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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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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The Spice of Life

  Enjoyed a paternal family reunion for the first time in ten years-ish over the weekend.  I have definitely missed my family.  It is too bad that life gets in the way of relationships sometimes; I suppose it's a prioritizing of relationships and then giving your attention to the ones highest up on the list?  I feel like that's something I need work on in order to honor people better.

  The day before the reunion, our outreach team, 1 Voice, conducted a prayer siege at the Indiana State Capitol building, which by the way is incredibly beautiful inside.  If you are unfamiliar with a prayer siege, check out the link http://bound4life.com/the-silent-siege/ .  It's not a protest.  It's a prayer meeting.  We experienced God's favor and know that He heard us and is at work.

Regarding Facebook posts

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 It's not the differences that bother me; it's the bickering.  I am caught with the idea that if we would use our energies toward the things we agree upon rather than our differences, then we would have more peaceful and rich lives all across the board. 

Shattered (or Wrecked again)

I must pass along links to recent two messages by Danny Silk that shattered and encouraged me recently.  We were in attendance at Bethel Valparaiso All-Nations Church for Danny's message on May 13th, 2012.  I listened to the second message, Fierce , this morning while making pancakes, (our Wednesday morning breakfast is usually pancakes), and again while out running errands.

Wrecked

While out doing the weekly shopping trip, I was wrecked by the "Sermon of the Week," (S.O.W.) from 04.29.12, which you can download at:   http://www.ibethel.org/podcast/2012/05/02/one-of-those-days .  Danny Silk is an anointed communicator.

Danny Silk

 I highly advise all of you to listen and be wrecked yourself, but I will share some of my notes with you.

Transforming Mom - Love and Honor

Living in synchronozation spirit to Spirit is more fun "than the law will allow."  Suddenly I am

hearing and responding to that inner nudge.  Yesterday the nudge was to speak specific,

intentional thankfulness to the deli clerk, which she said made her day.  Today the nudge

was to supply a quarter to the young man who bags groceries for which he was seeking his

pockets in vain. As my friend and I were discussing last night, when we follow a nudge

suddenly the spiritual atmosphere changes and positively impacts us and  the people

who are witnessing what just happened.  We ageed that some day we will be shown the

impact of the "ripples" from each seemingly small obedient action. 

Now that's what I call FUN!!!

What nudges have you taken action upon lately?  How did things around you

change?

  

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