What if we choose love?

What if we each individually took responsibility for our own choices?

 What if we each purposed to control myself, without regard for the circumstances or how others treat me?

 What if we lived with the understanding that every choice I make every day has good and or bad consequences which ripple from now into eternity?

 What if everday each one of us chooses to listen, to seek to understand, to love everyone and to respect & honor everyone?

 Overcome evil with good! Let's change our spheres for the good everyday. You have influence. Weild it with care.





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Theme Song Thursday - Final 2015

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Merry Christmas Eve Theme Song Thursday

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Bread for Today

In the natural, I made a loaf of THM Sprouted Wheat Bread, something I have not taken the time to do for months.  The process was simple, yet fulfilling; the resulting loaf was delicious and nourishing -- truly a BLISS, which I need to pursue more regularly.

Supernatural bread for today started as a musing about how to love the broken in our world.  Jesus' wise instruction to love others as I love myself reminded me that self love is the beginning of pouring the Father's heart upon others. Every one of us is broken and traumatized to some degree and in need of a Physician.  Tenaciously pursuing wholeness and healing for myself truly must be a priority; our family's beloved first pediatrician continually exhorted me to take care of me/Mom, so that I could take care of our kiddos.  The flight attendants remind us to put our own oxygen mask on before we try to help someone else. Yes, current culture understands this concept.

Why is it so difficult for Christ followers?  One reason, I believe, is the stigma, the SHAME, that religious culture affixes to people "who don't have it altogether."  The enemy loves this lie and works with religious culture to perpetrate it far and wide.  The TRUTH is that we all are in need of the Physician -- that's why He came to save the WORLD.  Shine the light on SHAME, dare greatly and run after personal wholeness and healing.  You will be amazed at the good that will result.

When I mentioned "religious culture," I was not meaning the church, the Body of Christ.  Nope.  I was speaking of a mindset that is empowered supernaturally.  At itmes this culture/mindset does show up in our local churches, though. Sadly church people will sometimes treat other church people worse than a stray dog, despite the model we see in how Jesus loved His disciples and those who followed Him. (You might want to read up on how He dealt with the religious culture of His day chronicled in the stories of most of His interactions with the Scribes and Pharisees, too.) Christ also said to love each other as He loved us.  Unfortunately, the church is known as being the only army that shoots its own wounded.  This should not be!  Come alongside those in the Body of Christ who are pursuing wholeness and healing.  They are part of the group of people that you and I are meant to love as we love ourselves.

The other part of that group are those who are not part of His Body.  Guess what?  The same instructions apply in regard to them.  Love them as you love yourself.  Because it's the kindness of God that leads people to Him, we are to be the conduits of His Kindness.  Be famous for love, as Sherri Silk says.  See people the way He sees them -- created in His image and likeness.  Honor, respect and love everyone around you, brokenness and all.


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Theme Song Thursday

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Theme Song Thursday

A repeat, but deliciously worshipful nonetheless.

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Driving a Stake in the Ground

Edited 06.27.15

I am saddened, but not surprised at the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of same sex "marriage."

Rudderless, the majority justices continue to sail the USA toward rocky shores.

Perhaps I am painting a target on myself, but I feel compelled to post a statement of my faith and beliefs here today.

I do not hate anyone.  Because I follow Jesus Christ, because He loves and forgives me, and because His love compels me, I love everyone, though I do so imperfectly as an imperfect human being.

"Love your neighbor.  Do good to those who do evil against you.  Overcome evil with good."

Those some are my foundational motivations and guiding commands.

Below is a more formal belief statement, the wording of which I borrowed and tweaked from an Alliance Defense Fund pdf.

"I believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, evidenced biologically at birth. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.)  ‘Being man’ or ‘being woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and woman possess an inalienable dignity, which comes to them immediately from God their Creator. Man and woman are both with one and the same dignity ‘in the image of God.’

"I believe that the term 'marriage' has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) I believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) I believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

"I believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)

"I believe that God freely offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)

"I believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or with how Jesus treated people while He walked the earth."

I understand that our government has approved and legalized relationships and actions that are in opposition to my beliefs.

I do not believe that those who have made these decisions hate me.

I am not your judge.  (Matt. 7:1, John 5: 26-27, John 12: 47-48.)

These beliefs guide my relationship with God and with man.  A desire of my heart is to grow in loving relationship with God and with all of humanity every day.

If you disagree with my beliefs, I respect you and love you anyway.  I think all of you are amazing creations of Father God who carry unique and needed gifts into our world.

Can we focus on the things we agree upon and work together to build a promising and bountiful future for us and for the generations to come?

Have mercy on us, oh God!

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Theme Song Thursday

  While this is a repeat, it is the theme song on my heart at this moment!

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Theme Song Thursday

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Did You Notice?

 This is ONLY for my regular readers and followers. . .ok, the rest of you can read this, also.  I was only teasing.  Who am I to discourage anyone from reading my little ol' blog?

  I chose a different blog template recently; did you notice?  I'd love your thoughts and feedback in regard to it.  I feel like I need change often, so my blog reflects that at times.


And today's random:

  I was grocery shopping this morning, using my re-usable shopping bag horde. The cashier who was waiting on me does NOT like the re-usable shopping bags.  I have been in her "line" before, and each time she comments offhandedly about how she does not like those bags.  Honestly I try to avoid her line because I know it pains her to wait on someone like me.  As far as that goes, I'd rather we both be enjoying the shopping experience as much as possible.  As I could not avoid being in her line (read that as not enough lines open), there I was.  She grudgingly greeted me, and I cheerily replied.  She began listlessly loading my frozen and cold items in one of my freezer bags; "great!" I silently cheered.  After she filled one of my "least of these" bags, I re-positioned my bag o' bags (whilst she was busy and NOT looking) with the other freezer bag on top and my best bags next; in her defense, the "least of these" was the next one in the pile.  I said nothing except cheerful thank-you's as we both endured the process -- me with a smile and her with lips in a grim line.  Then I heard her sadly mutter, "I don't pack these kinds of bags very well." My heart stirred with compassion for her -- silently I released blessings and peace over her.  And I am thankful that I was privileged to be in her line this morning.  She needed me and what I carry of the #Kingdom.  I needed her to stir my compassion and to give away what Jesus gave me.

  Someone once told me that I pick up on lots that is going on in a given situation, which seems to be true.  What I have realized is that I often misinterpret after the observation.  This morning I was reminded that even Paul did not always hear and discern correctly, (it's right there in The Book).  I need Holy Spirit and His gifts soooooo much!  Still a work in progress here:).

So, what do ya think about the new template?

What's your random from today?


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Theme Song Thursday

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Theme Song Thursday

 This is only a snippet, but soooooo good. . .

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Merry Theme Song Thursday Christmas!!!

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Theme Song Thursday

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Theme Song Thursday

Singing this over and over as a declaration these days; need it to become proven knowledge.

What's your theme song lately?

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Farewell DST

Dear Daylight Saving Time,

You are a farce.  Now that you have gone away, please, do not return.  My body is so thankful for your departure.  How I love to see the sunrise at an appropriate hour in the morning.  I do not mean to be harsh, but I do petition you to stay away.

Farewell Daylight Saving Time.

Yours Truly,

Me

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Tidings of Comfort and Joy+

Image courtesy of

anankkml

/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 Not many days left now until Christmas 2012!  Celebrating Christ's birth is one of my very favorite engagements of each year.  At present our world pines for the comfort, joy, peace and

Fragrant and Free

Moments ago I arrived home from my dash to our local library -- have I mentioned before how much I LOVE libraries (tee-hee, I know I have)?!

Hornswoggled

:  bamboozled


Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  I think it's great to celebrate love, AND I think it's funny that this holiday is what it is today.  By the way, I love receiving chocolate and flowers, so if you see my valentine today, remind him, ok?


History of Valentine's Day


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2012 Words

Thanks to Kate and to Melissa Dinwiddie for the inspiration to pray about and ponder out words for the year.  Through a series of “serendipitous” events, my words for 2012 have emerged – hope, abiding faith and breakthrough. 

Kate shared her word in her blog post as well as the brilliant reminder she created. 

Melissa Dinwiddie shared her three words in a blog post and then again in an attractive accordion book.

I was planning to skip right to the artwork part, when I heard my Counselor’s still voice say, “you are avoiding writing.”  Right away I thought, “yes, but I am being creative.  And I can also hardly wait to start the knitting and crocheting projects that I have lined up and waiting…” 

“Yes, but” is never a good answer to my Counselor.  So here I am writing about what I intend to express in other ways, too. 

I recognize that my artwork is at best, rudimentary.  Consequently it astonishes me that I have NO FEAR  about showing my artwork to others or even posting it on my blog.  It’s just me expressing what’s inside as led by my Counselor.  What happens after that is His deal. 

I have expressed a kind of hope in the previous paragraph .  When I say the word “hope,” I don’t mean as in “wishing for.”  I mean “having the joyful anticipation of good in every area of my life and leaning into it.”  With my creations, I have no problem having hope.  At present it is settled in my heart, mind, soul and spirit that I NEED to create, that what I create is an expression of who I am and that these creations have value because I am created in His image and valued by Him.  He has this huge refrigerator and loves to hang up my stuff on it.  I am creating for an audience of One, and I am ok with others viewing my stuff.  Good is already happening because of this new pursuit and focus.  I am on tiptoes with anticipation as I lean further into this new thing.

You can probably guess that I am not as full of hope in all other areas of my life.  It’s not that I mean to not be.  It’s that I don’t realize I am lacking hope until I’m in the midst of the messes of life and whining about them.  So, this year I want to lean into the messes while remembering that everything that could ever happen in my life, Jesus has a promise for.  None of this is new information; I have quoted and meant “for we know God works all things together for the good…” for years now.  This that is happening now is revelation. 

Out of hope will develop abiding faith that will in turn attract breakthrough. ( Now that’s a good word right there!)  I want to see the development happening in my distress as I anticipate the demonstration of what God has declared.  I want to see God’s mercy and kindness in the fact that He does not allow me to fail the tests He gives to me; He lets me take the test again and again and again and again and again until I pass.  May I learn to embrace the test so that I pass them sooner!

What is your word or what are you words for 2012?  What do they mean to you?

For more inspiring words, check out these links:
2012: A Year of Promise
Transformation


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