sprinkled amid my posts.

You'd think a person like myself, who's nearly chained to her recliner due to back problems, and ever-lingering fatigue and muscle pain, would have nothing to do but read, read, read and read some more.  However, I'm selective.  I want to read things that inform at times.  But most of the time I want things that help me see the eternal value of life in general, and the role I can play in it specifically.  I look for nuggets of gold, silver and love.  I want inspiration.  I want to see the genuine faith lived out in the every-day mundane circumstances of life.  I don't want to see myself in another's words; I want to see Jesus.

Thus, there's times I scan my email and delete with abandon.

Today I went to my inbox to check my mail and found a bevy of familiar subscription feeds cluttered throughout my "besties" addresses.  I did the usual thing I do: opened and read the ones I knew best-- friends and family (they always come first).  I buzzed on down and deleted a series of news groups, and sales-promoters to which I've been too lazy to take the time to unsubscribe.  I deleted "Facebook" notices that I'd already read on my wall.  I scanned some of the Christian feeds with my cursor on the delete icon.  Just as I hit the little trashcan, my eyes caught a glimpse of something I wanted to read.  As quickly as I trashed it, I hit the restore link to bring it back.  Something about the title grabbed me: "a day in the life of...the Broken Quill.  When it was restored I opened the link and was met with the picture of an overstuffed laundry basket.  Immediately I was drawn into the author's world of wit and woe.

If you are a person who lives with chronic disease, pain, heartache, or trial, you'll probably see what I saw when I visited The Broken Quill.

A heart and body that suffers but does not despair...and...

A spirit that sparkles under pressure-cooker routine.

Oddly, what is routine to some folks, is a marathon for others.  After reading Brenda's post, I wanted to stand up and run through my day, even though I've rarely done more than hobble very slowly for years.  You may find what I found while reading her sincere, honest description of the daily grind of life.  Her testimony is a manifestion of God's Spirit pouring out His grace amid the daily grind of chronic illness.  Please go by and read this beautiful testimony.  I bet you'll be glad you did.  selahV for Today 

NOTORIETY Breeds Jealousy

Notoriety enters a room and swallows the applause of adoring masses.  It rarely notices its reflection of pride in the mirror hanging on the wall.  Nor does it see the faces of jealousy in the crowds behind it.  It gets so caught up in the praise of man, it confuses it with selfworth and personal value.  When the applause dies down, when the lights dim, when adoring fans walk away, or get distracted by another, notoriety may find itself looking into a mirror reflecting back shadows of distorted importance.

I was reading a post a few days back.  Evidently, the author had popularity and notoriety on his mind.  He couldn't sleep so out of curiosity he decided to go check the statistics on Technorati of various blogs in blogland.  He wondered why Technorati rated one blog above another and how they came to their conclusions. He listed a group of folks he thought germane to his post and gave their ratings with Technorati.  When I saw my name grouped with another I had to chuckle.  I can't remember the numbers offhand.  It's been a few days since I read it.

I know a little bit about Technorati's ratings and how it all comes together.  I checked into it when I started my blog in 2006.  Didn't really understand it all then.  Know a lot more about it today.  For me, the only reason it is of value is if one wants to develop a strong powerful voice in their respective focus group of readers, or because they want to make money from their blog.  Technorati can give you an analysis of how you are rank with a competitor based on their standards of block popularity monitoring.  Checking on your stats is interesting on occasion--competition is fun.  But in the end, I think comparing oneself to others breeds a bit of jealousy.  Notoriety does that at times.  Especially if a person isn't liked by a certain other person or group.  It gnaws at one's core to think someone they find arrogant, appalling, brash, or controversial, could be influential in forming ideas and views.  Pity the jealous among us.

I must admit that I would like to be a force of influence within our community of faith.  Not to boast a high ranking.  Not so much to make money, though that would be nice.  I want to help folks to know Jesus.  Admittedly, I sometimes get carried away and rant and ramble about some goofy political issue.  Or I may vent my thoughts on the perils and evils of blogging.  But for the most part, I want to share my Lord and how He gives me strength, peace and hope.  In a world dominated by entities and personalities which seek to destroy the things I count dear, I strive to stir up hearts and minds to grow in Christ.  I long to manifest His Spirit to the world by encouraging others, having patience, showing kindness, goodness and love.

It's not always easy.  I'm not always successful.  Sometimes I get so lazy I don't care.  Yet, I know this is a calling for me.  It is a ministry I love...especially since my health keeps me from doing other things I once did.  So, whether I rank high with Technorati or people "like" me with Facebook, click Follow, subscribe to my feed, or I have any commenters, I will still keep on writing...at least for Today.  selahV 

It's Hard To Comprehend

Truly.  It's hard to comprehend how one can feel peace in the midst of a storm.  Yet, people do.  It's hard to explain how we can struggle with a decision to follow God's will and once the decision is acted upon by faith, God floods our heart and soul and mind with peace.  Yet, He does.  He removes the turmoil, the confusion, the battle with our own inadequacies.  He assures us He is with us.  He tells us to stand and be courageous.  "To take the land."  He tells us to keep our eyes on Him.  He gives us His Spirit to dwell within us and pours out His fruit in our lives.

A portion of His fruit is peace; it's joy.

Some people act and react with such stoic movements and expression that often they are seen as unfeeling...or that they lack compassion.  Perhaps, unemotional people do not have the same sensitivities within them.  Perhaps because they are the way they are, they find it hard to comprehend how I and others can feel the presence of God and sense His peace when we follow His will despite the impossibilities, the obstacles, the giants in the land.  God's peace releases an inner confidence that cements faith in place.  It's power calms the calamity within an anxious heart just as certain as Jesus calmed the raging seas which terrified His disciples. Think about it.

God controls the wind.  God controls the tides.  He is the Creator of those things.  Just as God calms the whirlwind, His peace calms the whirlwinds in our heart and soul.

I equate peace with Jesus.  My Savior.  My advocate.  My counselor.  My anchor.  My refuge.  My Rock.

I've witnessed absolute peace in the faces of those who face the giants in their lives--the missionaries who yield to God's call and have total peace in selling everything they have to go and tell.  I've seen peace exhibited in men and women who move from their comfort zones and into the slums filled with violence to minister.  They have total peace because they know they are in the center of God's will as they shepherd and evangelize those areas.  They know it's God's will.  But they also feel His peace as a result of following in faith and obedience.

God in His superior, sovereign, unequaled creativity, created man in His own image.  He gives us emotions, just as He has emotions.  He uses those emotions within us to draw us to Him, to allow us to experience His goodness, compassion, comfort, joy, love and peace.  Jesus gives us the greatest commandment:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30

Those are completely different attributes of our being. Is there some reason the Lord put these attributes in the order He did?  I think so.

Our hearts keep us loyal to God.  Our souls keep us at peace with God.  Our minds keep us focused on God.  Our strength directs the resources of our bodies for God.  Just as we use them to be loyal, to obey, to sacrifice, to act upon the love we have for God, God rewards and blesses us with Himself as we do.  In Him we find His grace is sufficient to meet all our needs.  All the time.  It may be hard for some to comprehend the peace of God, to know it, but He gives it--the peace that surpasses all understanding.  It's not manufactured by man; it is delivered by God as we yield to His will and Word.  "Peace, be still."  "Be still and know that I am God."  selahV for Today

LEARNING ARABIC Gives New Meaning to Every Jot and Tittle, by hariette petersen

About a year ago, I met my friend, Linda, from Iraq who spoke no English. Nearly every week we met and I tried to teach her conversational English.  We even got together with my granddaughters so her little boy could play with them and interact with English-speaking children.  I count her as a dear and precious friend sent from God.

We've done lots of things together in the past year. Trips to the mall, McDonald's, and various parks. We've cooked lunch for one another. We've painted birdhouses and wooden trays. I introduced her and her 4-year-old son to Playdoh and bubbles.  We decorated Gingerbread Houses at the same table at church and I brought her their first Christmas tree which we all decorated together.

This past June, she joined her son in our Vacation Bible School and they loved it. She helped act as his interpreter with the lessons on Taking New York. She learns extremely fast. She reads English so well, I'm introducing her to an Oklahoma Driver's Manual this week. Once she understands that, we'll go get her driver's permit and I'll begin teaching her how to drive my Prius. We've had some great conversations about customs, culture, food, and faith. I even gave her a New Testament Bible with the Psalms written in Arabic.

Linda is a far better student of English than I am of Arabic. Yesterday she showed me her laptop keyboard that had both English and Arabic letters of the alphabet. She has the prettiest handwriting, too...no matter how she writes. She giggled as I wrote various letters with curley Q's, dots and dashes to form Arabic abc's. She approved of my attempts; her validation thrilled me. She wrote out her name both ways, and then she asked me, "Which is better? Arabic or English?" She was referring to the way we formed our letters. I told her it wasn't a matter of which is "better", but which is easier. I asked her which she liked best. She chose English. "It's much easier to write. I like it." She gave new meaning to the phrase in the Bible, "every jot and tittle"; so many letters had dashes and dots above them and if one dot was omitted, it wouldn't make a bit of sense in a word. I thought about that when I looked up the verse. Just as omission of a dot or dash could distort the message I might attempt to write in Arabic to Linda, to omit any of God's Word would distort the message He has for the world.

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished." Matthew 5:18

It is clear to me, that God didn't make mistakes when He chose to write His love letter of instruction to His children. He does not want us to pick and choose the phrases that suit us, to ignore the harder portions of obedience. He does not want us to drop a dash by watering down His message to be holy, to set ourselves apart from the world as we live in it. He doesn't want us to forget one dot, dash, or swirl. It's entirety is imperative for a life lived to glorify Him. His commands are not there to impress man when we follow them. Our obedience to His commands are not there to make us look anymore righteous than another. His instructions are there for our good--for our protection, because we do not know what is right without Him to guide us. Our decisions without God are like trying to write Arabic without knowing the alphabet. We're certain to fail to communicate His perfect will, way and love. It takes the whole inerrant Word for a person to be whole for the whole world. Every jot and tittle. selahV for Today

The Worst Offense

It doesn't take much to offend some people today. When terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in New York City, a steel cross arose from the mangled steel and concrete rubble. Workers stored the cross at a nearby church.  Today there is much contention about allowing it to be brought back to Ground Zero Memorial site because it is symbolic of Christianity which could offend those who are not Christian.

Displaying a cross offends. Wishing someone a Merry Christmas offends. Using God's name in public prayer offends.  Ignoring a person we pass in a hallway offends.  Some folks are offended simply because you disagree with their opinions or views.

Others are offended because a friend is offended.

A grief counselor I talked with told me that the hardest thing to forgive is an offense against someone we love or care about.  It's not an offense against ourselves, personally...but one against someone we care about--be that a child, a parent, a friend.  We seem to be able to forgive more easily when someone offends us than when someone hurts those we love.

Peter was quick and ready to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Peter drew his sword and lopped off the ear of Potiphar's servant. That servant was just there doing his job--attending to his master.  Jesus healed his ear, then rebuked Peter's offering of help.

People will bend over backwards and fall on swords to protect a friend or family member...or someone who thinks like they do.  Recently we've seen how offended the public at large was over the death of Caylee Anthony, a toddler in Florida.  Because of the morbid way little Caylee was left in a swamp, and her absence went unreported by her mother, the public took offense for the tiny child.  They were outraged when the mother, Casey, was found not guilty.  They wanted a pound of flesh. 

The same is true with some people when they see a friend or someone they respect placed under a microscope, or criticized--fairly or unfairly.  They immediately come to the "rescue" so to speak and try to explain away actions, words, and even give answers for motive and intent, even though they are not privy to those innermost feelings and thoughts.  If the advocates do not correct their friend's critic, they may go so far as to begin a war of sorts to destroy the offender.  This happens because we take offense for others wherein we have no business being offended.

Sometimes people have no idea how deeply they offend us with words and actions.  Jesus gives us the best example on what to do with them.  Forgive them.  Have mercy.

This is not easy.  It is harder, still, for us to watch the pain and heartache others exact on those we love.  After all, the worst offense is the hardest to forgive.  But oh how necessary for us if we want to live an abundant life--free of animosity, distrust, and bitterness.  If we don't let the offenses go, we shackle our hearts and quench the Spirit of God within us.  How quickly we can fall into a pit of self-righteousness and superiority.

LORD, give us Your strength to break the bonds of unforgiveness in our hearts.  Help us see others as You see them and act according to Your Word.  May all we do and say be that which brings honor and glory to You.  selahV

THE RIGHT WORDS

I wish I had them.  I wish I had the right ones to fill the empty void for you today.

I wish I had the words to take away the pain of the one who has betrayed you.  If only the right words could mend the heartache you have for rumors spread about you.  If only my prayers were enough to bring the peace you need, the answers to your difficulties.

I wish "right words" could heal the afflictions you have and those your loved one has.

I am not where you are...and I can't reach across the table and touch your hand and let you know that I am there for you.  I am here...so far away.  But I still care.

I cannot replace the person you need today.  I cannot be the voice you need to hear.  I cannot begin to know how to comfort you.  But oh, how I wish I could.  I wish I had the "right words" to bring as a balm of healing.

I love you my friends....you know who you are.

And for those of you who stumble upon this post, let me share with you the only comfort I have that never ever leaves me.  His name is Jesus.  He loves me like no other.  He fills the void within my heart when I am ready to empty out the things I hold inside that hurt me and keep His peace from entering.  When I am ready to let go of the pain another had brought upon me and let His comfort enfold me.  Then He comes in and sits with me and dwells with me...and I, in Him.  I give Him all the heartache.  I give Him all the uncertainty, sadness, and regrets.  He carries it all for me...because it's just too heavy for me to bear alone.  Today I pray He does this for you, too.   selahV for Today

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

Pits We Stumble Into

It never ceases to amaze me how people attempt to take stands on another person's words, actions, or position. So often said critics try to take a superior high-ground--possibly with pure motives. However, when critics don't like the person they talk about, I find their words suspect.

Invariably, instead of clearing up a matter, they wind up pointing fingers at the other person's character, integrity, and motives. Instead of simply disagreeing with another, the critics stumble, slip and end up stuck in a quicksand mudhole of their own making.

When they become indignant and accusatory, they are no different than those they accuse. They think they are noble to point out this flaw in another's character...they are quick to notice another's wrong. Yet, they are slow to recognize their own hypocritical duplicity--especially if the object (person) of their criticism is someone they do not like. They cannot see themselves in the mirror smeared with mud.

Politicians make a career of doing this. You know...the pot calling the kettle "black".

It seems since blogging and social media came along (providing a venue to voice opinions, critiques and reviews), that some bloggers find this venting venue equally tempting to point fingers of condemnation against anyone with whom they disagree. Christians accusing Christians. Pastors accusing pastors. Leaders accusing followers, followers accusing leaders. Editorials. Opinions. Blogposts.

^"24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
²⁵ Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
²⁶ Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them." Proverbs 26:24-27

It just makes me wonder how many hearts harbor deceit. What abominations fill their hearts? What malice is concealed within the charming speech? Behind the mask of words, is there unexposed wickedness?

Have you checked your heart today? Do you disguise your feelings of animosity towards another with lips of flattery and empty apologies? Do you say one thing and feel another? Do you walk back words you've said to make your words sound better the second time they're served up? Have you dug a pit and found yourself in its grip? Have you rolled stones and found yourself beneath them?

If so, look up! God gives us new mercies each day. Bring every thought captive under Christ. Guard your thoughts and your tongue. Be slow to speak, and quick to listen. Give people the same benefit of the doubt that you want to be given. Show mercy, and pray for others you find yourself at odds with.  There's more hope for today than you realize. selahV

Shackles, Bars, and Snares

Sometimes I allow my circumstances to shackle me. I give too much control to the emotions of my heart and bypass the wisdom of my mind.  In the end I find myself ensnared by fear and insecurity.  I climb inside life's cage of difficulty, criticism, and threats and lock the door.  I hand the key to its door to faithlessness.  Sometimes I sit there paralyzed as if a giant lion sits outside the bars licking its chops.  I do not swing, nor sing.  I will not allow myself to breathe.  My heart beats wildly when shadows pass across my space.  Is there a storm brewing?  Will I survive?  Will those I love?  Who will feed me, give me water?

Shadows.  Unfamiliar sounds.

A health crisis.  An unexpected bill.  A death.

Help.  It's not in horses or chariots.  It's not in government and man.

Freedom.

It's not in another's advice.  It's not in a self-help book.

It's not in a bottle of pills.  Or more possessions.

It's in a name.  Jesus.  Trust.  Believe.  

Give Jesus my fear, anxiety, worry, and uncertainty.  Receive courage.  Accept grace. 

Rest.  Wait.  Stop holding my breath.  Breathe.  Yield.  Open my eyes and see the open door of hope.  Step out of the snares and broken shackles on footsteps of faith.

Escape.

Leap from the perch of doom and gloom.  Fly...on the wings as eagles, whispering His name as He lifts me up and closer to His face.  Jesus.  Jesus.  My refuge and my help.

“We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:7-8 (italics mine)